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Ipaqman

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 22, 2003
338
0
hey,

i dont want to start a whole matte or glossy thread but i wanted to know ONLY FROM COLLEGE STUDENTS which screen they chose due to the fact that they are using the MBP in their dorms, during lectures, outside, ect. i am going into my second year and am going to purchase a new 2.4 MBP before college starts in september.

let me know.
thanks,
ipaqman
 

Gymnut

macrumors 68000
Apr 18, 2003
1,887
28
Matte. Probably because all my previous Powerbooks have had matte displays so I didn't want to break the trend. I'm sure I could have gotten used to a glossy screen, but I'm perfectly happy with my decision.
 

kymac

macrumors 6502a
Nov 4, 2006
677
0
portland
well.. i just got a matte, but this will be my first year in college.. so what do i know. but ill be majoring in graphic design so thats where my choice came in.
 

Sbrocket

macrumors 65816
Jun 3, 2007
1,250
0
/dev/null
Well, whether you wanted to or not...you did start another glossy vs matte thread. I chose glossy because I've used both and know that the glossy's glare problem is extremely overblown....the matte screen has the same problems. If you angle the LCD screen at a bright light source, you'll get reflections - its that simple. Other than that, I just like the look of the glossy screens. That's pretty much all it comes down too.
 

xtopher

macrumors regular
Feb 6, 2007
132
0
Ontario
as a graphic design/video major, i was pretty much told to get a matte.... which i would have gotten anyway:rolleyes:
 

CalBoy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2007
7,849
37
Matte. No question about it. When I'm in a lecture hall, I don't want the lights behind/above me to cause problems. Also, sitting around random places can produce unexpected glare.

Go to a store and see how bad it is for yourself. Personally, I couldn't take it, and I went the safer route.
 

Ipaqman

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 22, 2003
338
0
thanks for all the comments. and i did make this a matte vs glossy thread, but only for people in college or going into college.
 

CalBoy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2007
7,849
37
thanks for all the comments. and i did make this a matte vs glossy thread, but only for people in college or going into college.

That you did. Frankly, I don't mind the new threads, esspecially yours, as you have a unique qualification for yours. Most people will post something like
"Glossy or Matte????" and then leave it at that.
 

spy707

macrumors newbie
Jul 19, 2007
6
0
First if you have the chance at all, go to any apple retailer and look yourself. Seeing is believing. If you can't do that, I will tell you why I chose matte:
1)It's a laptop. Yes, the glossy looks better for vibrant colors, however the primary purpose of a laptop is for mobility, not watching movies. Don't get me wrong, the matte is very good at visability as well, it's just the glossy is... well flashier.
2)The glare IS overblown. There IS glare on both screens. The main point here though is that glossy has more glare hands down, and again that goes back to the mobility issue. If I can't see what I'm working on, then it doesn't matter what screen I have.
This is my second year in college, and I plan on working on my laptop at many different locations. If I only played games and/or only stayed indoors, then i might have considered the glossy.

BTW, offtopic but for schoolwork, 2.4 is not worth the 500 over 2.2. Unless you're doing some serious gaming or video editing, you won't notice much of an increase. What little increase you would notice will be dwarfed by the computing power you'll buy in two years with the extra 500 you saved.
 

cah87

macrumors regular
Jul 7, 2007
170
0
I personally have the matte macbook Pro and havent used a glossy one. I have a new iMac on the way and i will let you know which one is better. But really the matte finish is the safest bet because there is no glare period......
 

Daveway

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2004
3,370
1
New Orleans / Lafayette, La
Like you, I was faced with the same decision to make not too long ago when I bought my 2.2 MBP.

I chose to go with glossy. I have had the laptop for almost two months now and can count the number of times glare has been a problem on one hand.
It's not bad like many people will make it seem. The picture is clearer and brighter than the matte screen. And unlike the matte screen, you can actually see whats on the screen while outside, like in the quad.

I've been in my room, outside, lecture halls, and have never experienced any problems. I felt sick to my stomach worried whether or not I would like the glossy, now I'm happy I didn't go matte.
 

polycat33

macrumors 6502
Jul 1, 2007
437
1
Alexandria, VA
I always found it interesting to look over everyones computers at the library, and once the glossy trend started they were popping up all over the place. It seems a lot of college students do go for glossy, but a lot still go for matte. I don't know if it's 50/50 or not, and if it weren't quite 50/50 I'd have a hard time saying which one it bent more toward, I didn't notice glossy screens around until about a year ago, maybe a little bit more, and since then they've been becoming more and more popular with college students so it could be that they're still on the rise and will overcome matte - but really, it doesn't matter what other college students have/like it's all about you. I'd say taking notes in class, zoning out, and noticing that I can see the people behind me in my glossy screen would be really distracting/annoying. While I like the glossy screens on other peoples computers (sometimes) I still went for matte. Sure a light will reflect in your matte screen too, but you can't see the reflections of all kinds of things going on behind you in crisp detail.
 

kolax

macrumors G3
Mar 20, 2007
9,181
115
Can't comment - having never owned a glossy MacBook Pro. I owned a glossy HP laptop and I had no problems using it in lecture halls, in a bright lighted room etc.

