Glossy vs Anti-Glare

[iAmLegend]

Just look at your iPhone or iPad...is the glare that big of a deal? Of course not, otherwise both products would have been colossal failures. That is why the combination of Glass/Glossy will always reign supreme...and why Apple doesn't waste their time making anti-glare a standard, because glossy/glass is more durable, just as functional and looks a MILLION times better than that plastic grey bezel and screen that feels like your touching a horrible velvet painting that you get with anti-glare.

 

[eaf7s]

Just look at your iPhone or iPad...is the glare that big of a deal? Of course not, otherwise both products would have been colossal failures. That is why the combination of Glass/Glossy will always reign supreme...and why Apple doesn't waste their time making anti-glare a standard, because glossy/glass is more durable, just as functional and looks a MILLION times better than that plastic grey bezel and screen that feels like your touching a horrible velvet painting that you get with anti-glare.

+lots

I still prefer the AG but am not a huge fan of the hi-res. Back in the day when it was an option, I was all for the AG on my MBP. But $150, if you're only worried about AG and not the resolution...no way in hell. Although I don't find the grey bezel all that unattractive tbh. But I have been using an '07 MBP for 4 years so I'm kinda used to it lol.

I've had my 13" glossy for a day now and haven't had any significant problems. Nothing that upping the brightness won't solve, anyway. Went for the best of both worlds--22" matte external HD monitor .

 

[HBOC]

well not everyone has the same needs. I HATE the glossy as it is horrid for photo editing. Yes I can get an external monitor, but I am on the go just as much, so can't take the external everywhere.

I LOVED my Classic MBP and like the design much better, but I am probably in the minority. I like the bezel on the Matte tbh.

I can see why the iPad has glass. No one does any serious work on one, ie; photoshop, AE, C4D, etc

 

[daneoni]

That grey bezel makes it look like a Dell laptop

...and the black makes it look like an HP

 

[dusk007]

Everytime somebody starts such a poll here it is 70/30 to 60/40 pro AG.
But if you would ask in a shopping center random people it would probably be 80/20 to 70/30 pro glossy.
It is kind of pointless.
People fond of good looks take glossy. People who care about practicability take AG.

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Just look at your iPhone or iPad...is the glare that big of a deal? Of course not, otherwise both products would have been colossal failures. That is why the combination of Glass/Glossy will always reign supreme...and why Apple doesn't waste their time making anti-glare a standard, because glossy/glass is more durable, just as functional and looks a MILLION times better than that plastic grey bezel and screen that feels like your touching a horrible velvet painting that you get with anti-glare.

A small part of the reason for that is because the chances of people using their MBPs for, let's say, 8 hours consecutively is much more higher than the chances of people doing the same on their iPhone or iPad for the same amount of time. If lots of people does that on their iPhone or iPad & gives enough "feedback" to Apple, I'm sure in the future Apple will "happily" offer anti-glare screen options for the iPhones & iPads, at an extra charge of course.

Not only that, do you realize there are a number of companies who cater to people who want anti-gare screens on their iPhones & iPads by offering those anti-glare screen protectors? Surely, there's a demand for anti-glare screens on those iOS devices.

 

[entatlrg]

Just look at your iPhone or iPad...is the glare that big of a deal? Of course not, otherwise both products would have been colossal failures. That is why the combination of Glass/Glossy will always reign supreme...and why Apple doesn't waste their time making anti-glare a standard, because glossy/glass is more durable, just as functional and looks a MILLION times better than that plastic grey bezel and screen that feels like your touching a horrible velvet painting that you get with anti-glare.

Very misleading comments ....

The iPhone and iPad have small screens yes, but they're very easy to move to avoid the glare. Even the 13" glossy MBP doesn't bother me as it has a smaller screen.

But, get into the 15 and 17" models and the glossy becomes a problem ... simply too much shiny glass to close to your face ... it picks up too many reflections from above and behind and you have to move it around more to get rid of the reflections, or tilt the screen far forward but then it's uncomfortable to read from.

So, if you have a 15/17" glossy screen you ARE going to notice much more glare, especially if you have a window behind you or a lot of bright lights above. Using outside on a bright day 13" thru 17" glossy are very difficult to use view compared to the AG screens on the 15 and 17" MBP.

That's just the facts ... we have all those models of notebooks in our office ... we've tested this and our findings where unanimous. I'd be surprised if anyone tried what I've mentioned above and had different results.

Bottom though, is find a store and compare the two yourself if you can. Even though the 15" MBP has a very reflective glossy screen some still prefer it despite of it's shortcomings. But the fact remains the shortcomings to the glossy exist, as do shortcomings to the AG screen, such as less 'pop' and richness to the colors, and a slight 'sheen/haze' to the screen ... neither is perfect, yet.

I find the MacBook Air screens absolutely perfect for my needs. I wish every Apple screen from 27" to the iPhone could somehow have a screen like the new MacBook Air's ... they're a balance between glossy and AG is the best way I can describe it.

 

[MultiMediaWill]

I wonder who the 150 people were who voted Glossy? It seems like 90% of the posts are supporting Anti-Glare. Maybe people with Anti-Glare feel a need to defend their choice so they post.

 

[iZero]

So, if you have a 15/17" glossy screen you ARE going to notice much more glare, especially if you have a window behind you or a lot of bright lights above. Using outside on a bright day 13" thru 17" glossy are very difficult to use view compared to the AG screens on the 15 and 17" MBP.

