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Last minute call, matte or glossy? Some other questions too.

M

MBAir

macrumors member
Original poster
May 12, 2008
63
0
Hi,

I've been thinking about which screen to get, it's driving me nuts.

I will carry the 17" MBP along with the MBA, so doubt I'll use the 17" outside.

I've never given attention to the reflections on my MBA screen, until, well, I started visiting the Macbook pro forums. Now my eyes keep landing on the reflections, all the time!

Also, I love the look of the MBA with the silver bezel. I also like the colors of its screen. Will I notice any difference (colors wise) with the matte display?

FWIW, I'm planning to order 2.93/4/256SSD, thought the 8GB isn't worth the price, for the time being.

One more thing, I have to have Windows XP/7 running all the time (with vmware). Will I face any issues with 4GB of RAM (2 for OS X and 2 for Windows.

Thanks guys.
 
i recently purchased a 17 inch mbp with the 2.93 upgrade 320gb 7200rpm drive and a matte screen .. they sent me the glossy screen which i sent back because I couldnt stand the reflections .. my matte version should be here on Monday .. i didn't go for the ssd because i wanted more hd space .. so i was going to purchase the 500gb 7200rpm drive from macsales and swap it out .. also planning on ordering the 8gb upgrade but i think im going to hold off until the price of ddr3 drops
 
i can't tell you which screen you'll like better, but i can tell you that glossy screens ARE more color accurate, so if you're doing intensive color accurate stuff like photoshop (like your job depends on it) get the glossy screen.

I have a matte screen on my powerbook and i love it. never really cared for gloss. but i guess i would sacrifice the glare for color accuracy if i needed it.
 
I'll go for glassy screen (glossy). Why? Because, the color is really great. It has deeper black and color. If I were you, I don't really care about the reflection since you are going to use it indoor.

My suggestion on the 8GB RAM, don't buy from Apple. Buy from 3rd party like macsales. It's so much cheaper and has the same lifetime warranty offered from them.

You'll be just fine using XP with vmware with 4GB RAM. XP and 7 don't use that much resources as Vista.

Good luck on your purchase, you'll never regret it.
 
Hi,
I'm getting my month old mbp replaced because the fans are failing. I have opted to go for the matte version on the replacement.

The glossy was lovely and I think the black bezel looks far more professional, but I found it pretty shiny and reflective in daylight conditions. You can counter this by using higher brightness but that obviously drains the battery faster. If you can control your environment easily (ie the lighting direction) then you may be fine with the glossy.

I couldn't see much difference in colour quality when I compared the matte & glossy side by side in the Apple store (I'm no professional though).

It would be best for you to compare them in person if you can get to a store as it seems to be a very subjective choice.
 
brent0saurus said:
i can't tell you which screen you'll like better, but i can tell you that glossy screens ARE more color accurate, so if you're doing intensive color accurate stuff like photoshop (like your job depends on it) get the glossy screen.

I have a matte screen on my powerbook and i love it. never really cared for gloss. but i guess i would sacrifice the glare for color accuracy if i needed it.
Click to expand...

Sorry to annonce you that, but that's not totally truth. Glossy tend to be oversaturate, while Matte tend to be dull. I've never found any real supported claims about this debate. What I do know is that designer tend to prefer Matte. What's more important IMO then Matte VS Glossy is the type of screen you use. If you consider yourself a real professional, you should work on nothing else then a high quality S-IPS/H-IPS external LCD Screen (The Old cinema display are all H-IPS screens, while the new LED display are sadly inaccurate according to an article I've found), the kind you don't see in a laptop.
 
It's a personal thing. Some people prefer working on glossy, some people prefer working on matte. I believe one of the reasons a lot of graphics/photo people gravitate towards matte is because it translates better to print.

I personally hate glossy. For me, the reflections are way too annoying/the glare seems to wear my eyes out a lot faster. In my opinion, the argument about turning the brightness up to avoid noticing the reflections is ridiculous...why would I sacrifice battery life? I can run my matte MBP on the lowest brightness setting in a very bright room with overhead lighting (classroom) and not be distracted by any reflections while maximising battery life. I can't imagine doing that with a glossy screen.

The key is "personally"...we've beaten this subject to death so much around here and when it comes down to it, it's a preference thing.
 
I prefer the matte screen. In my room where my laptop is, I need to close the blinds otherwise I get a headache looking at my computer because the sun reflects right back. When I am using my PB (matte) I don't have that problem.
 
brent0saurus said:
but i can tell you that glossy screens ARE more color accurate, so if you're doing intensive color accurate stuff like photoshop (like your job depends on it) get the glossy screen.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's actually quite the opposite. We use an Alum iMac for photography and when printing we have to be very careful to get colors correct. It doesn't help that it's an "older" CCFL model, but glass/gloss does NOT make colors accurate.

It makes colors "appear" richer. Getting them to print is a whole different story.
 
Go and take a look yourself and decide which suits you. When I bought my MBP I read a lot of these glossy v. matte threads and there were supporters of both. I went to the Apple Store to see for myself and walked out with a glossy. Have never regretted the decision.
 
