Apple Again Offers Matte Display Option on 15" MacBook Pro

[Tallest Skil]

Here's a good one for you........

Blu-ray.

We already have Blu-ray. The only thing you can't do is play non-you-authored movies straight from disks, and there's no point doing that when you can use MakeMKV to rip the movie, tsMuxerGUI to change the file and HandBrake to make a 4GB 1080p h.264 m4p file.

 

[pgwalsh]

This.....

and finally, a time to rejoice for whiners will be appeased... hopefully.

So when someone's isn't happy with the a companies offerings they're supposed to just shut up?

 

[ltcol266845]

If you say "It will never happen" it will soon come back.

If Apple put a stupid eSATA port on the MacBook Pro, this wouldn't be a problem! I basically forced into the 17" line because they ditched the ExpressCard for an SD Slot in the 15.4" line.

And having used a UniBody 15.4" for a few months, I am extremely happy Apple brought back the Matte option. Only question is, why did it ever go away in the first place?!

 

[ppc_michael]

Yaaay for taking away a standard feature, then offering it again for $50 more.

 

[JFreak]

The glass is really bad. the old glossy screens, like on the air, (without the glass) are ok though, IMHO.

I have just the opposite opinion! Glossy screen without the glass is just glossy without screen protection. Glossy screen made with the front glass is just as glossy as without glass, but the front glass offers extra protection for the screen -- it is easier to wipe clean and makes the whole screen sturdier.

As long as the laptop panels remain crappy 6-bit TN screens, I now actually prefer the glass construction; however, if I must do photoshopping with a laptop without an external display, I really really want it to be matte.

 

[OllyW]

We already have Blu-ray. The only thing you can't do is play non-you-authored movies straight from disks, and there's no point doing that when you can use MakeMKV to rip the movie, tsMuxerGUI to change the file and HandBrake to make a 4GB 1080p h.264 m4p file.

You know what I meant.

 

[SilentCrs]

Even Aaron Brothers offers an option of museum quality anti-glare glass for shadow box framing with stunning results.

What the hell is a shadow box?

Man, graphic designers speak another language. I love my non-matte MacBook Pro screen.

 

[JFreak]

Only question is, why did it ever go away in the first place?!

(not so) nice way for a $50 price increase

 

[Kwill]

Charging more for it is not that much of a deal, people.

It is a big deal when it is only available as a BTO. The millions of people walking into Apple retail stores cannot walk out with a boxed laptop with a matte screen.

 

[Tallest Skil]

You know what I meant.

What, a $700 BTO drive option? I wouldn't wish that on us.

 

[JFreak]

What the hell is a shadow box?

A box around the screen, which reduces reflections about 100% after the user sticks its head in front of the screen and inside the box...

 

[dwman]

lol...you sound surprised. This is what Apple does best: Brilliant marketing.

Brilliant only from the bottom line stand point...gotta keep those profit margins nice and high. Happy that they brought it back, but to charge for it is ridiculous. I guess this is their M.O.

First Ipods came with a dock and wall charger, now comes with neither.
Early 2008 MBP (mine) came with Apple remote and matte screen, now costs $19 & $50 respectively.

As much as a rip-off I think this is, they do upgrade their computers while normally keeping the price the same which is nice (or in this very rare case, lower them). SL for $29 is good too.

 

[Evangelion]

Matte making a comeback is a good news

But charging 45 euro for this is more like daylight robbery.
More and more it feels like apple is taking its customers for a ride

aren't anyone pissed off by this????????????

I guess we need SOMETHING to whine about... First it was the lack of matte screen, and now people whine when they are asked to pay 50 bucks for the feature.

Daylight robbery? Oh please....

 

[JFreak]

I basically forced into the 17" line because they ditched the ExpressCard for an SD Slot in the 15.4" line.

That (replacing EC with an SD) was a great move as in thinking of resale value of my older non-unibody MBP that has the ExpressCard slot

Seriously though, many people were pissed because of this. Now there is only one true PRO laptop model offered by Apple...

 

[sishaw]

I'm very happy matte is back and while charging extra for it sucks, it's probably because it is more expense for Apple. They aren't going to produce as many (most consumers want glossy) therefore the smaller production runs are going to cost more. I agree, not the $50 they are charging, but that's Apple for you.

Remember when glossy used to cost more?

