Apple to Utilize Anti-Reflective Glass in Next-Generation iMac?

[Moonjumper]

halleluiah!!!

On MacBooks too please...

On every Apple screen please. An iPhone is hard to see in sunlight. I know it is more unlikely for the touchscreens because of the required robustness of the coating, but I can hope. But iMacs more than anything because of the screen size making it so hard to avoid reflections.

 

[SBlue1]

yeah, invisible glas!

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Apple utilizes a similar glossy display glass standard on the MacBook Pro, but offers a build-to-order option of an antiglare matte display on 15-inch and 17-inch models.

True but the matte screen on the MBP is not glass. An anti-glare glass screen would be a first for Macs, and a welcome one. Now if they could just make the iMacs HD a bit more accessible I'd be tempted.

 

[theluggage]

There's a reason try editing photos with lots of black/dark areas all day it's a royal pain in the arse. Plus you can't have a window nearby or too many lights overhead etc.

I think its the "photos with large areas of black" that are the divisive issue, because you can see the reflections and that seems to bug some people. OTOH, if you had a matte screen then those areas probably wouldn't be black...

For regular use I find that glossy screens are usable in a wider range of lighting conditions. My desk suffers from oblique sunlight occasionally which would wipe out a matte screen however it was angled, because a matte coating will scatter some of the light into your eyes no matter what the angle. With the glossy, as long as you can position the screen so that it doesn't reflect the light directly at you, its fine. Also, any reflections are on a different focal plane to the screen and much easier to ignore than areas of the screen washed out by scattered light.

If you're trying to do photo work with a bright light shining on your screen, matte or glossy, the real solution is "don't do that then". There's a reason why expensive pro monitors come with hoods.

 

[the8thark]

Why is it pissing and moaning to not want a computer monitor that isn't a mirror?

Why do you want to stop customers from requesting the choice of having a non-reflective monitor?

Can all the Sandyginas please refrain from regurgitating "complaining, whining, pissing, haters''
about everybody who wants something different than they do or that Apple doesn't offer?

Thank you.

To call it as Blizzard Entertainment would:

"Overstatements of upset".

The screen glare issue is a very small issue indeed. Sure some people hate it with a passion, but to me unless I have 100% direct sunlight on my iMac the glare is not an issue.

Would this new glass in the iMacs sell more iMacs? Yes. Only because people believe it's a fix to a major issue. When it's really just a minor thing that people need to get over. But it'll make them happy and they'll buy more iMacs.

So is this new glass a good idea? Yes. The current glass is just fine and for 99.99% of users it is fine. But the new glass will fix the issues of the 0.01% of iMac users who actually have a real issue with this. And it'll ease the minds of the countless millions who think they have a glass issue when they really do not.

 

[JAT]

The Glass displays on iMacs in general have been the bane of my life! When you run a suite of over 100 Macs with many different people operating them, you can spend a whole day cleaning the finger marks off only to find the next day they are grubby all over again. The matte displays never had this problem, i only have to clean them once every few months.

Ugh, that's gross. I'm not saying there is a way around it, but yes, the matte displays also get dirty, you just aren't NOTICING it as quickly.

 

[Tinyluph]

To call it as Blizzard Entertainment would:

"Overstatements of upset".

The screen glare issue is a very small issue indeed. Sure some people hate it with a passion, but to me unless I have 100% direct sunlight on my iMac the glare is not an issue.

Would this new glass in the iMacs sell more iMacs? Yes. Only because people believe it's a fix to a major issue. When it's really just a minor thing that people need to get over. But it'll make them happy and they'll buy more iMacs.

So is this new glass a good idea? Yes. The current glass is just fine and for 99.99% of users it is fine. But the new glass will fix the issues of the 0.01% of iMac users who actually have a real issue with this. And it'll ease the minds of the countless millions who think they have a glass issue when they really do not.

I don't use an iMac but I've seen them on display at my local Apple store which has no direct sunlight inside--only the standard store lighting. I realized I could never use something like that as my primary machine because after just two minutes fiddling around with it the reflections were starting to become unnerving.

