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"Matte" screen: Just the glossy screen w/ out the glass?!

A

apw100

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 24, 2010
134
1
Jacksonville, FL
I was looking at the MBPs in an Apple store and I noticed that the "matte" screen seemed to be the same display as the "glossy", just with the glass removed and a silver bezel installed.
To me it seems that Apple is charging customers an extra $50 to simply remove the glass. Anyone know if this is true?
 
apw100 said:
Man, thats BS. They should just design it so that the glass can be easily removed if needed.
Click to expand...

that would be awesome. best thing to do is get glossy + buy an antiglare screen protector film; i've read that the glossy models have a better quality hinge because of the glass.
 
WTF are you guys talking about? The matte screen has a matte finish to it! The new glass screen has a very reflective piece of glass over an already glossy screen. The glass does nothing to add to the picture quality but adds reflections, it also does look kind of nice and allows you to touch the screen with less of a concern but that's it.
Apple does not have a normal 'glossy' choice, you can have a glossy screen with glass over it, 'glassy' or a matte screen that has an antiglare finish on it and no sheet of glass.

Now let's not start this into another what option is better thread but Apple is not just removing the glass and changing the color of the bezel for $50.
 
I had a glossy and now have a matte screen. The glossy had the reflective glass infront and then a glossy screen underneath, where as the matte is just a matte screen. Overall I find the matte screen much easier to use.
 
oh, i never knew the glossy model was already glossy underneath the glass.

why the glass then? and why the silver bezel on matte screens?
 
atheistpally said:
oh, i never knew the glossy model was already glossy underneath the glass.

why the glass then? and why the silver bezel on matte screens?
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The silver bezel is just to match the rest of the computer. I think they use black on the glossy to make the glossy colors pop even more.

And yeah, the gloss model is a shiny screen under glass...you can see the screen without glass in the Unibody plastic MacBooks. The matte finish model is just a matte unprotected screen.
 
the matte MBP is matte, not glossy at all.

The only glossy (without the glass) screen that are in the regular white MacBook and the MBA.
 
atheistpally said:
yes. that's why glossy is the best choice.
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Yeah...that's why Apple charges more money for the non-glossy option. Because it's worse. riiiight. :rolleyes:

Just like faster cpu, more memory, bigger hard drives, (all paid upgrades like the matte screen), are the worse options.
 
BWhaler said:
Yeah...that's why Apple charges more money for the non-glossy option. Because it's worse. riiiight. :rolleyes:
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there are good reasons for holding the opinion that matte is better than glossy, but "because it costs more" isn't one of them.
 
I honestly love the glossy screen look. I like the black around the screen, etc. And yes, by all accounts I have read, the colors are better.

However, I ask you this. I am not a traveler, I am mostly using mine indoors at an office, home, starbucks, etc. Am I really going get annoyed by the glossy screen? I am really curious because I feel like it wouldn't matter too much in my case.
 
MagicMouse said:
I honestly love the glossy screen look. I like the black around the screen, etc. And yes, by all accounts I have read, the colors are better.

However, I ask you this. I am not a traveler, I am mostly using mine indoors at an office, home, starbucks, etc. Am I really going get annoyed by the glossy screen? I am really curious because I feel like it wouldn't matter too much in my case.
Click to expand...

If you are using it indoor, and you can adjust the notebook's position accordingly with room's light sources, than yes, a glossy screen won't be a problem. BTW I' m using the glossy outdoor and it is usable (do not sit with the Sun directly behind you)
 
According to Phil Schiller at the Apple MacWorld 2009 keynote, the glass and attached black bezel on the 17" MPB are removed, and replaced with a silver bezel for the matte screen version. The screen under the glass is the same matte screen used in the previous matte MBPs.
 
drambuie said:
According to Phil Schiller at the Apple MacWorld 2009 keynote, the glass and attached black bezel on the 17" MPB are removed, and replaced with a silver bezel for the matte screen version. The screen under the glass is the same matte screen used in the previous matte MBPs.
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ha, i knew it! i officially retract my last post regarding this matter and fully acknowledge that reallynotnick is wrong. lol
 
drambuie said:
According to Phil Schiller at the Apple MacWorld 2009 keynote, the glass and attached black bezel on the 17" MPB are removed, and replaced with a silver bezel for the matte screen version. The screen under the glass is the same matte screen used in the previous matte MBPs.
Click to expand...

