Glossy/Matte UGGGH! -MY ORDER ON HOLD

[stevenfarrisohi]

Two weeks ago, I drove to an Apple store 50+ miles away. I wanted to look at the glossy and matte MBP. I went in with the preference of glossy and the more I looked the matte's text it appeared crisper. I have diabetes so I don't need eye-strain. The reflectivity didn't seem to bother me but the Apple rep said the matte does not cause as much eye-strain. So I ordered this afternoon and the rep on the phone kept insisting I would prefer glossy?!? I will use this for work, school, web browsing, and some dabbling in Photoshop and Final Cut. I had to put the order on hold because I am so confused! I know this sounds ridiculous but before I put down $3000.00...I want to make the right decision. The primary use will be for text and I will be getting the 15.4". Any suggestions???

 

[mactastic1971]

Matte has less reflections and better color accuracy. No brainer.

 

[Batt]

Honest to God, I don't know if the matte people ever looked at a glossy. I've had both, and reflections are not a problem with glossy unless you point your high intensity lamp directly at the screen. Buy the one that looks best to your eye and don't worry about reflections. Personally, I prefer the glossy.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Matte has less reflections and better color accuracy. No brainer.

Since you're really talking about a matter of personal preference here you might want to qualify that "No brainer" with a "for me". It also seems like an invitation to start another glossy v matte flame war when you put it like that. I know I'm sick of those in here.

There are countless threads beating this debate to death in these forums. Just search for glossy and matte and you will get a few pages full.

I personally prefer glossy. Some, like mactastic, prefer matte. The best thing I could suggest would be to go with what you prefer. From your post it seems like you liked the matte better because you thought the text was "crisper", right? Nevermind what the rep wants to sell you.

I'd have to say that if eye strain was a concern, especially with a notebook you might be using in many different locations with different lighting that the matte screen might be the safest bet.

I don't have a glare problem at all on my 24" aluminum iMac and its glossy panel but I wonder if it would be the case if I was using it in a room with bright lighting. Consider your working environment.

 

[AppleNewton]

my opinion is, this.

i have a 15" MBP non-glossy matte screen.
i love it, great color accuracy, awesome brightness.

however i was working on a 17" MBP Glossy. and i absolutely loved it,
15" doesnt look good glossy, too sort of dark for me when doing alot of photo work, but on the 17" something about it just made it appealing, darks and bright colors look absolutely stunning. not much glare.

so if youre going with a 15" i prefer the matte
17" glossy isnt bad at all.

i just think its dependent on the resolution of the screen your using.

=)

 

[dylan]

If you work with images for a living or work outside a lot get the matte. If not go glossy, it does look better.

 

[Batt]

If you work with images for a living or work outside a lot get the matte. If not go glossy, it does look better.

I haven't had the chance to try mine (glossy) outside yet, but I can tell you that my matte screen was virtually impossible to see outside.

 

[amanda kathryn]

my toshiba is matte, my macbook is glossy, i much prefer the glossy.

 

[kkat69]

Any suggestions???

Get what YOU want. If your concerned with eye strain and I have and do work with 2 different versions of LCD's (glossy and matte) then maybe matte would be for you. Glossy to me makes all the colors really pop. Some people say matte makes the colors pop, to me it makes them more dull.

You looked at the 2 screens, pick the one you feel comfortable with. The above example about colors shows that different people see things differently. You need to probably go back and look at the 2 different screens and YOU pick. Run through one for about 20 mins, take a break, goto the food court, then come back and do the next for 20 mins and make a decision.

In that 20 mins do things you would probably do daily, surf a few web pages and hit equal amounts of primary text based sites and image intensive sites. Open up some of the other apps for a few, and just work through the apps.

In other words, give your eyes a good 20 min workout on each type of screen.

Doing this will help you figure out if glossy will or will not make YOUR eyes strain or if matte will. Everyone's eyes tolerate things differently, your spending the money not the Apple rep and certainly not us.

That's the best advice/suggestion I can give. See what your eyes can tolerate.

Piggy-backing on the above example I gave, I prefer to do my web graphics at home on my glossy because I think the color representation is better and more accurate. When I do them on my matte screen in my office it appears my colors are off. 3 people in my office agree, and 2 disagree. 2 say the matte gives better color representation. I don't get eye strain with my glossy but my wife can't stand my screen. Again, the point is, different eyes tolerate differently, it's not something that's worth debating the difference between glossy and matte, it boils down to what's good for YOUR eyes.