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MacBook Air's Inferior Display Disappointing
- Thread starter Amasashi
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If portability, mac os, and battery life are important then its amazing. For $1200 plus the screen is bad.
I don't know if bad is the right word, but as a fellow rMBP owner I will say that it is a fairly striking difference. The MBA has a decent display, but it is definitely lacking when compared to the retina screens. For the person looking at a baseline model that is fine, but if you are looking to spend a little extra cash and do 13" BTO with the RAM and i7 upgrades and the 256GB SSD it becomes harder to really justify the MBA over the rMBP.
Unless of course the form factor is the top priority.
I have a 2012 13'' MBA and I don't think the screen is bad. After calibrating it properly, the quality has noticeably improved.
The problem is the old technology, there shouldn't be any TN displays in new MBAs anymore since many other laptops have IPS displays by now. In order to have a retina display, the MBA would need a larger battery or it would lose a couple of hours per charge.
While retina displays look great for text, images are a different story. For photographers, they are a double-edged sword. Hi-res images look great but it would not be a good idea to post those online because people would steal them. Low-res images that look perfectly fine on displays at native screen resolution lose quite a bit of detail when viewed on current retina displays.
Long story short, an IPS display is all I want for next year's MBA.
The problem is the old technology, there shouldn't be any TN displays in new MBAs anymore since many other laptops have IPS displays by now. In order to have a retina display, the MBA would need a larger battery or it would lose a couple of hours per charge.
While retina displays look great for text, images are a different story. For photographers, they are a double-edged sword. Hi-res images look great but it would not be a good idea to post those online because people would steal them. Low-res images that look perfectly fine on displays at native screen resolution lose quite a bit of detail when viewed on current retina displays.
Long story short, an IPS display is all I want for next year's MBA.
Huh? I use a retina display eight hours a day or more, and no sign of fatigue. It is actually more comfortable to read than my old MBP. And the 13" rMBP is lighter than the 13" cMBP.
MBA definitely the worst screen on the Mac laptops and I own cMBP 15" with gloss and antiglare as well as 13" rMBP. But it's good enough for my photo editing as a pro photographer. A bad workman blames his tools. Seems that there are a lot of people whining about the fact that Apple's cheapest notebook line has the most inferior display. Big surprise. Buy a rMBP then.
Nope, I was using the iPad as my main until now (obviously there were issues with this). I do have an ancient Windows laptop which I replaced with the MBA. This is my first Mac ever. As I said, it would be perfect but I just can't stand the non-retina screen.
I've been going back and forth between my Macbook Air 2012 and my work non-Retina Macbook 13" and definitely can tell the difference. I thought it was just me. Guess I'm going to get rid of my Air and get a rMBP instead.
screen
Hi,
just received my new macbook air and I was transferring files from my late 2009 macbook to my new air when I noticed two (maybe) problems with my air screen:
1st - It does not really have a white color, the white is yellowish, It would be ok to look at, but when I change from my other mac to the new one is very noticeable, any way to calibrate my air so it has better color?
2nd - I notice it has a gradient on the bottom of the screen, for example, if my wallpaper is all white I notice a gradient coming from bottom to top (just a few pixels), it does not happen with my other macbook, any way to fix it (it has no really use) ?
Regards
Hi,
just received my new macbook air and I was transferring files from my late 2009 macbook to my new air when I noticed two (maybe) problems with my air screen:
1st - It does not really have a white color, the white is yellowish, It would be ok to look at, but when I change from my other mac to the new one is very noticeable, any way to calibrate my air so it has better color?
2nd - I notice it has a gradient on the bottom of the screen, for example, if my wallpaper is all white I notice a gradient coming from bottom to top (just a few pixels), it does not happen with my other macbook, any way to fix it (it has no really use) ?
Regards
Comparing the MBA screen side by side to a friend's $600+ ultra book, the MBA's screen looked amazing... 
