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puma1552

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Nov 20, 2008
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1) Having a difficult time finding anything good on this. Anyone got direct comparison pics between the two on the 15"?

2) Also how much brighter are the mid-2010 15" displays compared with the late-08 15" displays? IIRC the 2009 screens got a wider color gamut and more brightness than the original unibody screens.
 
It's not a sharpness difference like going from non-retina to retina on an iPhone, it's more like "you have X amount more screen real estate because you have X amount more pixels."
 
Trust me, photos won't do you any good; it's all about how you experience it in real life.

On pictures you'll just see more stuff on the screen, that's all. But it's really different when you're actually working with it.

Local stores here didn't have a high res in stock, but since I was convinced I wanted the higher resolution I went ahead and ordered one online. Unfortunately it turned out that my eyes didn't agree; the screen gave me enormous eye-strain and headaches, so I had to send it back. Would've never expected it, not even after looking at countless pictures here and on the web.

Bottom line: it's different in real life and it's best to work with (not just look at) the HR screen yourself before making the purchase.

Good luck!
 
Trust me, photos won't do you any good; it's all about how you experience it in real life.

On pictures you'll just see more stuff on the screen, that's all. But it's really different when you're actually working with it.

Local stores here didn't have a high res in stock, but since I was convinced I wanted the higher resolution I went ahead and ordered one online. Unfortunately it turned out that my eyes didn't agree; the screen gave me enormous eye-strain and headaches, so I had to send it back. Would've never expected it, not even after looking at countless pictures here and on the web.

Bottom line: it's different in real life and it's best to work with (not just look at) the HR screen yourself before making the purchase.

Good luck!

I take it then there's a very considerable and very noticeable difference?
 
I take it then there's a very considerable and very noticeable difference?

Everything's gonna look smaller because of the higher pixel density on the same sized screen. To see how it would affect you, you can try this on any computer - go and change the resolution of your screen to anything not max and use it for a week. Then revert back to max resolution. The eye strain is very real and C64's advice is pretty much the best advice you could take imo.
 
2.66 ghz i7 here with the high res glossy and i play ALOT of SC2 and it looks IMPECCABLE! i figured for the $55 i would spend the extra i was $2500 in to it already
 
I've got a high res and love it - but it sucks to read text as it's soooooooooooooooooo small. You have to end up magnifying every web page.
 
I have never felt that any text on my screen was too small to read, nor have I ever zoomed a webpage on my HR 15" MBP.

I have astigmatism and wear glasses 100% of the time. It doesn't strain my eyes at all.
 
Everyone's different; that's why the advice to try it yourself first is probably the best advice one could give.
 
2) Also how much brighter are the mid-2010 15" displays compared with the late-08 15" displays? IIRC the 2009 screens got a wider color gamut and more brightness than the original unibody screens.

What about this? Are the new screens brighter than the original unibody screens?
 
I've got a high res and love it - but it sucks to read text as it's soooooooooooooooooo small. You have to end up magnifying every web page.

That's why I went standard. I tried the Hi-Res and my eyes were hurting. Whats the point of having it if I have to zoom in on every page?
 
I have never felt that any text on my screen was too small to read, nor have I ever zoomed a webpage on my HR 15" MBP.

I have astigmatism and wear glasses 100% of the time. It doesn't strain my eyes at all.

<joking>
I see -- I assumed that your avatar was all pixelated, but I guess that's just my poor eyesight.
</joking>
 
From the wikipedia page:
At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 8, 2009, it was announced that the 13-inch unibody MacBook would be upgraded and re-branded as a MacBook Pro,[33] leaving only the white polycarbonate MacBook in the MacBook line.[34] It was also announced that the entire MacBook Pro line would use the non user-removable battery inherited from the 17-inch MacBook Pro.[35] The updated MacBook Pro 13- and the 15-inch would each have up to a claimed seven hours of battery life, while the 17-inch would keep its eight-hour capacity.[33][35] Some sources even reported up to eight hours of battery life for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros during casual use,[36] while others reported around six hours.[37] Like the 17-inch MacBook Pro, Apple claims that they will last around 1,000 charge cycles while still containing 80 percent of their capacity.[38] Graphics card options stayed the same from the previous release, although the 13-inch,[39] and the base model 15-inch, came with only the GeForce 9400M GPU.[40] The screens were also improved, gaining a claimed "60% greater color gamut".[39][40] All of these mid 2009 models also included a FireWire 800 port and all except the 17-inch models (which retained the ExpressCard/34 slot) would receive an SD card slot.[28] The 17-inch model would retain its ExpressCard slot.[35] For the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Kensington lock slot was moved to the right side of computer body.[41]

You were correct.The screens after the update in 2009 are better than those in 2008. I would say the brightness of hi-res vs regular glossy screens should not differ; if they do, it wouldn't be by much. You really should go into an Apple store and experience both the brightness difference and resolution for yourself.
 
