Ok - final thread on the anti-glare v glossy conundrum

[JerseyBill]

I want to order my dream MBP this week and the only thing holding me up is the decision on glossy versus anti-glare. I went to my local Apple store tonight to stare at the 15" hi res anti glare versus the 15" hi res glossy side by side - and after 20 minutes I still didn't have a decision....

The only thing I noticed was that the color accuracy was probably slightly better on the anti-glare but I always use color balancing utilities (with screen sensor) to recalibrate my screens anyway so I was not worried about that.

The glare from the glossy was not bad, even when I tried to make it bad in the store - but, agreed, there was no glare on the anti-glare. However, from certain angles, it just looked like I was looking through my wife's panty hose at the screen.

I made my decision on glossy based on one one observation -

The glossy screen LOOKS like an Apple computer - and I want to buy a computer that is the full Apple / full Mac experience. The anti-glare screen with the silver bezel looks like it could have been swiped off a Dell. If you want to connect with your computer and feel the full Apple experience, I don't see how you do it without the glossy screen.

The iPad has a glossy screen. The iPhone has a glossy screen. Damn it, even my iPod has a glossy screen.

No compromises - go for the glossy....

 

[GoCubsGo]

There will never be a final thread.

Get matte.

 

[avediswolf]

Congrats on your glossy screen! Excellent choice in choosing what you wanted, and not what others implant into your mind.

On that note... Matte is still better, so there.
LOL.

 

[spinnerlys]

There can only be one final thread?

That's what you think, really?

And as jessica. already pointed out, get glassy. Or Matte. Or both. I have.

The final threads on glossy vs matte.

 

[jess222]

ive had matte for years but went with glossy this time bc of the vibrant colors, i cant wait to use it!!

 

[kunfunyu]

First post from my new Core i7 15 incher 500 GB @ 7200 MBP ANTI-GLARE (matte). I don't understand the argument on this, minus the esthetics of the black border, but matte screens are 5 billion times better. I will personally never go glossy as long as I have the choice.

 

[nomad421]

Yea, matte rules! My 15" hi-res anti-glare is the best Apple screen I've ever had (including all devices; even my previous glossy MBP).

 

[pumpkinwhite]

I went to my local Apple store tonight to stare at the 15" hi res anti glare versus the 15" hi res glossy side by side....

Are there any high res glossy for the 15" in store? I thought they only carried the regular glossy and the high res anti-glare.

I had originally bought the regular glossy from amazon, but had to return it due to a defective touchpad. I have now ordered the high res glossy from Macmall but they will ship it late (backordered). It would be easier to just pick it up in-store but i thought it is not being carried in store.

 

[kernkraft]

If you want to use your computer outdoors occasionally, get the anti-glare option. If you value your eyesight, do the same!

 

[Link2999]

I can't stand matte for one thing so the decision for me is obvious. Matte to me just seems too out of date and like you said the glare isn't bad at all and even so it's just something your eyes adjust to. I had a matte screen on my oldest laptop and it was just meh.

 

[ECUpirate44]

Has anyone seen a high res glossy? Is everything compressed and condensed like it is on the c2d matte screen?

 

[NOTORIOUS187]

People like you are called "fanboys." Enjoy buying a computer solely because it's an Apple product, LOOKS like an Apple product, and it's the "cool" thing to do.

 

[spinnerlys]

Has anyone seen a high res glossy? Is everything compressed and condensed like it is on the c2d matte screen?

Do you mean the screen of a C2D 15" or 17" MBP?

Because the C2D 15" only had 1440 x 900 pixel in both editions (matte and glossy).

So the high-res display on the new i5/7 15" with 1680 x 1050 is more "condensed and compressed" than the 1440 x 900 screens on them. It means it has more pixel per inch (PPI), thus everything looks smaller.

Or what do you mean?

People like you are called "fanboys." Enjoy buying a computer solely because it's an Apple product, LOOKS like an Apple product, and it's the "cool" thing to do.

Yep, Windows or Linux users don't spend their time discussing such "little" details.

Or what is your point? Trolling? What does glossy vs matte have to do with Apple "fanboys"? There are glossy and matte versions of other laptops out there...

 

[itsjustmeee]

I was on the fence too about this and did the same thing yesterday. Went to the Apple store and stared at both types of screens for a good 20 minutes. There is no bad decision here, but one thing helped me make my final choice. I've had two iphones now (3G and 3GS) for 2+ years and have always had a anti-glare mat finish screensaver. Just about 3 months ago, I went for a glossy one instead and I fell in love with the "shinny, vibrant, crisp, the way the colors just seem to jump out at you" look on it ...... so my new 15 inch Macbook Pro is going to be glossy ..... just like the ipad!

 

[rotobadger]

Oh boy...I'm in the same boat. I've never owned a Mac and I'm very close to taking the plunge with a 17'' Macbook Pro (fully loaded of course). I was at the Apple store doing the exact same thing: Looking at glossy and matte and back again. It is kind of like the eye doctor..."Ok now, better? Worse? Better? Worse?"