If I can say a word in Apple's defense: they are a public corporation with a fiduciary duty to make money for their shareholders. If it is the case that the general public more often wants a glossy screen and those who need matte will in fact pay for it, and Apple fails to charge for it, how would you feel about that if you were a shareholder? Especially if the quarterly report showed a decreased profit and it was found to be traceable to giving away the matte screens?

There are plenty of corporations that wouldn't even bother to offer the options. You Apple fans are spoiled--you have a major, billion-dollar corporation that actually listens to its customers.

 

[Kwill]

What the hell is a shadow box?

Man, graphic designers speak another language. I love my non-matte MacBook Pro screen.

It's a fine-art framing option where the sides of a picture appears to be floating within a box. In fact the art is within a box with sides protruding about 3 inches from the wall. Obviously I am not proposing MacBooks have such a frame -- it's the anti-glare glass option for it I was highlighting as an example. If you have an Aaron Bros. nearby, ask to see the display.

 

[uberamd]

$50 upgrade price for the display is nothing if you are already spending $1800 on a laptop. I *love* my 15" matte early 2008 Macbook Pro 'classic'. The matte screen is a major part of that. Sure the glossy is nice, but ever since I accidentally got the 15" with a matte screen, I can't see myself going glossy.

That was one of the things that kept me hanging onto my Macbook Pro instead of upgrading. I also still like the trackpad button. I do have tap to click enabled, and I have played around with the trackpad press on the newer Macbook Pro's, but for whatever reason I fall back to the physical button when clicking on some things.

However now that Apple offers 15" matte, maybe I will upgrade in the next year.

 

[brad.c]

A box around the screen, which reduces reflections about 100% after the user sticks its head in front of the screen and inside the box...

I'd like to see that for the iPhone.

 

[icanboogie]

It is a big deal when it is only available as a BTO.

yes that is right, avalilability is indeed an issue.
I was referring only to the pricing. and that is relative...

Anyway: cheers for the matte.
This could mean a goodbye to a well and largely discussed topic ...

 

[Anuba]

How about offering a decent screen resolution first? Matte, glossy, who cares, it's still 1440x900 consumer-grade jumbo pixels. It should be 1680x1050. The rest of the world shouldn't have to suffer just because Jobs needs glasses.

"But that's too small, I'd need a magnifying glass!"

No, 1680x1050 on a 15" is 129 pixels per inch. The pixels would still be larger than on the 17" MBP (133 PPI). Every professional 15" PC notebook is available with 1680x1050 (and quite a few with 1920x1200). Bump the res or drop the "Pro" nonsense.

It is a big deal when it is only available as a BTO. The millions of people walking into Apple retail stores cannot walk out with a boxed laptop with a matte screen.

Some Apple stores do carry the matte 17" MBP even though they don't normally do BTO stuff. It will however be a problem for the impatient who order online, because as soon as you change the configuration in any way the estimated shipping date will shoot up from 24 hrs to 5-7 days. Even if the option is some external thing like a DVI adapter, which is bizarre given that a DVI adapter ships in 24 hrs if you buy it standalone.

 

[JFreak]

First Ipods came with a dock and wall charger, now comes with neither.

I have an old 2004 iPod that has FireWire!!

 

[QCassidy352]

The only thing you can't do is play non-you-authored movies straight from disks, and there's no point doing that when you can use MakeMKV to rip the movie, tsMuxerGUI to change the file and HandBrake to make a 4GB 1080p h.264 m4p file.

Right... who would ever want to just pop in a disc and watch when you can go through that process!

 

[geoffreak]

WAHOO! I can finally buy a MBP again at some point!

 

[Eidorian]

I have an old 2004 iPod that has FireWire!!

Apple seems to work both ways. They'll make features standard to maintain their margins or remove them and charge you for them.

 

[applesuper]

Yay for the people who hate glossy screens!

A great big ya from me too.

And a big nay to those 12 people so far that voted negative on the option to choose an antiglare screen, they sure have issues.

Turns out that all our feedback and petitions here were right and we were vindicated, and how could we not be when all the unoficial polls here favoured the matte over the glossy. Apple had to take note.

Let's see this voting here sky rocket, of it hAdn't been for the summer this would have gone over the roof for sure.

And I end with a joke: if apple consider the matte option as anti glare, then the glassy display must be the opposite, that is, glare!!!