Do you think Apple should add a matte screen to the MacBook?

[Flyer0815]

A big reason for this (besides the marketing)....... There were two iBooks back then, which I figure also cut into profits. Much simpler to have a 13" model (split right down the middle) instead of a 12" model and a 14" model.

Exactly my point... it begins and ends with the marketing and product simplicity. Adding a matte option is unneeded in the consumer product line when the majority of consumers are voting glossy with their wallet, making the MacBook the most popular Mac ever.

Keeping options simple is a great consumer marketing strategy, which is why there is no matte option.

 

[teknikal90]

I would have purchased the following if Apple would make a matte screen option:

- MB
- MBA
- iMac (20 inch)

So by not offering a matte screen option, Apple has lost out on three purchases from me.

...and they probably do not care.

............are you sure.........?
if i was you and i was willing to spend that much id be willing to spend a lil extra to buy anti glare films....so you held out from buying those just cause you didnt want to spend the $20 extra for antiglare films?......... -.-'

 

[kabunaru]

Exactly my point... it begins and ends with the marketing and product simplicity. Adding a matte option is unneeded in the consumer product line when the majority of consumers are voting glossy with their wallet, making the MacBook the most popular Mac ever.

Keeping options simple is a great consumer marketing strategy, which is why there is no matte option.

Or maybe remove glossy once and for all and make the MacBook's display matte only. I don't see why people would choose glossy other than it has better colors. It does nothing but stresses the eyes. I did give the glossy display a chance.

 

[heatmiser]

Or maybe remove glossy once and for all and make the MacBook's display matte only. I don't see why people would choose glossy other than it has better colors. It does nothing but stresses the eyes. I did give the glossy display a chance.

If the majority of folks found glossy screens as bad as you do, they wouldn't sell as well as they do. You don't like glossy screens; that's fine. But sale trends suggest people are fine with them--just as people were fine when the industry switched from 4:3 to 16:10 screens as default aspect ratios in laptops.

 

[Flyer0815]

Or maybe remove glossy once and for all and make the MacBook's display matte only. I don't see why people would choose glossy other than it has better colors. It does nothing but stresses the eyes. I did give the glossy display a chance.

I hear your frustrations... but maybe the MBP is better suited for your needs. Again, we need to think like entry level consumers, not professionals when analyzing the MB. The glossy screen is attractive to consumers, and most entry level laptops do have glossy screens. Apple would shoot itself in the foot if it completely eliminated the glossy screen from its consumer line to appease a very small amount of tech savvy individuals who frequent boards such as this. It is difficult to find a matte entry level laptop these days.. and it is like that for a reason... consumers prefer glossy.

 

[mosx]

If the majority of folks found glossy screens as bad as you do, they wouldn't sell as well as they do. You don't like glossy screens; that's fine. But sale trends suggest people are fine with them--just as people were fine when the industry switched from 4:3 to 16:10 screens as default aspect ratios in laptops.

Thats basically true.

The option to have a matte screen has been removed from most consumer PCs. In those that still do offer it, it's at a much lower resolution and brightness than the glossy screens.

The people have spoken. People want glossy and they're getting glossy.

Seeing as how the MacBook is Apple's most popular computer, I don't think they'll be "messing with success" any time soon. Even if it does mean that they don't include features that it should have, like 2GB of RAM or a dedicated GPU.

 

[sushi]

............are you sure.........?
if i was you and i was willing to spend that much id be willing to spend a lil extra to buy anti glare films....so you held out from buying those just cause you didnt want to spend the $20 extra for antiglare films?......... -.-'

Yes, I am sure. I can easily purchase any Mac I want at any time. That is not the issue. The issue is glossy verses matte. I prefer matte. Glossy makes my eyes hurt and gives me a headache after prolonged use.

And it makes no sense to me to put an antiglare film on a glossy screen. Sorry, but I prefer natural matte screens.