ANOTHER one of these threads??
Seriously...I'm normally not one to bitch and moan about repeat thread topics and overly-asked questions... BUT...

Why don't you go to your local Apple store, Best Buy, or anywhere else that sells them, and just check them out for yourself??
You really shouldn't take someone else's opinion on something that is so highly debated. They are both nice screens. Personally, I use the glassy screen and I love it. However, I don't know your needs and your environment, so maybe reflections would be a problem for you...or maybe they wouldn't.

Just go somewhere and compare them both for yourself.
Don't listen to the lovers and haters argue like little school girls.
 
My wife works on a brand-new 17" glossy. Today we were in the Apple Store and she saw the matte in person for the first time and instantly wished she'd ordered that instead.

I personally don't mind the glossy at all, and I prefer the black rather than the aluminum bezel, but I don't work on a glossy all-day, every day.
 
Thanks for the replies all.

Sorry to bring up another matte/glossy discussion, I just cannot decide which one to order, and don't want to regret the purchase later on.

I'm not a graphics expert in anyway. I work as a Networks Consultant, and spend like 9 hours a day in front of the laptop.

The black bezel definitely has the modern look, while the silver one has the classic look, which I prefer.

In case one wants to sell it, which model would hold its value better?
 
MBAir said:
Thanks for the replies all.

Sorry to bring up another matte/glossy discussion, I just cannot decide which one to order, and don't want to regret the purchase later on.

I'm not a graphics expert in anyway. I work as a Networks Consultant, and spend like 9 hours a day in front of the laptop.

The black bezel definitely has the modern look, while the silver one has the classic look, which I prefer.

In case one wants to sell it, which model would hold its value better?
Click to expand...

i would assume the new one would. it has the unibody design which is awesoommeee. BUT, it lacks fw 400. which is dumb. I'd personally go for the new one. you're getting the huge trackpad with more multitouch capabilities. And i haven't looked at the specs recently but i assume it's way better.
 
jetjaguar said:
since the average user wouldn't know about the matte ?:confused:
Click to expand...

This is the type of ignorant statement that keeps the pointless arguing going.
You're clearly making it sound like the matte is "all around better" than the glossy, and that the "average user" wouldn't know any better. This is not the case.
Both of the screens are very nice, and both of the screens have their own advantages and disadvantages. Surely you can acknowledge that fact.
 
IgnatiusTheKing said:
My wife works on a brand-new 17" glossy. Today we were in the Apple Store and she saw the matte in person for the first time and instantly wished she'd ordered that instead.

I personally don't mind the glossy at all, and I prefer the black rather than the aluminum bezel, but I don't work on a glossy all-day, every day.
Click to expand...

I work on a glassy 17" everyday. Word, Firefox and Photo Shop. I really like the black rim, both estetically and in terms of usability. It really makes the screen stand out, giving it a more consentrated look as well. Also ties the black keyboard up in the design.

The glass, unfortunately, is rather glossy looking. I have learned to deal with it however, and am not particularly bothered. Colours and depth of blacks are the best I´ve ever seen (better than matte, I found, comparing them in store).

P
 
One thing you can do is get the glossy and see how you like it and if you change your mind down the road you CAN get it to matte for 200 dollars by a 3rd party vendor. It is a option
 
NickM said:
This is the type of ignorant statement that keeps the pointless arguing going.
You're clearly making it sound like the matte is "all around better" than the glossy, and that the "average user" wouldn't know any better. This is not the case.
Both of the screens are very nice, and both of the screens have their own advantages and disadvantages. Surely you can acknowledge that fact.
Click to expand...

i didnt mean it as an argument .. i guess it came out wrong .. all i was saying was that since most of the mbps i have seen in the store and people having are glossy that maybe the people looking for a used mac dont know about the matte option on the 17inch .. that is all
 
anybody who argues one is better over the other and fails to see the subjective nature of screen finish as a point of preference is pretty silly. let the dude get what he wants. hell, why are you even asking a question about something YOU are going end up using? use your preference! one man's spectacular glossy screen is another's idea of pure crap.

personally, i don't like glossy. orcs like shiny glossy things and i ain't no orc.
 
Here is what you do if you can't decide which to get,
You get the Glossy
Go around shopping for a Anti-Glare Film for your Macbook Pro like the ones for iPhone's and stuff
Although I couldn't find any but they are bound to start popping up from suppliers like Power Support
 
Put it this way, if you're not some graphic artist professional, and all you want is a computer that looks incredibly awesome, get glossy. The talk about "glare" is as wrong and overdone as could be.

Glossy looks great.
 
Here is my experience with matte vs. glossy. First off, right now my laptop is a Dell Vostro 1000, with a matte screen. I work outside A LOT, and therefore, a matte screen serves what I do well. Now, IMO, glossy screens really are quite pointless. Sure, I guess they make your screen more shiny, but ultimately it doesn't make a difference in resolution. So, I would go with the matte screen if I were you, because one day when there is light shining off your screen into your eyeballs, (especially annoying when the screen is black for movies, etc.) you'll be wishing you had a nice, matte screen to view.
 
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