I used another iMac in Best Buy and the problem was much less noticable, probably because Best Buy has dimmer lighting than Apple stores. I imagine under the right conditions an iMac can be fine, but I wouldn't want the hassle of ensuring those conditions. This would be a welcome improvement.

 

[Fandongo]

Wirelessly posted

Maybe it's the 10 hour part

But I hear ya, I spent two straight days on wikipedia and had an eyeball explode.

 

[G4DP]

They got the date wrong, surely? Shouldn't this have been released yesterday?

Is this an admission they got something wrong when we were told what we wanted not so many years ago?

 

[j800r]

The gloss screen does seem to improve display quality. The reflective surface is definitely irritating but what's gets to me more is how easily the glass marks/scratches. I have a matte screen monitor that still looks perfect yet my iMac was only purchased late 2010 and has many scratches and scuffs on the screen. Luckily they do not affect the display in the slightest and are only noticeable with a lot of light shining on the screen or from certain angles.

Anti-reflective glass would be fantastic but I won't be enjoying the benefits as I will not be able to afford to upgrade my Mac for a good few years.

 

[bertman]

Maybe with the "Invisible Glass":

Can anyone figure out why this is so different than "Museum Glass" -- long used in fine art framing?

http://www.tru-vue.com/Tru-Vue/Products/33/

 

[Kafka]

One thing to consider!

Non-reflective glass is necessarily "frosted" somehow, which means suction cups don't work anymore, which probably means an iMac that is opened in a more practical way.

Thoughts?

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

This is the best news I've seen on Macrumors in years!

 

[Ddyracer]

I hope this is true. Really don't like the glossy display except for movies and general use.

Gaming, Photo, Video editing its just not ideal.

 

[dolphin842]

I really wanted to like the 27" iMac I got a few years ago, but the glossy screen wasn't compatible at all with my setup. I had to return it for a Mac mini + a 21" matte IPS display. I'm starting to notice the limitations of the mini (running a Core 2 Duo), so an Ivy Bridge iMac would be ideal. I shall keep my fingers crossed .

 

[tmroper]

Since framing shops give you an anti-reflective "museum glass" option, I don't see why Apple can't give us the option for the iMac. Even if it costs a little more, it would still be cheaper than remodeling my apartment for some theoretical optimal viewing setup.

 

[bertman]

I'd assume (and I could be very wrong) that all that theoretically needs to be done to the glass is that its effectively given a non-smooth surface. If the glass was ever so slightly 'gritty' it wouldn't shine. You'd have to be able to do it just enough to get the shine out, but not enough to make it noticeable or cause an imperfect image.

You are describing the current non-glare surface. If they did not enough or too much, I'll leave you to decide.

Or you could slap a plastic coating on top and be done with it

Noooooot quite. (I take your smirky as a sign of satire.) Thin Film deposition is done in a vacuum chamber by e-beam vaporization of the materials.

I don't know... I think it should be made an option, or at least leave the glossy as an option for those who want that.

You mis-understand. This is describing a "thin film" coating on a "glossy" surface that removes most the reflections. You want to keep your reflections?

Again, this is the same technology as art Museum Glass, or, the multi-layer thin film anti-reflection coatings on lenses (camera optics, eye glasses, etc.)

- Bert, who uses his "glossy" iMac just fine, because he darkens the room except for the wall *behind* the screen, but would gladly welcome the anti-reflection screens!

 

[Apple fanboy]

If this rumour is true does it delay the new iMac release beyond the latest new processors at the end of the month? I really hope not as my PC is gonna die anyday. I would defiantly prefer a matte finish though given the choice.

 

[macintoshi]

Wirelessly posted

i hardly doubt it will change rhe reflectivity that strong, i hardly doubt it can replace the antiglare or matte screen at all, but tests will show us in advance...hope anandtech will compare glossy to this one and antiglare and matte screens to see the differences...