I have to admit I'm leaning towards the glossy as I (personally) feel the colors appear more vibrant and I am also not a fan of the silver bezel around the screen on the matte.

And my iPhone is glossy too...

 

[NOTORIOUS187]

Yep, Windows or Linux users don't spend their time discussing such "little" details.

Or what is your point? Trolling? What does glossy vs matte have to do with Apple "fanboys"? There are glossy and matte versions of other laptops out there...

Did you not read the thread? He based his decision solely because the glossy screen "LOOKS like an Apple computer." Clearly, one of the main reasons he is buying this computer is because of the "cool" factor of being seen with an Apple computer. If you didn't pick up on that, perhaps you should take some reading comprehension courses.

 

[spinnerlys]

Did you not read the thread? He based his decision solely because the glossy screen "LOOKS like an Apple computer." Clearly, one of the main reasons he is buying this computer is because of the "cool" factor of being seen with an Apple computer. If you didn't pick up on that, perhaps you should take some reading comprehension courses.

Maybe I should. I didn't read carefully enough, because the whole glossy vs matte debate stinks to quishquash.

But why did you call us fanboys then, when the other posters only discussed the glossy vs matte debate and not the "Looks like an Apple computer" statement? EDIT: You can be also used as a singular pronoun. I forgot that.


And to the OP: Yeah, looks are everything. I bought my Macs only because they looked like they were made by Apple.
Btw, I would buy an "uglier" version if it would run Mac OS X, because that is the main reason for me to buy a Mac. But that shouldn't hold you back though. Apple is shi.te cool since the x86 switch. What a shame. Seriously.

 

[JerseyBill]

People like you are called "fanboys." Enjoy buying a computer solely because it's an Apple product, LOOKS like an Apple product, and it's the "cool" thing to do.

I accept your comment - but Apple forces a fixed package on you with none of it representing anything close to "envelope edge technology". If I wanted "the best" monitor or "the best" processor, I could build a system myself and have. My current tower (hand built water cooled) maxes out all the "Windows Experience" indexes.

Other than an iMac I bought for my daughter I have never owned or worked on a Mac. I want that Apple and Mac experience. I am moving to what I hope is a better experience.

That EXPERIENCE is what I am seeking to achieve - and not the technical perfection of every component. Why would I buy something I would just bitch and complain about from the moment I first use it?

That doesn't make me a Fanboy - it makes me someone looking to engage with Apple products....

 

[therealseebs]

If you think the Mac "experience" is all surface gloss without substance or usability, you're going to be very disappointed when you find out it's actually technically better.

I get a matte screen because I want to see what I'm doing, not what people behind me are doing.

 

[Kadman]

The glossy screen LOOKS like an Apple computer - and I want to buy a computer that is the full Apple / full Mac experience.

I don't mean to be offensive but this is the most ridiculous reasoning I've seen yet. Choose either one based on your needs or preferences on the resulting image but to choose based on the fact that you feel it best reflects (pun intended) the company that makes it is silly. I chose matte because I felt the glossy display lacked detail in darker images but could easily see why someone would still choose it for "pop" of colors for movies, etc. Choosing based on association with a corporate entity isn't very smart.

 

[highscheme]

matte is the only way to go

 

[the_wallcrawler]

My original Powerbook G4 Titanium had a silver bezel. The silver bezel isn't any less Apple like. If anything it's like a throwback jersey - and everyone loves a good throwback uniform.

That said, I do like the look of the glossy screen/bezel combo. Unfortunately the functional negatives outweigh the aesthetics for me.

 

[avediswolf]

Once you go matte, you never go back.

 

[JerseyBill]

If you think the Mac "experience" is all surface gloss without substance or usability, you're going to be very disappointed when you find out it's actually technically better.

I get a matte screen because I want to see what I'm doing, not what people behind me are doing.

Interesting comment - Apple offers this surface gloss "un usable" screen as its default configuration, together with an anti-glare option for people who want it. Why would a technically better system offer such a horrible choice unless it really did resonate with peoples' needs?

I hear you on matte and am still weighing the choice. My comment was only that the matte screen looks like every laptop and every monitor I have ever used - it doesn't stand out. The gloss screen appears uniquely Apple, love it or hate it. I can't identify another laptop offering a pure glass screen option. Because this was a bold Apple choice - that seems to polarize just about everyone - it seems to me to be an element of the package that is an Apple system.

I can get better processors, hard drives, GPUs, bluray drives, you name it on any number of current systems. Let's set aside the technically better operating system. Apple offers a consistent package and experience - that certainly is not the technically best at any given moment (anyone arguing that?). BUT it is a good solid system meeting peoples' needs.

I am not a fanboy and have drunk nowhere near as much Kool Aid as my Apple hugging friends. My comment concerned embracing the Mac concept of what a laptop should be - and I think that the glossy screen is part of that image.

My personal view. I am still a newbie here - but have been spectating all this for longer than I want to admit....

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I am now more confused than ever....

 

[gordonyz]

I'll choose matte if they have 1440x900 +$50 option. or 1920x1200 matte +150.
But $150 for simply 1680x1050?