I was quite surprised actually. I didn't think it faired that well, but a lot more impressively than I'd thought. I still think the cMBP was a bit better, but it's still a great screen.
I don't need/care for retina in it's current form in laptops, but definitely would like IPS.
I was quite surprised actually. I didn't think it faired that well, but a lot more impressively than I'd thought. I still think the cMBP was a bit better, but it's still a great screen.
I don't need/care for retina in it's current form in laptops, but definitely would like IPS.
Get Mavericks
I bought my Macbook Air in August 2013. I was disappointed too when I saw how Mountain Lion displayed on the Mac. On Apple's website the display looked so much better. The Dock was probably the most noticeable thing, and the colors looked terrible. Once I upgraded to OS X Mavericks, the display looks somewhat better. Hope this helps
I bought my Macbook Air in August 2013. I was disappointed too when I saw how Mountain Lion displayed on the Mac. On Apple's website the display looked so much better. The Dock was probably the most noticeable thing, and the colors looked terrible. Once I upgraded to OS X Mavericks, the display looks somewhat better. Hope this helps
Sitting here reading this and wondering how many people actually own the MBA
I remember back in 2008 when i bought my first MBP the discussion then was yellowing in the bottom of the screen, so when I picked up my new MBP I asked about it and was told that they had never seen any with those problems.
Now with the MBA it seem's like everyone is expecting Retina display but you want the MBA price which we all know is not going to happen.
Eyestrain with Retina displays is something that I have heard of at the local apple store and have experienced myself with a 15" rMBP, brightness turned to 3/4's , its usually common with people wearing glass's or contacts.
If the Air's inferior display is so bad than how are they selling so many?
As for retina in the air, IMHO I'd say NO way, the Air is the replacement for the older black and white macbooks is what I thought which were say entry level machines or lower budgets.
Not arguing just saying that's all. If I could get the display that I had on my 2008 MBP today being non retina I'd take that hands down.
I remember back in 2008 when i bought my first MBP the discussion then was yellowing in the bottom of the screen, so when I picked up my new MBP I asked about it and was told that they had never seen any with those problems.
Now with the MBA it seem's like everyone is expecting Retina display but you want the MBA price which we all know is not going to happen.
Eyestrain with Retina displays is something that I have heard of at the local apple store and have experienced myself with a 15" rMBP, brightness turned to 3/4's , its usually common with people wearing glass's or contacts.
If the Air's inferior display is so bad than how are they selling so many?
As for retina in the air, IMHO I'd say NO way, the Air is the replacement for the older black and white macbooks is what I thought which were say entry level machines or lower budgets.
Not arguing just saying that's all. If I could get the display that I had on my 2008 MBP today being non retina I'd take that hands down.
I also have a 2008 MBP just like yours. When I got it, I thought it was the most beautiful screen I'd ever seen. It was the first LED screen I had seen at the time. It still looks great today also.
I had a 2011 13" MBA and now a 2013 11" MBA. No problems with either of these screens. The viewing angle on the 13" screen could have been better, you really needed to view it on axis or it would dim considerably. But I got used to that.
I think the 11" 2013 screen is actually a bit better, with a wider viewing angle. And it seems really bright, I always have the brightness turned down. For me the physical size of the screen is the limitation, not the pixel density. I wouldn't want any smaller text or finer lines.
Good to know, headed to the Apple store after work, to look at the MBA 13" I7 and the 13" non Retina mbp
For #1 where is the brightness setting?
#2 since you just rec'd this , have you done all the updates ?
Update
Ok came home with the 13" MBA i7, 8gig of ram, 512SSD.
Out of the box impression was disappointing, now I site behind an HP 24" display all day long and have the 15" rMBP so going between these can mess with your eyes a little bit. Next installed Mavericks, display looks allot better, I actually have the brightness down 3 notch's.
While writing this I am downloading Xcode in the back ground and the cooling fans just kicked in and stopped about 45 second's later.