I'd need to try out a glossy MBP to make a proper correct decision.
 

Freyqq

macrumors 601
Dec 13, 2004
4,038
181
matte

i sat behind someone with a macbook (glossy) once in a lecture hall and half of the screen was glare
 

harmonica01

macrumors 6502
Jul 30, 2007
253
0
Well, whether you wanted to or not...you did start another glossy vs matte thread. I chose glossy because I've used both and know that the glossy's glare problem is extremely overblown....the matte screen has the same problems. If you angle the LCD screen at a bright light source, you'll get reflections - its that simple. Other than that, I just like the look of the glossy screens. That's pretty much all it comes down too.

i really gotta beg to differ with ya there...like you said matte has the same problem > IF < you angle screen directly at the light? yo man what kinda statement is that lol

Get the matte, you'll be happy especially when you don't have to waste time re-aligning the screen around in classrooms and lecture halls with the lighting rather than actual taking notes
 

harmonica01

macrumors 6502
Jul 30, 2007
253
0
I always found it interesting to look over everyones computers at the library, and once the glossy trend started they were popping up all over the place. It seems a lot of college students do go for glossy, but a lot still go for matte. I don't know if it's 50/50 or not, and if it weren't quite 50/50 I'd have a hard time saying which one it bent more toward, I didn't notice glossy screens around until about a year ago, maybe a little bit more, and since then they've been becoming more and more popular with college students so it could be that they're still on the rise and will overcome matte - but really, it doesn't matter what other college students have/like it's all about you. I'd say taking notes in class, zoning out, and noticing that I can see the people behind me in my glossy screen would be really distracting/annoying. While I like the glossy screens on other peoples computers (sometimes) I still went for matte. Sure a light will reflect in your matte screen too, but you can't see the reflections of all kinds of things going on behind you in crisp detail.


part of it, is glossy just looks cool so that's what small retail stores sell, apple gives ya a choice with the mbp for a reason ;)
 

amoda

macrumors 6502a
Aug 9, 2006
660
8
I'm a university student who owned both a glossy and matte mbp. From MY experience I prefer the glossy. The beautiful look of the display is worth a small amount of reflection. I find the amount of reflection people state there is tends to be over-exaggerated. It's really not that bad at all, worst case scenario you move the screen down or up a tad.

However, this is a very personal choice so it's recommended that you go look at both. Also keep in mind that virtually all other pc manufacturers use glossy screens in their laptops, don't see their users rioting.
 

Nukey

macrumors member
Aug 5, 2007
41
0
I had a Macbook last year which was glossy and I never had problems with glare even with all of the fluorescent lights everywhere. The screen also looked good :)

With that in mind, I purchased a glossy MBP.
 

klymr

macrumors 65816
May 16, 2007
1,451
103
Utah
I went matte. My brother has a glossy HP and we were both outside and he had his screen brightness turned up to max and it was still incredibly hard to see anything. I had mine turned up about 3/4th the way and I could see everything just fine. That's just my experience.

As far as for class, I like my matte. Granted I can't stare at the cute girls behind me while also typing my notes, but I can live with that. I don't have any indoor experience with the glossy, sorry.
 

Teej guy

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2007
518
2
Matte. I tried out both side by side in the Apple store in London while I was there, and I found that after about ten minutes, the Glossy screen became really annoying, and matte was much nicer to look at.
 

nateDEEZY

macrumors 6502a
Jan 24, 2007
696
0
San Francisco, CA
I recommend matte. Glossy is great if you always have the same consistent light source, it doesn't do as well as the matte if you're constantly on the go moving from class to class etc. Matte also has the added benefit of displaying more accurate colors than the glossy.
 

NtotheIzoo

macrumors regular
Jan 24, 2005
191
0
matte

i sat behind someone with a macbook (glossy) once in a lecture hall and half of the screen was glare

I think this is a huge plus for a laptop. I wouldnt and dont want people behind me looking and reading what I'm doing. I will be a 3L this fall and as I chat/surf the web during class I dont want my classmate behind me knowing what I'm doing. Furthermore, when I have an outline open or taking notes, the person won't be able to copy either ( i dont really care about this that much, though).
 
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