Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Just saw the unibody 17" mbp at local Apple store, Good God its dim!!

J

jjahshik32

macrumors 603
Original poster
Sep 4, 2006
5,366
52
I thought people were over-exaggerating about the 17" unibody mbp being overly dim.. but wow it is REALLY that dim!

I went last night to buy a mac mini and I just remembered, oh yea the new 17" unibody I need to check it out.

Anyway I walked by and spotted it and went up to it and instantly I noticed the brightness was very dim. I thought to myself.. is the power unplugged?? NOPE, it was plugged in and then with cat like reflexes I tried to put the brightness up but nope it was already at full brightness!!

All I can say is that I'd never be interested in it until its actually resolved with the dim backlighting. Hopefully the firmware will be coming.
 
jjahshik32 said:
I thought people were over-exaggerating about the 17" unibody mbp being overly dim.. but wow it is REALLY that dim!

I went last night to buy a mac mini and I just remembered, oh yea the new 17" unibody I need to check it out.

Anyway I walked by and spotted it and went up to it and instantly I noticed the brightness was very dim. I thought to myself.. is the power unplugged?? NOPE, it was plugged in and then with like cat reflexes I tried to put the brightness up but nope it was already at full brightness!!

All I can say is that I'd never be interested in it until its actually resolved with the dim backlighting. Hopefully the firmware will be coming.
Click to expand...
Wow mine is straight i think some of them are just f@$&ed up
 
It could be that people dont notice the dimming because its much darker at home? + some dont own a 15" mbp to compare the differences in brightness?
 
I can compare using a 13" 2.4GHz Unibody MacBook. The 17" outshines my MacBook at full brightness. My Spyder 3 Elite confirms that brightness is nearly 100 cd/m2 higher on the 17" than on the 13"
 
jjahshik32 said:
It could be that people dont notice the dimming because its much darker at home? + some dont own a 15" mbp to compare the differences in brightness?
Click to expand...

What was it like in the apple store? Maybe the ambient light sensor thingy was working its magic, although I don't know.
 
The "dimness" of the 17's on display is due to them using an OS image for all their display machines that is actually incorrect for the 17.

The Apple Store people (at least here in SF) seem to know about it.

With a correct installation of the OS, the 17's screen is plenty bright.
 
Again, my 17" is as bright as any laptop I've had, and a whole lot sharper with virtually zero bleed.
It's as bright as the 15" I had before, and an even better match for my 24" LED display.
 
My 17" UMBP is every bit as bright as the 15" UMBP it replaced. I sold the 15" to a friend.. ill take side by side pictures the next time i see him.
 
Thunder82 said:
My 17" UMBP is every bit as bright as the 15" UMBP it replaced. I sold the 15" to a friend.. ill take side by side pictures the next time i see him.
Click to expand...

Don't waste your time. I took pictures last week comparing the two and it didn't help.
 
I think some are messed up. At my Apple store they had two 17" unibodies next to each other. One was ridiculously dim and the other was the same brightness as the 15" models (but better color). The sales guy even commented on there being a problem with one. I didn't check the display model #'s though.

Advice: If you buy one that is noticeably dim, that is not normal and not all of the displays have that problem.
 
Adokimus said:
I think some are messed up. At my Apple store they had two 17" unibodies next to each other. One was ridiculously dim and the other was the same brightness as the 15" models (but better color).
Click to expand...

I would bet the "dim" unit had the "standard" OS image that the stores are using for all display models, while the brighter one had a proper OS install from the disc that ships with the 17-inch model.

You could easily check this by looking at the Energy Saver preference on both machines. On the computers "imaged" with the incorrect OS install, Energy Saver's icon is the old-fashioned "light bulb".

Also on the display units with the incorrectly-imaged OS, the Bluetooth "on" checkbox is grey-ed out (displays as "on", but you can't control it).
 
ayeying said:
I can compare using a 13" 2.4GHz Unibody MacBook. The 17" outshines my MacBook at full brightness. My Spyder 3 Elite confirms that brightness is nearly 100 cd/m2 higher on the 17" than on the 13"
Click to expand...

