Thank You Apple!

[teejaysplace24]

After railing against the annoying black bezel and mirror-like displays now included standard on latest model iMac, MB, and MBP, Apple has finally responded with a solution! I'm sure by now everyone knows that the 17" MBP offers an anti-glare option which addresses a HUGE complaint of the much maligned form factors. It honestly was the breaking point when it came to my decision to buy a new notebook, causing me to opt for an early 2008 model instead. I've noticed, however, that the majority of promo shots for the 17" MBP indicate that the width of the bezel has been mercifully decreased to a much less distracting proportion - an addition that would have actually made me consider one. And, after some searching, I've finally discovered a promo shot of the anit-glare version on Apple's website, which much to my pleasant surprise, actually eliminates the black bezel completely, giving the display a look similar to the old-school Macs, while still providing customers of all the bells and whistles of the new edition.

Honestly, I didn't think Apple would ever listen to our complaints. They seemed so set on their new designs that I nearly lost faith there for a while, and I'm so pleased that they've taken our feedback seriously. I really don't have a question about this and, while I doubt Apple itself peruses these forums all to often, I just wanted to send a big THANKS on behalf of myself and all the other creative professionals out there. Cheers!

 

[PeterKG]

The black bezel doesn't bother me in the least. On my 15" MBP screen size is 15". If you were already using the new MBP you would know that the display is fine, and the black bezel frames your display just as a LCD or plasma TV. You could have also provided a link so we would not need to search for this joy you found.

 

[drlunanerd]

This is old news, but I agree, it's about time Apple injected more choice into their computer offerings instead of their recent descent into patronising "consumer-grade lowest-common-denominator one-size-fits-all" BS. I await the actual shipping of the new matte 17" with baited breath, and hope very much a matte 15" is offered before the end of this year.

 

[kastenbrust]

This is old news, but I agree, it's about time Apple injected more choice into their computer offerings instead of their recent descent into patronising "consumer-grade lowest-common-denominator one-size-fits-all" BS. I await the actual shipping of the new matte 17" with baited breath, and hope very much a matte 15" is offered before the end of this year.

There wont be a 15" Matte, Watch the Macworld Keynote, we've been through this in lots of threads on this forum already.

 

[drlunanerd]

There wont be a 15" Matte, Watch the Macworld Keynote.

Refresh my memory for me?

 

[nick9191]

There wont be a 15" Matte, Watch the Macworld Keynote, we've been through this in lots of threads on this forum already.

When did Phil say there wont be a 15" matte?

I'm a glossy man, but it would be ridiculous if they did not offer matte on the next 15".

 

[drlunanerd]

When did Phil say there wont be a 15" matte?

He didn't.

Never say never with Apple. They have a fine tradition of saying one thing and doing another, so it's all speculation.

More choice in Apple's hardware is only a good thing. We won't return to the bad old says of the mid-90's, don't worry.

 

[Winni]

I wonder what's wrong with this picture. Apple should thank YOU for still buying products from them. After all, it is their job to build products that people want. It's not the customers job to swallow everything Apple throws at us.

But this dependence on the good will of ONE hardware vendor is exactly what's so wrong with the OS X platform.

 

[drlunanerd]

I wonder what's wrong with this picture. Apple should thank YOU for still buying products from them. After all, it is their job to build products that people want. It's not the customers job to swallow everything Apple throws at us.

So say we all.
But I think the OP's point is that Apple actually listened to negative feedback on the 15" Unibody MBP. To quote Phil Schiller (and not just make something up...), "Some of our highest-end customers would really rather not have a glossy panel on the front".
I cringe at the way he puts it but at least they admit they ballsed up and there is hope they'll extend the choice to other notebooks they offer.

But this dependence on the good will of ONE hardware vendor is exactly what's so wrong with the OS X platform.

This does bother me, especially in the wake of the last round or two of Apple's hardware refreshes. The growing Hackintosh/Psystar/Pear-C movement is possibly a wake-up call to Apple that there's demand for a wider range of hardware to run OS X on. Yes we know that Apple don't compete in the budget PC market, but that's not what I'm asking for.

 

[volcom883]

macbook pro 17" anti-glare announcement at here at minute 1:10 on this video

i really liked it when people started to applause apple's decision!

 

[Pika]

Alot of graphic professionals use HP monitors... which means they use a black bezeled screens (like the LED ACD)... which means they work with glossy screens... so does that mean graphic professionals should stop using HP monitors?

Why always blame apple and not HP?

 

[drlunanerd]

Alot of graphic professionals use HP monitors... which means they use a black bezeled screens (like the LED ACD)... which means they work with glossy screens... so does that mean graphic professionals should stop using HP monitors?

Why always blame apple and not HP?

What are you blathering on about? This is a thread about Apple hardware and lack of configuration choice, nothing to do with HP. They offer glossy and matte notebooks, glossy and matte monitors, so what exactly have I got to "blame" them about anyway?