On a side note, I purchased an older white iMac instead of the new glossy iMac for my daughter. I was ready to purchase a new glossy iMac for her, but she preferred a matte screen over glossy.

 

[sushi]

The people have spoken. People want glossy and they're getting glossy.

Have they spoken?

If you only offer glossy, and folks purchase the laptops, have they really made a choice between matte and glossy.

For example, say I want an MBA because it will do what I want. Except it has that darn glossy screen which I dislike. So now I am in a quandary. Do I purchase the MBA because it does what I want but has a screen that is terrible for me? Or do I forgo the MBA purchase because of the screen and not have a computer that I want?

For some, they will go ahead and purchase the MBA and suck it up with the glossy screen. Others like me, the glossy screen becomes a show stopper.

I would really like a Black MB. Love how they look. It would work great for me. I would bump the RAM up to 4GB and the HD to 320GB and be a happy camper except for the glossy screen. Well, and the keyboard. But I can get used to the keyboard. However, the glossy screen is a no go for me.

 

[eXan]

I prefer matte, but I'm fine with glossy.

Glossy is sucks only when you have a window behind you or you are outside on a sunny day. Other than that, its basically same as matte.

BTW, my MacBook is placed in my room so that the window (rather big one) is right behind me when I work at my MB. Its not that bad really. Becomes suitable for text-only when the sun is directly shining to the screen, but go try to point matte screen to the sun and see what happens with it's usability.

 

[0007776]

Glossy on the iMacs gave me a headache after just a few minutes of using them in a store, on the MacBooks I don't like it, but since the screen is small it is easier to get it on an angle where the screen is viewable instead of being a mirror.

 

[greeneggs28]

As long as they keep the matte an option for the MBP's and ACD's, I'm happy. Because that is an important option for print designers. It doesn't really matter with MB and Air, because those computers are usually just for web and entertainment purposes, which the glossy screen is just fine. I guess it would be great to have that option in the iMac line though...

 

[sushi]

Glossy on the iMacs gave me a headache after just a few minutes of using them in a store

I hear ya.

I wish that Apple offered a matte screen option on their consumer lines (MB, MBA and iMac).

As the poll currently stands, if you remove those that don't care, matte is preferred over glossy by an almost 3 to 1 margin.

Most interesting.

Current Poll Stats:
Yes, what's up with these glossy displays these days? 30 60.00%
No, I am fine with glossy and like it more than matte. 11 22.00%
I don't care either way 9 18.00%

 

[Fiasco]

Or maybe remove glossy once and for all and make the MacBook's display matte only. I don't see why people would choose glossy other than it has better colors. It does nothing but stresses the eyes. I did give the glossy display a chance.

Better colors could be critical, for say, photographers.

Honestly I don't get a glare off my MacBook screen and I much prefer this screen over a matte one.

 

[Luzzio]

My MB is glossy

I always thought it was matte.

 

[Eraserhead]

I thought that was going to be a Leopard feature. I wonder why they aborted that.

No time, it was supposed to be a Tiger feature too .

I will never take it off then.

Its the wonders of static electricity.

 

[kabunaru]

And it makes no sense to me to put an antiglare film on a glossy screen. Sorry, but I prefer natural matte screens.

It still feels natural to me with the anti-glare film but I understand what you mean.

 

[John.B]

It wasn't one of the options, but I'd rather have the LED backlit display in the MacBook than a matte option. Unless they gave me the option for both, which is unlikely in their entry-level laptop.

 

[mosx]

Have they spoken?

If you only offer glossy, and folks purchase the laptops, have they really made a choice between matte and glossy.

Well, up until recently, HP and Dell both offered a full range of matte and glossy screens. However, people didn't buy them. Dell now only offers one matte option on their consumer lines and HP completely removed the option for a matte screen.

Look at the MacBook. The screen looks 10x better than the iBook screens ever did and it's selling much better than the iBooks ever did. My girlfriend's sister has the last iBook revision and she looks at my MacBook (and HP) screen and gets green with envy over the quality over the colors.