My friend bought a 13" unibody the other day and brought it to my place for some help.. I thought the 13" unibody's screen looked crappy and dimmer than the 15" as well.
 
jmark said:
You could easily check this by looking at the Energy Saver preference on both machines. On the computers "imaged" with the incorrect OS install, Energy Saver's icon is the old-fashioned "light bulb".
Click to expand...

I had no idea they had changed the icon until you said something! So, I Googled a bit and never knew that the new machines have a fluorescent bulb up instead of the ole standard incandescent. Learn something new every day! :)
 
This is such a facepalm thread, but dont worry! iv'e got a solution for everyone who cant handle the dim screens, but dont want to see their reflection in the glossy coating!:D

hid_headlamp.jpg
 
kastenbrust said:
This is such a facepalm thread, but dont worry! iv'e got a solution for everyone who cant handle the dim screens, but dont want to see their reflection in the glossy coating!:D

hid_headlamp.jpg
Click to expand...

did ur new unibody mbp come with that? i didnt get one!
 
I compared the 2 machines side-by-side yesterday at the store. The 17" was definitely not as bright, but it wasn't noticeable on every screen. It was particularly noticeable when you opened 2 blank documents in MS Word.

However, the desktop image on both machines was one some blades of grass up-close, and the colours on the 17" looked a bit better. They didn't look over-saturated or unsaturated, while the 15" MBP just didn't look as proper (although its hard to determine which screen provided a more accurate representation, if there's such thing in this case).

ayeying said:
I can compare using a 13" 2.4GHz Unibody MacBook. The 17" outshines my MacBook at full brightness. My Spyder 3 Elite confirms that brightness is nearly 100 cd/m2 higher on the 17" than on the 13"
Click to expand...

How many cd/m2 is it? I'd expect at least 200 cd/m2 for the price you pay. That's about what most $500 netbook screens are rated at.
 
Abstract said:
That's about what most $500 netbook screens are rated at.
Click to expand...

Go and buy a netbook then?!? The problem is trivial, if the 15" hadn't been so blindly bright, then noone would even notice the 17" is slightly dimmer. After 3 hours using it on full brightness my lenses dry out so much they fall out, so its bright enough already i think.
 
kastenbrust said:
Go and buy a netbook then?!? The problem is trivial, if the 15" hadn't been so blindly bright, then noone would even notice the 17" is slightly dimmer.
Click to expand...

But the problem is not that the 15" unibody is blindingly bright, the problem is the 17" mbp isnt blindingly bright.
 
kastenbrust said:
Go and buy a netbook then?!? The problem is trivial.....
Click to expand...

I never said there was a problem at all. I said I'd expect at least 200 cd/m2 because even netbooks get that, and they have LED backlights too.

You should start reading posts a bit more closely, or the rest of us will end up seeing more of THESE, where you're completely off topic. :p

jmark said:
I would bet the "dim" unit had the "standard" OS image that the stores are using for all display models, while the brighter one had a proper OS install from the disc that ships with the 17-inch model.

You could easily check this by looking at the Energy Saver preference on both machines. On the computers "imaged" with the incorrect OS install, Energy Saver's icon is the old-fashioned "light bulb".

Also on the display units with the incorrectly-imaged OS, the Bluetooth "on" checkbox is grey-ed out (displays as "on", but you can't control it).
Click to expand...
Interesting post. :)
 
Abstract said:
I never said there was a problem at all. I said I'd expect at least 200 cd/m2 because even netbooks get that, and they have LED backlights too.

You should start reading posts a bit more closely.
Click to expand...

i never said you had a problem... im just saying, people should talk with their money, if they want to moan about Apples screen brightness, great, go buy a non Apple computer then? Surely theres more pressing issues in life. If Apple started taking the P**s with their monopoly and offering seriously sub standard components, screens etc, i wouldn't think twice about getting a netbook and hackintoshing it, but as it happens their hardware is fine.
 
I dont know about you or anyone else on these threads but for me, I love a bright screen even if I dont want to use it in full brightness I'd still love the option to blind myself if needed.
 
kastenbrust said:
i never said you had a problem... im just saying, people should talk with their money, if they want to moan about Apples screen brightness, great, go buy a non Apple computer then? Surely theres more pressing issues in life.
Click to expand...

But that's the thing, if you spend a premium at least we can get a nice bright screen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back