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Glossy vs Anti-Glare

^^ it's because the MBPs have that glass panel that basically acts like a mirror.. my 2007 black macbook doesn't have the glass just like the current MBA and although it is glossy, it is a gazillion times less reflective than the current glossy MBPs..

The lack of an option for the new 13" MBP just might be a deal breaker for me as i really can't stand the glass display... I'm a pro DJ and the reflection from club lights in the booth makes it such a pain to play, i'm tempted by the MBA, but it kills me to buy a slow C2D in 2011.. :(
 
Depends how matte the option is.
Matte screens often look washed out.

Love the deep pure colors on a glossy screen.

The new Air's have very nice screens, the Pros not as nice,
but Id take a glossy pro over a matte.
 
I'm not sure if it's "better" but I wanted hi-res so I had to get the anti-glare.

Should make travel easier.
 
I assumed that the anti-glare would be washed out but after seeing it in person it's fantastic. I went to an Apple store last night and looked at my Flickr account on two MBPs side by side. Everything looks great on the anti-glare and I had issues even seeing the screen on the glossy one because of the lights in the store.

I will say that I did notice deeper blacks but it wasn't enough of a difference to make me want the glossy. I honestly don't think I could live with it. I see people in my classed who have to stand their books up to block their screens when the sun is shining into the room. I don't want to be that person.
 
Whitelightning said:
Isnt the iMac display similar to macbook pro in that its glass, edge to edge, and ultra glossy too? Why don't people complain about that being unusable? Or is there actually a difference?
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Oh, people do complain. Often. So much so that many folks turn to Dell, NEC, HP, Samsung, etc etc companies for monitors, just because they offer a matte option rather than Apple's glare screens.

The iMacs are very bad. Back with the 20" iMac was just released, we stocked a lab with them. They were a pain to calibrate, reflected everything, and had terrible viewing angles. When editing photos, our students would see tonal shifts just by rising 3 inches in their seats.
 
FrankieTDouglas said:
Oh, people do complain. Often. So much so that many folks turn to Dell, NEC, HP, Samsung, etc etc companies for monitors, just because they offer a matte option rather than Apple's glare screens.

The iMacs are very bad. Back with the 20" iMac was just released, we stocked a lab with them. They were a pain to calibrate, reflected everything, and had terrible viewing angles. When editing photos, our students would see tonal shifts just by rising 3 inches in their seats.
Click to expand...

Had both glossy and matte macbook pros (never glassy) as well as a dell 24" lcd and the 27" iMac.

Originally I had only matte screens and than decided to go with a glossy one.

Well let's just say that the glossy drove me insane with the reflections. Oh and people that say that there are no reflections at night there are, the light from the keys reflects in the lower part of the screen.

Now obviously some people don't mind reflections but from my experience, if you are bothered by them you will not get over it.

I changed my laptop one year earlier than planned because of that.

I have a 2008 17" high res LED backlight matte screen and the brightness and colors and clarity are just amazing (now viewing angles are not but thats the problem with TN panels).

Yes the "glassy" ones have more saturation and darker blacks but that comes at the cost of poorer color accuracy and crushed blacks. I compared photos on both types at the apple store and there are dark shades of gray and shadow details that get lost on the glassy model.

As for clarity of glassy vs matte people that say that the matte one is not clear have definitely not compared the apple models and are talking from PC experience. I had PC laptops before and the matte models were never as clear as the apple matte.

Some people say that the brightness is higher on the glassy model but personally I found them similar and the matte one I have is really bright I would not need more than that and I like to keep all my monitors on "Deer in Headlights" setting :)

Oh and the 27" glassy iMac has the same level of reflections as the glassy mbp but in my case I don't have a window or light behind me so is not an issue.
 
I prefer glossy.
And there are several reasons:
:apple: Richer colors
:apple: Hate the ugly gray bezel (for anti-glare screens)
:apple: Price
:apple: I work mainly at home
 
Someone at the Apple store told me that the Anti-glare is popular only with older people, college students prefer the glossy more because of more vibrant colors and deeper blacks. XD

I work mainly at home as well, my Dell glossy compute doesn't bother me at all, but then again the macbook pro is glass so glare is probably just moreso an issue.
 
Had this dilemma when the 2010's came out and wound up getting a refurb 2009 15" anti-glare because I didn't want hi-res. I don't regret my decision. Anti-glare is way better but Hi-res text at native reso is just too small for me. If I had to make the choice on a new one I'd still go AG.
 
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Whitelightning said:
Someone at the Apple store told me that the Anti-glare is popular only with older people, college students prefer the glossy more because of more vibrant colors and deeper blacks. XD

I work mainly at home as well, my Dell glossy compute doesn't bother me at all, but then again the macbook pro is glass so glare is probably just moreso an issue.
Click to expand...