That's why I went standard. I tried the Hi-Res and my eyes were hurting. Whats the point of having it if I have to zoom in on every page?

He's more an exception than the general rule.

If you need to zoom to read text on the high res screen ( 15 inch MBP ), you need to see an eye doctor :p
 
He's more an exception than the general rule.

If you need to zoom to read text on the high res screen ( 15 inch MBP ), you need to see an eye doctor :p

Actually, he is not. There are many people with perfectly fine eyesight who are more comfortable with the standard res.

This is a very common discussion. The best answer is to find an Apple store, sit at what would be your normal working position and see which one you prefer.
 
myself, I like the high res, course I've had the high res 17 since the '07 sr model so the 15 isn't a big deal to me.
I convinced my friend to pick up the hr 15 (matte, and I have to say that the matte screen is a beauty [my last 2 17s have been glossy, and my last matte was my ibook, I have to say they have come a long way from the ppc days, the anti glare is a much better coating and doesn't cut out much at all in terms of color saturation]) and she thought text was small for the first day, (she was coming from an older 15" toshiba, so it had a lot lower res), but now she is fine with it, and loving the screen real estate.
As long as your eyesite is good, your eyes can adjust easily, it takes time. BUT if looking at one causes a lot of strain, the regular screen is still nice.:)
 
None of the Apple stores I've been to have the 1650x1050 on a display model. If yours doesn't either, just have a look at other brand PCs with those same resolutions. Obviously, this won't help you judge colour gamut and brightness.
 
Actually, he is not. There are many people with perfectly fine eyesight who are more comfortable with the standard res.

This is a very common discussion. The best answer is to find an Apple store, sit at what would be your normal working position and see which one you prefer.

I have a high res screen ( anti-glare ) so I have alot of experience with it.

I don't really see the problem some people are having, the text is so small that you need to zoom.

edit: typo
 
I have a high res screen ( anti-glare ) so I have alot of experience with it.

I don't really see the problem some people are having, the text is so small that you need to zoom.

edit: typo

I have the High res anti glare 15" also and have no problems as well, I actually wished they had the high res on the 13 inch. I do see how it could affect some people, ymmv so I would definitely try to check out a floor model before purchasing.
 
Just thought it was worth mentioning this for those who aren't sure if their eyes can handle the high res display.
I was told in a store today that the 17" MBP actually has the same pixel density as the 15" HR. You can therefore get a fairly good idea of how it'll feel by testing out a 17" and imagining the screen is a bit smaller - the text etc. would be the same size.

Ed
 
I have a high res screen ( anti-glare ) so I have alot of experience with it.

I don't really see the problem some people are having, the text is so small that you need to zoom.

edit: typo

I was not arguing your personal experience, rather your judgment of people who prefer standard res. It is not some question of needing to see an eye doctor, simple ergonomics. Higher resolution is wonderful to adding detail and refinement, however if as your working distance (eyes to target) increases, the additional pixels become superfluous. The difficulty most describe is print (fixable) and icons (non-fixable).

As an aside, I would love to have the 17" screen, in spite of the higher density.
 
Just thought it was worth mentioning this for those who aren't sure if their eyes can handle the high res display.
I was told in a store today that the 17" MBP actually has the same pixel density as the 15" HR. You can therefore get a fairly good idea of how it'll feel by testing out a 17" and imagining the screen is a bit smaller - the text etc. would be the same size.

Ed

The 17" has a greater pixel density.
 
Just thought it was worth mentioning this for those who aren't sure if their eyes can handle the high res display.
I was told in a store today that the 17" MBP actually has the same pixel density as the 15" HR. You can therefore get a fairly good idea of how it'll feel by testing out a 17" and imagining the screen is a bit smaller - the text etc. would be the same size.

Ed

The 15" Hi-Res 1680x1050 is 128ppi
The 17" Hi-Res 1920x1200 is 132ppi

The 17" is slightly higher pixel density, while the standard 1440x900 15" is only 110ppi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_displays_by_pixel_density
 
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