Apple to Bring Back Matte Displays as an Option on More Macs?

[tcphoto]

I realize that anti glare may not be for everyone but some of us prefer it. I was happy to see the post on Apple Insider that Apple may be offering an option on all MBP models. For some of us, the glossy display simply does not work in our workflow and we would simply like to make our own choice.

I am a photographer and I work on locations ranging from open sunlight to cave like conditions. Those display hoods do not always block enough light or kill the reflections of objects. I certainly look forward to hearing that Apple understands what their customers need, not just what Apple wants to sell. Not all of us are buying their products for play but to make a living and deliver a project.

[MacRumors]

AppleInsider reports that Apple is considering bringing back matte antiglare displays in the form of an option on more of the company's Mac offerings. Currently available only as a $50 option on the 17" MacBook Pro, the report speculates that the 13" and 15" MacBook Pros are the most likely candidates for future inclusion of the option.

The transition towards glossy displays appears to have been sparked by the original iPhone, whose glass touchscreen and black border resonated well with customers. The reception was favorable enough that Apple, in a bid to push the envelope and standardize materials across its product families, gave similar treatment to its iMac line a few months later.

Further emboldened, Apple announced in October its new line of unibody notebooks would also forgo matte displays for glossy ones, with the exception of a $50 antiglare option on the pricey 17-inch MacBook Pro. These new displays "provide crisp images and vivid colors which are ideal for viewing photos and movies," Apple said, "and the edge-to-edge cover glass creates a smooth, seamless surface."

Apple's glossy displays have come under criticism from both professional image editors who note that the glossy displays interfere with color matching and a wider array of users who find the glare generated by Apple's glossy displays under bright conditions distracting. Apple has reportedly been following various petitions and discussions regarding the complaints and is making plans to address them in future product revisions.

Article Link: Apple to Bring Back Matte Displays as an Option on More Macs?

[DELLsFan]

Oh yeah ... the return of the matte displays would be a great change (or option) for those wanting one.

[MH01]

Very welcome news.

[nick9191]

Highly, highly doubt it.

[HerQ]

Finally!

That's the only crappy thing about my MacBook Pro, it's glossy screen. I just don't want it, and I won't be buying a 24" ACD as long as it's only glossy.

[igazza]

i like glossy screens

[shoebobs]

So glad I bought an older generation (with matte) at a deep discount when the Unibody Macs first came out. Now hopefully when I need to replace that in a couple years the matte option will be back, along with SSD being cheaper

[happydude]

great news. i love my clear/glossy screen, but more choices will make more people happy. and this should be an easy option to add in. good work apple. way to listen to your customers!

[FSMBP]

Thank frickin God. I couldn't use my sister's Unibody MacBook Pro on our deck for more than 10 minutes without the reflection of myself and trees- I can't stand to stare at my own ugly mug all day on my computer.

[conradzoo]

Was about to buy a Macbook pro, but was always thinking 'such a beautiful thing, but such a pitty that shinny screen'....

Guess I will wait a bit longer, for sure. Please let there be matte!

[dmmcintyre3]

Now just give us Express Card and we will be happy (maybe)
Get prices in line with PC's and we will talk.

[derek1984]

Originally Posted by FSMBP

Thank frickin God. I couldn't use my sister's Unibody MacBook Pro on our deck for more than 10 minutes without the reflection of myself and trees- I can't stand to stare at my own ugly mug all day on my computer.

And that's why they call it Anti-Glare. At least they're not in denial about it. They are telling you that glassy is glare by having something called Anti-Glare.

[sushi]

This is wonderful news.

Definitely is better for customers to have more options.

[jorasho]

VERY welcome. Hope it returns before the end of the BTS promo.

[rustedshut]

Glossy screens are terrible for computers. They should not be offering a glossy/matte option for an increased amount.

[Achiever]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[dhc]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

A quiet inclusion to the customise your mac page perhaps? Regardless, it's good news.

[Henk Poley]

Ah, this means I can finally upgrade from the white macbook. The times I used those glass mirrors (friend's macbook) I have been absolutely annoyed with the reflections. And the time I used it at an Apple Store I had to work around the ceiling lights.

Much appreciated, if true..

If they could jump right away to something like Pixel Qi's 3Qi sunlight readable screens, that would be even better. Sadly Pixel Qi will only target ~ 10" screens in their initial production runs. So maybe for the hypothetical iTablet / MacBook Mini.

[andiwm2003]

i so hope this is true. i'm on the fence of buying a 13"MBP.

the only reason to wait and lose the free ipod deal so far was the matte screen and the arrandale cpu's.

with a matte screen i wouldn't care about the cpu upgrade anymore.

[dr. shdw]

"Professional" image editors that rely on a TN LCD panel fail..

[wheelhot]

Well I do favor the matte displays but here is the problem. I saw the matte MBP 17", it doesn't look as good as the glossy version. Partly has to do with the black glass edges, but since they are going matte version, it means bye bye to the black edges and to me the silver border just looks weird with the unibody.

[RebootD]

Oh happy day! If this is true I will delete my account and start a new one where I post nothing but cheerful pro-Apple comments

[nagromme]

I strongly prefer matte, but I even MORE strongly prefer cleanability and durability. Glass for me! (Or glossy plastic, failing that.)

But having more options would always be the best of all.

(And I don't think the iPhone's good reception spurred the move to glossy screens. Many people simply LIKE glossy screens--they look better in some ways, and had been a premium option on laptops before Apple started offering them. And the glossy screens do already have an anti-glare treatment. They reflect in a way matte doesn't, and that annoys me, but they don't by any means reflect as much as plain glossy surfaces do. That's easy to test. Bright white lights reflect in an Apple display greatly dimmed. Enough to be useable, for me.)

[KingYaba]

Ah, good news!

Originally Posted by FSMBP

Thank frickin God. I couldn't use my sister's Unibody MacBook Pro on our deck for more than 10 minutes without the reflection of myself and trees- I can't stand to stare at my own ugly mug all day on my computer.

I had a good chuckle after reading this.