I would pick anti-glare over glossy any day. My Air has neither (it's more like semi-glossy), but I use a 24" anti-glare display with my desktop computer.
 
well honestly, its all about personal preference. My old MacBook Pro was 15 inch glossy screen, and I absolutely loved it. The new one I ordered today is the 15 inch with Anti-Glare option, because after seeing them at the Apple Store, I was really impressed.
 
Whitelightning said:
Someone at the Apple store told me that the Anti-glare is popular only with older people, college students prefer the glossy more because of more vibrant colors and deeper blacks. XD
Click to expand...

College and graduate students, from my experience, also tend to get the 13" model over the 15". I've only seen four 15" MBPs on campus but I've seen a never ending number of 13".

It could also be a budget thing where younger people may not want to pay the price if they aren't making as much money.
 
i've had apple laptops with both and, as others have stated, it's a personal preference, imho.

trade offs either way:

glossy
+ brighter
+/- more saturated colors, if that's your thing
- reflections can have you moving around, or you moving your computer around, trying to see what's happening on screen, especially in a brightly lit situation.
- also when the screen get's dark, during video or gaming, i find myself looking at some nerd who needs get out more often. very reflective

anti-glare
+less straining to see through, or around, reflections
+colors seem more accurate/consistent
-colors seem washed out/dull in comparison to glossy

others could probably do a more comprehensive list. anandtech.com does very thorough testing for more objective info, if you don't mind waiting for them to test your current object of desire.

i second, or third, the suggestion to get to an apple store and look at them side by side

kinda liking this whole semi-gloss trend on the mba
 
after figuring out my exact specs for the 15in the last thing i had to do was decide whether or not to get the glossy or anti glare. Going with my friend we put the 2 side by side and there was no comparison anti glare is way more efficient and as the apple store shows even in a normal setting the glare is still extreme and I dont want to watch a movie looking at my face like with my iphone. I for one and 100% for anti glare in fact my only problem is that they take away the black finish with it but oh well its worth it.
 
sparkie7 said:
+

you like looking at yourself :D
Click to expand...

If that happens within the home using it indoors only... I will strongly consider getting the AG version. I was hoping the poll would have some more veer towards glossiness, but it looks like most are going for AG. Then again.. I wouldnt be using mine outdoors unless very rare occasions so.... it would be nice, so it would be nice to know if anyone who plans on using this indoors only is getting Antiglare.
 
Whitelightning said:
If that happens within the home using it indoors only... I will strongly consider getting the AG version. I was hoping the poll would have some more veer towards glossiness, but it looks like most are going for AG. Then again.. I wouldnt be using mine outdoors unless very rare occasions so.... it would be nice, so it would be nice to know if anyone who plans on using this indoors only is getting Antiglare.
Click to expand...

I am planning on using my 15" MBP Anitglare inside. The reason why I got Antiglare was just incase I left the house.
 
I love my Anti-Glare! Usable outdoors or just about anywhere. Also, i feel like my MBP stands out between all the others at my school :p

Plus, I actually quite like the silver bezel. Reminds me of my Santa Rosa MBP, which was actually my first Macintosh :p
 
Whitelightning said:
If that happens within the home using it indoors only... I will strongly consider getting the AG version. I was hoping the poll would have some more veer towards glossiness, but it looks like most are going for AG. Then again.. I wouldnt be using mine outdoors unless very rare occasions so.... it would be nice, so it would be nice to know if anyone who plans on using this indoors only is getting Antiglare.
Click to expand...

Yep, I do.

I have 3 AG MBP's. Go for it
 
I'm a senior graphic design student, work as a graphic designer, and I went with the glossy.

1. When I do my finishing before sending to my printer, I'm always hooked up to my 26" H-IPS matte display. It is a high end display and it's colors are better than a MBP anyway, so I am always using that before sending to print. Plus that environment is controlled with the lights, etc. Plus, having my own printer I have the luxury of proofing on 4x6 cards.

2. The color gamut on the glossy is wider, the matte is also dimmer

3. The matte has an ugly border around it that looks weird

4. You can always add an anti-glare film to a glossy, but you can't make a matte into a glossy. I'm considering this option if it bugs me, and after having glossy on my old system I was considering switching, but seeing that I don't use my MBP outside and at school/work the lighting is fine, it's not a big problem for me.

I don't get the people who say that they can see themselves in a glossy display. I'm looking into one right now and can't see my face at all. Brightness is even at 75%. Even when I move Firefox aside and look into my darker gray desktop I still can't see anything. If I turn it down to one bar I can see the faintest outline. Who ever uses their brightness at setting 1?
 
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