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Do the Macbooks have crappy screens?
- Thread starter pyromaniaque
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Out of interest what screen do you have? I found teh Lg needed very minor calibration. It looked good as it was.
I'm in the market for another apple laptop so popped by the apple store today to get a proper look at what's currently available. I am very disheartened to say that the screens on the new MacBook are indeed crap. They had the MBs set up next to the MBAs and the Air screens really are that much better. The MBP screens are even better than that. As a former owner of a 12" PB, and wanting something smaller than my current 15" MBP, I'm pretty bummed. But until they upgrade the screens in these, there is absolutely no way I'd buy one.
The difference is that the MB uses a tn without the additional film that is seen in mid range and high end TN laptops, and used almost universally in desktop TN's. The lack of this film makes blacks glow even when viewed straight on, and will rapidly shift even with the tiniest view angle change which is why the middle will seem darker sometime and the bottom and the bottom will seem washed out and the top will seem inverted. I believe at the price these macbook are being sold at that not using the better tn scren is not exceptable. I have seen plenty of pc laptops that are much cheaper using the high quality tn panels. If anyone has a dv7 the macbook effect can be seen on the 1440 by 900 screen, but if you have the 1680 by 1050 it will have a screen like the mbp.
I will NEVER understand all the rage that is aimed at the Uni MacBook screen. I have one, it is just fine. I watch movies, I use photoshop, I use InDesign, I code, it is more than capable to do everything of which I require.
Is the MBP's better? Of course. Is the MB as horrible as those pics on page one make it out to be, not by a long shot.
Is the MBP's better? Of course. Is the MB as horrible as those pics on page one make it out to be, not by a long shot.
I disagree. I was a long time MacBook Pro user, and I got a MacBook for the smaller size. I took it back and got another MacBook Pro after using the MacBook for a day.
It isn't a good screen at all.
For anyone interested in this issue I went down to the local mac store and compared size by side for about 10 minutes the two screens. I set the viewing angles to be the same and this is what I observed (I have quite a good eye for these sorts of things).
1) Obviously the macbook pro has much better viewing angles, but the Al macbook viewing angles are a lot better than the old whitebook. They are by far and away good enough to use for day to day activities. You use your computer head on and you can tilt the screen to find the optimum viewing angle so this isn't really a problem.
2) Side by side at the OPTIMUM viewing angle for the macbook, the quality in two hi-res images are hard to distinguish. The macbook pro seems to have a bit richer colors and is a bit brighter but overall they are VERY similar. The main difference (and the difference most people on here are seeing, and the difference seen in ALL photos comparing the two) is strictly due to viewing an non-optimal viewing angles for the macbook. Since the macbook pro retains good contrast through a wider range of viewing angles, these images are very misleading and a terrible comparision. Head on there is very little difference.
3) The macbook pro didn't seem a lot more heavy than the macbook, but it did seem substantially larger. The extra space on the screen was nice but the resolution was not THAT much higher. Overall based on screen quality I would find it hard to justify paying the extreme pro pricing over the macbook.
Based on what I have been reading online I was almost convincing myself I should just try and get the macbook pro for the little bit of extra screen real-estate and for the better screen, but now after comparing them I don't think I could justify the cost. The difference between screens in the macbook and macbook pro are just NOT that much different. I think most people who are complaining are just hyping things up in their heads based on what they have been reading, and are comparing at non-ideal viewing angles for the macbook.
1) Obviously the macbook pro has much better viewing angles, but the Al macbook viewing angles are a lot better than the old whitebook. They are by far and away good enough to use for day to day activities. You use your computer head on and you can tilt the screen to find the optimum viewing angle so this isn't really a problem.
2) Side by side at the OPTIMUM viewing angle for the macbook, the quality in two hi-res images are hard to distinguish. The macbook pro seems to have a bit richer colors and is a bit brighter but overall they are VERY similar. The main difference (and the difference most people on here are seeing, and the difference seen in ALL photos comparing the two) is strictly due to viewing an non-optimal viewing angles for the macbook. Since the macbook pro retains good contrast through a wider range of viewing angles, these images are very misleading and a terrible comparision. Head on there is very little difference.
3) The macbook pro didn't seem a lot more heavy than the macbook, but it did seem substantially larger. The extra space on the screen was nice but the resolution was not THAT much higher. Overall based on screen quality I would find it hard to justify paying the extreme pro pricing over the macbook.
Based on what I have been reading online I was almost convincing myself I should just try and get the macbook pro for the little bit of extra screen real-estate and for the better screen, but now after comparing them I don't think I could justify the cost. The difference between screens in the macbook and macbook pro are just NOT that much different. I think most people who are complaining are just hyping things up in their heads based on what they have been reading, and are comparing at non-ideal viewing angles for the macbook.