 

[kastenbrust]

"Some of our highest-end customers would really rather not have a glossy panel on the front".

i.e. the 17" users will get this only and everyone else will have to put up with what they're currently offering.

Think now if they introduced a matte 15" how many people would complain and want a refund or trade in because they would feel ripped off.

The new anti glare option for the 17" costs more and he even says it has the "same display properties as the old 17" notebook" which means your paying more for older technology, old colour gamut etc which i thinks really rude of Apple.

 

[volcom883]

"same display properties as the old 17" notebook" which means your paying more for older technology, old colour gamut etc which i thinks really rude of Apple.

to be honest i couldnt live with the glassy screen so i wouldnt mind any sort of matte screen..
though, i strongly believe that we will get a different matte screen than the one used in older 17" models.

 

[drlunanerd]

"Some of our highest-end customers would really rather not have a glossy panel on the front".

i.e. the 17" users will get this only and everyone else will have to put up with what they're currently offering.

Think now if they introduced a matte 15" how many people would complain and want a refund or trade in because they would feel ripped off.

The new anti glare option for the 17" costs more and he even says it has the "same display properties as the old 17" notebook" which means your paying more for older technology, old colour gamut etc which i thinks really rude of Apple.

That's fine, your interpretation and opinion, second-guessing what Apple intend to do: not facts.
Be happy when your glossy 17" arrives, you'll just have to put up with it
The 15" glossy MBP buyers are already complaining since the 17" matte was announced

We'll know for sure about the matte panels soon enough, you could be right, could be wrong. If they turn out to be good panels and not POS TN rubbish they throw in everything else then hopefully all us "highest-end customers" will buy them and Apple will once again return the choice to us on their other notebooks.

 

[volcom883]

no need to watch the whole video but just check the screen out for 10 seconds..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzuOYOKuj58&feature=related

that is the reason i didnt get the 15" verson last year..
though, i must admit that the quality of the screen is the best i have ever seen!

haha, watch this video too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0wo6dIsMU

 

[kastenbrust]

That's fine, your interpretation and opinion, second-guessing what Apple intend to do: not facts.
Be happy when your glossy 17" arrives, you'll just have to put up with it
The 15" glossy MBP buyers are already complaining since the 17" matte was announced

We'll know for sure about the matte panels soon enough, you could be right, could be wrong. If they turn out to be good panels and not POS TN rubbish they throw in everything else then hopefully all us "highest-end customers" will buy them and Apple will once again return the choice to us on their other notebooks.

All Apple notebook panels are TN panels, even in the new 17" unibody. It really sucks big time, especially in a "pro" machine.

 

[nick9191]

"Some of our highest-end customers would really rather not have a glossy panel on the front".

i.e. the 17" users will get this only and everyone else will have to put up with what they're currently offering.

I think you are interpreting that incorrectly.

 

[kastenbrust]

I think you are interpreting that incorrectly.

It would be like them releasing a Macbook with a FireWire800 port now, loads of people would go back and want to get them replaced, so if they introduced a matte 15", at least 1/3rd of the users of them would want them replacing, and Apple knows this would be unfair, because A) Apple wouldn't want to pay for free replacements, so B) people would have to buy them again. Apple knows that it needs a matte 15" in the lineup, but my bet is that it will wait until the next line refresh, an excuse to introduce it without looking silly, like a major change such as a new processor or laptop design, but this wont be until at least August 2010 (Q3/Q4) with the introduction of MBP Quad Core units. I've no doubt that its coming sometime, just not soon, and not worth waiting for.

Also they have to make the difference betwen the 15" and 17" more justifiable in terms of price, its $300 more for the 17" and all you get is 2" extra of screen space, thats hardly worth it, so by giving a matte option, professionals who have the money to spend will be willing to pay a bit extra and get a matte machine, which is what i think Schiller meant when he said "Some of our highest-end customers would really rather not have a glossy panel on the front" Basically: show us the money and we'll give you what you want.

It's all about trying to make as much profit as possible, and obviously the 17" is the portable machine with the highest profit margin for Apple, so if they can find reasons to get people to trade up, they will, such as offering a matte option.

 

[Mark2000]

Really? This again? Why don't the mods delete these Matte/Glossy whine fests? Aren't there so many of these? And whoever starts it is so clueless self righteous. Like he's saving us from something.

Listen, you're not Jesus just because you like Matte screens and more specifically hate glossy ones. You're just a whiner.

Oddly enough, this post will probably we removed by the mods, but the thread will remain encouraging more like tomorrow and the day after.

 

[Adokimus]

<snip>
The new anti glare option for the 17" costs more and he even says it has the "same display properties as the old 17" notebook" which means your paying more for older technology, old colour gamut etc which i thinks really rude of Apple.

You've misquoted the keynote.

Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY9TUDf8osk

Again, it doesn't prove anything one way or the other, but I think this is where the confusion is coming from...