 

[driveparty]

Apple to Utilize Anti-Reflective Glass in Next-Generation iMac?

Good news! I know many people including myself , avoiding iMacs because of its annoying reflective glass panels. I'd rather buy antiglare iMac than the more powerful MBP for my work + MB Air or MBP 13" for some portability.

 

[Moonjumper]

Wirelessly posted

i hardly doubt it will change rhe reflectivity that strong, i hardly doubt it can replace the antiglare or matte screen at all, but tests will show us in advance...hope anandtech will compare glossy to this one and antiglare and matte screens to see the differences...

Read some of the links from post 7 of this thread, which I have repeated below. There are some fantastic technologies coming to market that reduce reflections enormously without the light scattering that affects the quality of matte displays. It seems the trade-off between glossy / matte are being made redundant.

Sign the petition for anti-glare screens at MacMatte:
http://macmatte.wordpress.com

Maybe with the "Invisible Glass":

Japanese Firm Develops ‘Invisible Glass’
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20111028/199970

Amazing Invisible Glass Kills Glare Dead
http://gizmodo.com/5854321/amazing-invisible-glass-kills-glare-dead

‘Invisible glass’ could reduce display glare, fails as food-in-teeth mirror
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/31/invisible-glass-could-reduce-display-glare-fails-as-food-in-t

 

[Kebabselector]

But the new glass will fix the issues of the 0.01% of iMac users who actually have a real issue with this.

I think you'll find people who have this issue probably no longer have an iMac or chose to buy something else. If they fix it, more iMacs will be bought.

I don't see the problem. If you're seeing a whole lot of reflection in your screen, you obviously don't have your machine situated correctly for your local light conditions. I'm on an iMac 27"; I don't see any reflections and I'm next to a window. Plus a matt screen takes away a bit of the crispness of the display. Make antiglare an option, but don't force it on everyone.

I like my desk the way it is. It's worked fine for years in it's current position with a matte monitor. With gloss it didn't work.

 

[ChrisA]

The only reason I don't like anti glare screens is because they're plastic, and more difficult to clean. If they find a way to do anti glare with glass, I would love that. Glass is a higher quality material and gives the product a better look and feel, in my opinion.

Find a way? Look at every TV set on Earth none of them have shiny screens. No one would buy one.

Look at quality photographic filters that have been made over the last 40 or so years. These are all glass and the best ones reflect no light. The way to test a filter is to stand with your back to a bright light source like a window in daylight or a lamp. Then use the filter as a mirror and see if you can see the light's reflection in the glass. This would be an easy thing to see using any current glass faced Apple product but not with glass that has a quality anti reflective coating. Some coating are very good and are made with multiple layers but even the cheaper single layer kind is hugely better then plain glass. This is NOT new tech. Anti-reflective coating for glass was invented in the 1930's and today it is used in eyeglasses, camera optics, TV sets and even window glass, but not on Apple iMacs.

This explains it well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-reflective_coating

 

[Neodym]

One thing to consider!

Non-reflective glass is necessarily "frosted" somehow, which means suction cups don't work anymore, which probably means an iMac that is opened in a more practical way.

Thoughts?

Your assumption is wrong. There are different ways to reach an anti-glare effect, one of which is that "frosted" effect from using an etched surface and thus diffusing the light rather roughly.

Proper anti-glare is done in a way that the glass still feels smooth, e.g. by using a special coating that diffuses the light much finer. Examples are e.g. optically coated eyeglasses.

So unfortunately the next iMac may still be the suction-type one...

 

[NY Guitarist]

I understand that Apple is getting brighter and more saturated colors from these glossy displays and proudly shows a "reflection" in all of their images used for advertising and on the website.

But reflections in a display are in NO WAY a good thing for viewing, unless you want to see who is standing behind you or perhaps comb your hair, (which I literally have seen people do!). Sorry to say this is an area that Apple has chosen aesthetics over functionality.

I remember when the big thing in CRT displays was anti-glare coatings!