NO, YOU ARE WRONG!

Jeez will people stop saying this already? It's a matte screen without glass over it and a non reflective aluminum bezel. It's the same screen in that it is identical in quality but has a matte finish to it. The MacBook and MacBook Air have glossy screens without glass over them, if you order a MBP with a matte screen they don't put glass on it and put a matte screen in the machine. If you haven't seen them in person please stop spreading this garbage.
 
reallynotnick said:
NO, YOU ARE WRONG!

Jeez will people stop saying this already? It's a matte screen without glass over it and a non reflective aluminum bezel. It's the same screen in that it is identical in quality but has a matte finish to it. The MacBook and MacBook Air have glossy screens without glass over them, if you order a MBP with a matte screen they don't put glass on it and put a matte screen in the machine. If you haven't seen them in person please stop spreading this garbage.
Click to expand...

i have seen them in person, and i just rewatched the 09 keynote that drambuie referred to. he is right; phil schiller explains exactly how the matte option is born.

1.) remove the glass panel

2.) add metal bezel

have a look for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVneba3BeJY
 
them apple b1tches keep the glass and charge you upgrade fee up your bung hole .. that's the way to do business

cha ching
 
reallynotnick said:
It's the same screen in that it is identical in quality but has a matte finish to it.
Click to expand...

Is that really true? I've been wondering about this for some time.
I remember Schiller heaping superlatives onto the glossy/glassy screen in his keynote about the unibody 17", saying that it had the best color gamut/contrast/etc. of any screen they'd ever shipped. Then he he basically added "oh, there's a matte option, it's the same screen we used before". So I'm wondering - is the glassy/glossy screen on the 17" a new one (i. e. new in 2009) and is the matte screen the one they used on the last pre-unibody 17" MBP? If so, wouldn't the matte screen be inferior?
 
I think Phil was referring to the user's experience, i.e. the matte screen with the glass removed would have the same antireflective look of the previous screens. I don't think it meant that the older screen technology was used.

The mere presence of glass in front of a matte screen actually will increase contrast and the apparent brightness of colors. This is caused by the reflective nature of the glass. In a pitch dark room, the anti-glare and glass screens would probably be almost identical, but in a lighted environment, the glass reduces the direct illumination of the screen surface by ambient light. In other words, you can see the light from the screen, but not the screen surface itself. This can be enhanced by using glass with a neutral dark tint. This is why TV manufacturers used "black" glass to increase the contrast and color vibrancy of picture tubes.
 
It's unfortunate that there is a $50 charge for it, but as a confirmed hater of the glossy displays, I'm just glad they do still have an option for the matte displays on the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros. I only wish they would offer that option on the 13" model, as well.
 
drambuie said:
I think Phil was referring to the user's experience, i.e. the matte screen with the glass removed would have the same antireflective look of the previous screens. I don't think it meant that the older screen technology was used.

The mere presence of glass in front of a matte screen actually will increase contrast and the apparent brightness of colors. This is caused by the reflective nature of the glass. In a pitch dark room, the anti-glare and glass screens would probably be almost identical, but in a lighted environment, the glass reduces the direct illumination of the screen surface by ambient light. In other words, you can see the light from the screen, but not the screen surface itself. This can be enhanced by using glass with a neutral dark tint. This is why TV manufacturers used "black" glass to increase the contrast and color vibrancy of picture tubes.
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks. But has it ever really been established that the matte screen on the current 17" MBP is actually the same as the glossy one, just without the finish and glass? Or is there a chance it might be the old screen with the poorer color gamut and what have you?
 
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