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Anyone picked up the HR Glossy?

A

anarchron

macrumors member
Original poster
Just out of curiosity, did anyone on the forum pick up a HR-glossy 15" screen? If you did, what are your thoughts of it?

Almost all the threads that I've been following seem to recommend either the standard or HR-Matte screen.
 
The only way you could get the 15" HR Glossy was via online orders. Many users grabbed the HR matte as that was the only HR choice available at the stores, hence the majority of the reviews are for same.
 
I ordered the hires glossy.

It is wierd that apple sells glossy everything standard except the 15 hires glossy.

The hires matte is the only one they sell in store. Maybe cause they think professionals will prefer the matte and are trying to make it convenient for them to purchase?

Anyway I prefer the glossy screen. Glass is so much more durable and way easier to clean than matte (you don't need to worry about putting to much pressure on the screen). Matte also streaks more and collects more dust. Dust gets trapped on matte screens easier because of the textured surface.

I also think the colors just pop more also. Matte tends to look a little washed out or less vibrant.

I also think the display looks better without that silver bezel. It looks out of place like it was just tacked on.
 
After I compared a 17" matte against a 17" glossy in store yesterday, I was even more certain I'd get glossy--and so I did when I came back home and ordered a 15" i7 Hi-res glossy.

The matte is very washed out in comparison. Doesn't have the incredible vibrancy, richness of color, constrast, or brightness of the glossy. The reflections that some people don't like in glossy didn't bother me. I had a 27" iMac and during the day, I'd turn up the brightness and reflections were not an issue. In fact, I barely noticed them.

As some people have noted, while the matte doesn't have reflections, it has a sheen in reaction to light. Like it's been buffed. And if you take a matte outdoors in direct sunlight, some people have said it becomes so washed out, you have real difficulty seeing the screen, whereas with a glossy, you just max out the brightness to counter the sun. I can say that comparison is true at least with a matte Fujitsu laptop I have vs the iMac.

If you don't have an Apple store near you, you could also just go to a generic electronics store and compare say a glossy HP Envy 13 to a Thinkpad.
 
I like the fact you don't need a special spray cleaner, you can just wipe the glass with a damp cloth and it looks like new.
 
I have the HR glossy and I love it.

I was worried about the fonts being too small after all the nitpicking on this forum, but it turned out just fine. The font looks about what I am used to on any other computer, IMO.

It's a gorgeous screen and I highly recommend it.
 
I just got the 15 HR Glossy a few days ago and I really like it.

I'm going to take it into an Apple Store and look at it side by side with a Matte just to be sure, but I really love the glossy screen. My work laptop is a Lenovo T400 with a matte screen, so if I really need to work outside I can always use that one.
 
15" Glossy Hi-Res

For what it's worth, I have the 15" Glossy Hi-Resolution screen, and I absolutely love it. The colors and clarity are gorgeous.

My caveats:

I'm not an artist, programmer, professional photographer, or someone whose life depends on minor monitor resolution differences. I also don't use my laptop outside in the sun much, if ever.

But I am an avid gadget and tech consumer, and spend significant time on a computer. This is my first Mac after two decades of PCs, and I'm thrilled so far.

I'd definitely recommend checking them out in-store if that's possible, but I know not everyone lives in a metro area near an Apple store.
 
Now come on lads,tease us with some close-up pics,not just words. =)

I've ordered mine,and playing the waiting game now.
 
anarchron said:
Just out of curiosity, did anyone on the forum pick up a HR-glossy 15" screen? If you did, what are your thoughts of it?

Almost all the threads that I've been following seem to recommend either the standard or HR-Matte screen.
Click to expand...

I got the 15" with HR Glossy screen delivered just yesterday. I love it, this screen is beautiful. I was surprised, for a year and a half now my 17" 1440 x 900 external display was always the best way for me to look at anything on a computer. But the display on this MBP has just put it to shame. Brighter, more vibrant colors and an incredibly sharp resolution. Things just pop more. I actually disabled the dual monitor set up on my desk and put the secondary monitor in my closet-- it just couldn't compare to my laptop's display and actually got in the way as a result.

This thing is indeed glossy. It reminds me of an HP dv5000 I had about four years ago, with so-called "Briteview" technology. That one had problems with glare, too. And you definitely can see yourself in this MBP's screen-- but usually turning up the brightness drowns that out, even with direct light behind you.