And, again, up until recently, the tens of millions of people who bought Dell, HP, Gateway, etc. with a glossy screen over matte made it clear that people prefer the more vibrant colors and brighter and better overall image of a glossy screen.

I even know someone who bought into all of this "glossy strains your eyes and gives you a headache" nonsense. He was afraid to upgrade from his PowerBook because of the glossy screens being offered. But he saw the glossy and matte MBP side by side in the Apple store and didn't hesitate one second when telling the clerk he wanted the MBP with a glossy screen.

For example, say I want an MBA because it will do what I want. Except it has that darn glossy screen which I dislike. So now I am in a quandary. Do I purchase the MBA because it does what I want but has a screen that is terrible for me? Or do I forgo the MBA purchase because of the screen and not have a computer that I want?

For some, they will go ahead and purchase the MBA and suck it up with the glossy screen. Others like me, the glossy screen becomes a show stopper.

I would really like a Black MB. Love how they look. It would work great for me. I would bump the RAM up to 4GB and the HD to 320GB and be a happy camper except for the glossy screen. Well, and the keyboard. But I can get used to the keyboard. However, the glossy screen is a no go for me.

But seriously, what's wrong with glossy? The poll here might show that people prefer matte, but the millions of MacBook and tens of millions of PC buyers have proven that people in general want glossy screens.

I've been using glossy screens on my notebooks for a couple of years now. Every time I see matte the colors look dull and washed out and it just doesn't appear as "bright" as a glossy screen. I have never once had an issue with reflections or glare, even using my MacBook in a building with very large and uncovered windows facing east in the late afternoon with my screen facing them. I have never been in a situation where any light or anything has had any kind of impact on the screen.

If I did any kind of work that required color accuracy.. well, theres not a notebook on the planet that has a screen good enough for that.

Glossy screens just look better. If someone has a problem with eye strain then they need to have their eyes examined or just not sit in a way where you have a light deliberately reflecting off the screen.

 

[mashoutposse]

Apple's glossy screens are better than most -- I too have never had a problem with glare and I've used my MBA in a variety of lighting conditions. Other than the vividness of the colors, it is often hard to tell that the screen is glossy.

For a consumer product, it is more important that the display be pleasing to the eye than to be "accurate."

 

[sushi]

Glossy screens just look better. If someone has a problem with eye strain then they need to have their eyes examined or just not sit in a way where you have a light deliberately reflecting off the screen.

And there are those who say that matte screens just look better, and prefer matte screens over glossy. Can't you accept that?

Anyhow, for the record, I much prefer matte screens instead of glossy screens.

BTW, lighting conditions do not change that opinion. Glossy screens give me eyestrain and headaches. Where as I can look at matte screens for extended periods of time without any problems at all. I am sure that there are others just like me judging from the poll results so far.

 

[kabunaru]

For a consumer product, it is more important that the display be pleasing to the eye than to be "accurate."

Sure it might have better but less accurate colors but is it really better to the eye with all that glare if the lighting is not right?

 

[decksnap]

Glossy or matte almost doesn't matter with such a horrible panel in there to begin with. Absolute garbage.

 

[Shackler]

Consumers like the brightness of a glossy better. glare or no glare. unless your doing serious editing work(non-macbook consumers) matte isnt necesary and probably wont be added.

 

[kabunaru]

BTW, lighting conditions do not change that opinion. Glossy screens give me eyestrain and headaches. Where as I can look at matte screens for extended periods of time without any problems at all. I am sure that there are others just like me judging from the poll results so far.

Yes, I noticed this too. My eyes don't get red and strained with the matte screen after long periods of use. I don't think a person will be saying the same for a glossy display.

 

[TheOnlyOasis]

I would definitely prefer a matte screen. Definitely. I hate how much glare interferes sometimes