Look back at the previous page where I enclose photos of both macbook and macbook pro screens side by side. I have both and gone through so many macbook and macbook pros. Each to there own, decide on what you want.
The relevant photos that are direct on at the ideal macbook viewing angles don't seem that much different; however the blacks are a bit more obvious. The photos I was viewing did not contain large black regions so that would not have been as visible I suppose. But then again how often during daily use do you experience large black images? In movies yes.
So you find the difference is that extreme? Really I only had a short time comparing them, but my initial impression was quite good.
After 5 pages a few people are forgetting what the original question was:
"is the Macbook screen good enough for movies?"
Lots of movies contain dark scenes. It's for that reason a few of us don't think the screen is up to par for movies.
Obviously if you're just web browsing, looking at it in the store, or doing things that have a lot of bright white colors on the screen, it'll be much better suited for that task.
"is the Macbook screen good enough for movies?"
Lots of movies contain dark scenes. It's for that reason a few of us don't think the screen is up to par for movies.
Obviously if you're just web browsing, looking at it in the store, or doing things that have a lot of bright white colors on the screen, it'll be much better suited for that task.
That's exactly what I found when looking at them at the Apple store. MBP: great. MBA: great. MB: looked like someone had spilled milk all over the screen. They had 6 MBs there and they were all the same: bad. Portability be damned. I'm getting another MBP.
The more things change...
Fact is, Apple has always cheaped out on their consumer portable screens, and it looks like they always will. If you doubt this, compare an ibook screen with a powerbook, the former's looks blocky and granulated compared with its shiny sister.
The alu MB screen is a step down from the MBP's. Period. I compared it to a friend's year old top of the line whitebook, and it at least was a vast improvement over his.
The MB's screen-IMO-is that way for a purpose. If it was similar in quality to a MBA or MBP, it would drastically cut into sales of the other models.
I'd say it's a decent screen, and the overall price and features on the alu macbook make it an attractive option. If you're going to watch movies at home or on your desk, buy a decent monitor and hook it up to it. The portability and seeming durability of the MB's are its main qualities.
What I DO have an issue with is sales clerks at my local Apple store telling prospective buyers that the MB's screen is "the same as the Macbook Pro's, only smaller". When I exchanged my MB for the pro after the first week, I played for the clerk and the genius the quicktime presentation of the october notebook event on the apple site: You couldn't tell the difference between Steve Job's turtleneck from the black background; he was 'floating head CEO'. On the pro and air, you could tell the difference between the two; on the pro you could clearly see the spotlights reflecting off of the chairman's sweater.
If your lappie will mainly be sitting on a desk and occasionally moved, get the pro. If you'll be hauling it around with you, buy the MB and a monitor and resign yourself to its limitations.
Fact is, Apple has always cheaped out on their consumer portable screens, and it looks like they always will. If you doubt this, compare an ibook screen with a powerbook, the former's looks blocky and granulated compared with its shiny sister.
The alu MB screen is a step down from the MBP's. Period. I compared it to a friend's year old top of the line whitebook, and it at least was a vast improvement over his.
The MB's screen-IMO-is that way for a purpose. If it was similar in quality to a MBA or MBP, it would drastically cut into sales of the other models.
I'd say it's a decent screen, and the overall price and features on the alu macbook make it an attractive option. If you're going to watch movies at home or on your desk, buy a decent monitor and hook it up to it. The portability and seeming durability of the MB's are its main qualities.
What I DO have an issue with is sales clerks at my local Apple store telling prospective buyers that the MB's screen is "the same as the Macbook Pro's, only smaller". When I exchanged my MB for the pro after the first week, I played for the clerk and the genius the quicktime presentation of the october notebook event on the apple site: You couldn't tell the difference between Steve Job's turtleneck from the black background; he was 'floating head CEO'. On the pro and air, you could tell the difference between the two; on the pro you could clearly see the spotlights reflecting off of the chairman's sweater.
If your lappie will mainly be sitting on a desk and occasionally moved, get the pro. If you'll be hauling it around with you, buy the MB and a monitor and resign yourself to its limitations.
The screen on my new Macbook white is pretty terrible, seemingly much worse than the screen on my $399 acer laptop when I had them side by side which is very disappointing. I calibrated it and the contrast is better now though I see this artifacting (like a subtle pinstriping visible in light colors everywhere on the screen), in some areas which I have no idea of the origin. I think it may be dithering artifacts but I'm not an expert on this so I don't know. I do like the machine and the OS, but I don't like the screen at all.
I just got a comformation email that my anti glare film has shipped. Besides for the glare the screen is really nice. I know the screen will look a little more dull once I put the film on, but it should still be just fine as compared to others.
Good luck finding IPS screens on ANY current laptop... Apple or otherwise. Go out and find one.... Surprise me.