...And this is the best display we've ever shipped in a notebook ... [snip] ... 60% greater color gamut than the previous 17" notebook display ... [snip] ... [anti-glare option] ... and really, the only way we could do this was to remove that glass in the front and then build a metal bezel around it to hold the display. So it has the SAME DISPLAY PROPERTIES FOR ANTI-GLARE as our last 17" notebook...

(emphasis added)

On these words alone, it is the same display in both glossy and matte, with the matte just having the glass removed so that it has the same anti-glare properties (not the same color gamut or display itself) as the previous generation matte option. But, I mean he even says that we've created "for the first time with the 17-inch an anti-glare option"... and that's not true, so take the keynote for what it is, but I believe it's the newer display.

Also, from Apple's Website:

2.3 million pixels of perfection.

With the high-resolution LED-backlit widescreen display on the 17-inch MacBook Pro, you get desktop-quality color in an Apple notebook for the first time. The moment you open your MacBook Pro, you’re greeted instantly by full, corner-to-corner screen brightness. The 1920-by-1200-pixel resolution (133 pixels per inch) means you can view more palettes and windows or watch HD video in its native 1920-by-1080 resolution. Perfect whether you’re working in the studio or out in the field, the display offers a 60 percent greater color gamut than previous generations for richer, more vibrant colors and a 700:1 contrast ratio that makes whites brighter and blacks blacker. In addition, the seamless glass enclosure makes the display stronger and more durable. Because it’s power efficient and the glass is mercury- and arsenic-free, it’s greener than ever. And now you can choose a standard glossy display or an optional antiglare display, depending on your needs.

That sounds - to me - like you get the newer gamut screen but anti-glare.

 

[kastenbrust]

You've misquoted the keynote.

Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY9TUDf8osk

Again, it doesn't prove anything one way or the other, but I think this is where the confusion is coming from...

"ITS THE SAME DISPLAY PROPERTIES FOR THE ANTI-GLARE AS OUR OLD 17" NOTEBOOK"

are you deaf or did someone transate the subititles for you into chinese? I think your the one who is misquoting the keynote, or rather misheard it

Please actually check and watch your references before using them to backup your text, save yourself being laughed at.

 

[Adokimus]

The first time you "quote," or rather misquote, the keynote:

The new anti glare option for the 17" costs more and he even says it has the "same display properties as the old 17" notebook" which means your paying more for older technology, old colour gamut etc which i thinks really rude of Apple.

My correction to the proper quote:

...And this is the best display we've ever shipped in a notebook ... [snip] ... 60% greater color gamut than the previous 17" notebook display ... [snip] ... [anti-glare option] ... and really, the only way we could do this was to remove that glass in the front and then build a metal bezel around it to hold the display. So it has the SAME DISPLAY PROPERTIES FOR ANTI-GLARE as our last 17" notebook...

You "correcting" me with a second, yet different from your first, misquote:

"ITS THE SAME DISPLAY PROPERTIES FOR THE ANTI-GLARE AS OUR OLD 17" NOTEBOOK"

are you deaf or did someone transate the subititles for you into chinese? I think your the one who is misquoting the keynote, or rather misheard it

Please actually check and watch your references before using them to backup your text, save yourself being laughed at.

So, here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY9TUDf8osk

Time: 1:24


Perhaps the subtle differences are too much for you to interpret.

 

[sickmacdoc]

OK-- the judges have reviewed the tape and have relayed the call to me to report:
They have ruled that it clearly says:

<clip>"...so it has the same display properties for anti-glare as our last 17" notebook. <clip>"

So let's take a look at the final round leaderboard:

kastenbrust's entry (from the "are you deaf or did someone translate the subtitles for you into chinese?" post:
"ITS THE SAME DISPLAY PROPERTIES FOR THE ANTI-GLARE AS OUR OLD 17" NOTEBOOK"
Used "its" for "it has": -1
Used "old" for "last": -1
Technical violation for using caps, mistakenly giving the impression that Phil Schiller was screaming out his presentation: -0.1
Accuracy total: -2.1

Adokimus's entry (from the "a second, yet different from your first, misquote:" post:
"So it has the SAME DISPLAY PROPERTIES FOR ANTI-GLARE as our last 17" notebook..."
Technical infraction for "So..." capitalized to indicate a new sentence when the judges have ruled it a continuation of the previous sentence (don't mess with the judges! ): -0.1
Technical violation for using some caps, mistakenly giving the impression that Phil Schiller was screaming out part of his presentation: -0.1
Accuracy total: -0.2

Thanks to you both for playing and congratulations to Adokimus. See you next year.

 

[sinser]

When did Phil say there wont be a 15" matte?

I'm a glossy man, but it would be ridiculous if they did not offer matte on the next 15".

Oh, the man said so, but business is business, so if there is demand and if a decent percentage of 17" buyers will opt for the matte option, Apple won't be stupid.