I wouldn't worry about the resolution making things "too small". A square on this screen is not comparable to a square inch on 1440x900 screen, as the one here will have about 30% more pixels and thus detail. It really makes a difference. Not to mention the fact that you can adjust any fonts that are too uncomfortably-small for you to read. Usually just editing the preferences of a program, or pinching and zooming in for a website.

I'm incredibly happy with this purchase, and I think you will be, too. I'm only surprised that it's a not-very-well-touted feature available only on the online store, and not sold in the actual Apple Stores. I imagine most people would want the increased resolution and screen real estate, not just designers. Maybe Apple didn't have enough LCDs on hand to make this a common feature (or for it to be at a profitable enough margin?). Or maybe they simply just didn't want to alienate everyone who recently bought a previous version of the unibody MacBook Pro. But this resolution really ought to be standard...
 
My high res glossy is on the way. The matte to me just didn't look right with the silver border. Reminds me too much of the older design MBP and like others mentioned the glass will be easier to clean to like new in the long run. The only thing is.. I really liked how the matte was noticeably lighter.
 
I got the high res glossy and all I can say is its BEAUTIFUL. Definitely a much needed improvement over my old 2.2 macbook pro screen. The backlight bleed might be a touch more but its fine.I looked at the high res matt for a long time before I decided on the glossy and the colours just pop and are more vivid so thats what got me. Computers are used 99% indoors unless your always on the road doing photography or etc outside so matt made no sense for me. Love it and wont go back.
 
I ordered an HR Glossy 15'' several days ago after spending forever deciding whether to get AG or not. I have a Pre-Unibody MBP (glossy) and the edges of the screen always get gunk in it. Not to mention, it's a PITA to clean and keep clean, and is damaged easily (no protection). I don't want to deal with those issues in a brand new $2000+ MBP, and personally, I feel that the colors on the glossy are much better than AG. Also, reflection has never been much of an issue for my with glossy screens and is much more aligned in regards to Apple's branding and design (iPhone, iMac, etc).
 
I personally have no need for high res. I went in the apple store today to compare a 15" glossy vs matte. And let me tell you, the colors and sharpness popped out with the glossy screen. Im not saying go out and buy the glossy screen right away, but there is definitely a difference between the quality of the colors. Hey, some people just hate the reflection and theres nothing i can do about that. But personally, i'd go with glossy screens.
 
JimKirk said:
The hires matte is the only one they sell in store. Maybe cause they think professionals will prefer the matte and are trying to make it convenient for them to purchase?
Click to expand...

My current conspiracy theory is that Eric Schmidt, former Apple board member and CEO of Google, told Steve Jobs that the matte screens were more popular with Apple's customer base and so now to prove him wrong he's only offering matte screens in-store on the 15" hi-res and 17" i7. I think when the total number of glossy screened ordered from the on-line store turns out to be higher than the number of matte screens ordered on-line and sold in stores Steve Jobs is going to call Eric up and say "I told you so I told you so!!!" and stick his tongue out at him. 😛

Hmmm, then again maybe I'm off-base with that theory.
 
I ordered a 15" Hi-Res Glossy the day after the release. I've been using it for the last few days now, and I absolutely love it!
 
jpefjr said:
My current conspiracy theory is that Eric Schmidt, former Apple board member and CEO of Google, told Steve Jobs that the matte screens were more popular with Apple's customer base and so now to prove him wrong he's only offering matte screens in-store on the 15" hi-res and 17" i7. I think when the total number of glossy screened ordered from the on-line store turns out to be higher than the number of matte screens ordered on-line and sold in stores Steve Jobs is going to call Eric up and say "I told you so I told you so!!!" and stick his tongue out at him. 😛

Hmmm, then again maybe I'm off-base with that theory.
Click to expand...

Pretty funny.

It would be interesting to see an official breakdown of sales of matte versus glossy. However, Apple makes more money with CTO/BTO sales as they have no inventory holding costs to deal with and the distribution is direct to customers rather than to the retail stores first. This likely also explains the price differential for AG units.....they cost more _because_ they are stocked at the stores.
 
I was pleasantly surprised to find that MacMall had one 2.4Ghz i5 with HR Glossy left in stock.

Thanks to the contributions on this thread, I've just picked it up!
 
can't wait until mine arrives! all i've heard are complaints about how it's unreadable. 🙄
 
15" Hi-Res Glossy.

Took some getting used to and a few apps I did make the fonts bigger (namely the Adium chat window) but for most other things, it's only a pain when it's your first mac. For most applications, if the font is small, you probably only need to read it once and afterwards you just want it to stay out of your way. For example, titlebars on search boxes etc.
 
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