The display is LSN133BT01A02, according to a script I found in another post. guessing Samsung ?
Ok came home with the 13" MBA i7, 8gig of ram, 512SSD.
Out of the box impression was disappointing, now I site behind an HP 24" display all day long and have the 15" rMBP so going between these can mess with your eyes a little bit. Next installed Mavericks, display looks allot better, I actually have the brightness down 3 notch's.
While writing this I am downloading Xcode in the back ground and the cooling fans just kicked in and stopped about 45 second's later.
The display is LSN133BT01A02, according to a script I found in another post. guessing Samsung ?
I would guess that's a samsung display. In my opinion the diffence in displays across different manufactures is only aparent before calibrating with the macrumors color profile. The reason I say that is, I had a samsung panel with a dead pixel initially with my mid-2012 MacBook Air. The display looked great. I sent the air in to get serviced for the dead pixel and it returned to me with an lg panel. I was dissapponted initially, but after setting the macrumors color profile to the display it looks exactly the same as my previous samsung display.
Update on Display
I did not see a "SAMSUNG" profile for a MBA that meets the specifications of the MBA I bought online here. I played with it a little bit and ran the calibration , saw no difference at all. Also did not have time to search for one. I'm using Safari primarily because it works for me, on this site on the MBA it looks washed out, goto UPS site "checking on delivery's" and it looks great , watch some YouTube video's from Harvard looks fine. I'll give it some time and see what if any suggestion's come up for color profiles if any.
I met with a genius on the MBA I have and the display they ran there test's and i was told that there was nothing wrong with it and that they have not had calibration equipment in there shop since the Cinema display days.
I know that I've been using mine more than the MBP that I have and the display kinda grows on you if you will. I asked about returns and has he seen any coming back because of being washed out or lines and he said that he had not himself seen any. The one's that they have worked on all have Samsung displays and they never have any complaints about them.
The Retina displays have what they refer too as a warmer display. Where as the non retina have a cooler display. The only fix he said was for me to create a color profile myself and or find a shop around that has the calibration hardware.
I played sky gambler on mine this morning with the graphics turned all the way up and had no problem's at all. I mite try a game from steam this weekend. I'm not a gamer at all. At this point it's between the 15" and this one
Just thought I'd share. Like I said I have the maxed out 13" Air which our local store stocks.
I know if I keep this they'll come out with a newer and better one in a month or around June, but I personally do not see this getting a retina because it's going to shorten battery life.
I did not see a "SAMSUNG" profile for a MBA that meets the specifications of the MBA I bought online here. I played with it a little bit and ran the calibration , saw no difference at all. Also did not have time to search for one. I'm using Safari primarily because it works for me, on this site on the MBA it looks washed out, goto UPS site "checking on delivery's" and it looks great , watch some YouTube video's from Harvard looks fine. I'll give it some time and see what if any suggestion's come up for color profiles if any.
I met with a genius on the MBA I have and the display they ran there test's and i was told that there was nothing wrong with it and that they have not had calibration equipment in there shop since the Cinema display days.
I know that I've been using mine more than the MBP that I have and the display kinda grows on you if you will. I asked about returns and has he seen any coming back because of being washed out or lines and he said that he had not himself seen any. The one's that they have worked on all have Samsung displays and they never have any complaints about them.
The Retina displays have what they refer too as a warmer display. Where as the non retina have a cooler display. The only fix he said was for me to create a color profile myself and or find a shop around that has the calibration hardware.
I played sky gambler on mine this morning with the graphics turned all the way up and had no problem's at all. I mite try a game from steam this weekend. I'm not a gamer at all. At this point it's between the 15" and this one
Just thought I'd share. Like I said I have the maxed out 13" Air which our local store stocks.
I know if I keep this they'll come out with a newer and better one in a month or around June, but I personally do not see this getting a retina because it's going to shorten battery life.
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