That's just the facts ... we have all those models of notebooks in our office ... we've tested this and our findings where unanimous. I'd be surprised if anyone tried what I've mentioned above and had different results.

Not necessarily true. I've already posted about it, but I use my glossy outdoors on our patio, and in various lighting conditions. The only time there is a noticeable reflection, is when it's either turned off, or very dim (VERY dim). The only way it's a problem, is if I have it in an improper position relative to my eyes. It's not difficult, uncomfortable, and it doesn't strain the eyes in the slightest.

The two biggest extremes people seem to post is that the glossy reflects so bad it's impossible to use anywhere but a dark room, and that the antiglare has dull color/appearance compared to glossy and everything looks bad on it. Having both (well, our AG is a 2010), neither is true. If one wants to nitpick, the glossy does reflect a bit if you point a light straight at it, or tilt it so it's directly under the sun. And the antiglare may have a "bit" less "pop" to it. But neither are as bad as some extremes either side proclaims them to be, not by a longshot.

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

The two biggest extremes people seem to post is that the glossy reflects so bad it's impossible to use anywhere but a dark room, and that the antiglare has dull color/appearance compared to glossy and everything looks bad on it. Having both (well, our AG is a 2010), neither is true. If one wants to nitpick, the glossy does reflect a bit if you point a light straight at it, or tilt it so it's directly under the sun. And the antiglare may have a "bit" less "pop" to it. But neither are as bad as some extremes either side proclaims them to be, not by a longshot.

Agreed on the above.

To sum it up. Anti-glare or glossy is all PERSONAL PREFERENCE! This kind of threads are supposed to help a person make the decision over one or the other but IMHO, one should always take the comments/opinions with a "grain of salt" because they will always be biased up to a certain extent. The main thing is that one should choose the option that suits him/her the best & not just follow blindly what others insist is the "correct" choice.

I'll also like to suggest to the people in a dilemma over these choices to personally visit his/her local Apple store to check out the screens for themselves, if possible. If not possible, buy one with either screens home to test out for yourself, ideally in your normal/regular working environment. If it works great for you, keep it. If not, return for a full refund & purchase another with the alternate screen. Didn't Apple also "encourage" this by recently waving away their restocking fees?

Good luck.

 

[iAmLegend]

...and the black makes it look like an HP

You know you don't believe that. Apologize to

I wonder who the 150 people were who voted Glossy? It seems like 90% of the posts are supporting Anti-Glare. Maybe people with Anti-Glare feel a need to defend their choice so they post.

They suffer from rich color envy because of their bland and dusty screens. Glossy owners are too busy using their beautiful machines to post here. In fact, what am I doing here?

 

[WardC]

Glossy screens on Mac laptops are a relatively new phenomenon when looking at the whole spectrum of portables starting with the Macintosh Portable in 1989 and the PowerBook 100 in 1991, we only started having these glossy screens on Mac laptops since about 2008.

That is only THREE years of glossy screens, folks, and Apple has been making laptops for TWENTY+ years. Everything else has been matte (all of the PowerBooks were matte/antiglare displays)....and nobody had a problem with it.

The whole "glossy" thing is the brainchild of Jonathan Ive who thought it would be "sexy" and "stylish" to make a "sleek" engineered panel of a single flat plane of glass. It all about aesthetics and sexy looks, not practicality. We all know the glass-glossy displays on MacBook Pros are highly reflective and that Apple offers the antiglare option for folks who know better, right?

Apple is trying to stage-up the glossy display and market it as "the wave of the future" and the "sexy new look" when in reality the display is just a huge black mirror!!! True, the colors might be a little more vibrant, but it's not photo-accurate color, it's just bright-popping color...not good for any photo editing or video editing purposes (back to the practicality point).

Most people that buy the glossy display MacBook Pros are either buying a 13" model, or buying a 15" model (like from Best Buy, etc) and not knowing that Apple offers the antiglare option, or even seeing one for that matter. There are very few people that actually look at both models and pick the glossy after having fully had the opportunity to test both models in various lighting conditions. Most serious buyers that buy the 15" models from Apple for photo-editing, business, or production work will choose the matte/antiglare models simply because it's a more comfortable display to work with in any lighting condition and because (once calibrated) it provides very accurate color with an excellent color gamut. The anti-glare displays on the 15" and 17" are among the best laptop displays on the market for color gamut.

So, after reading this, you can tell I side towards the anti-glare yes. I am a traditional PowerBook guy, been using PowerBooks since I was in the 8th grade (PowerBook 5300 days). So I don't see all the hoop-lah about the glossy screens, they are just like mirror-panes made for creating eye strain and producing un-realistic fluorescent-circus colors.

/rant
End of post.

 

[iAmLegend]

/rant
End of post.

Everything this man has typed is a lie meant to convince you to make the same mistake he made by going with the anti-glare. Do not trust him.

Apple knows what is best for us. They know the glossy is gorgeous and they want us to be happy. Remember, your screen represents your personality. Do you want people to think you are drab and dusty and colorless? Of course not. Walk into any cafe right now and you will see nothing but glossy screens. Only antisocialites suffering from aspergers syndrome buy antiglare - because they are trying to convince themselves that they will someday leave the house and be exposed to sunlight. But they never do.

 

[eagle63]

@iAmLegend
Wow, this whole poll seems to have you really bothered. If glossy doesn't "win", will you be ok?

 

[iAmLegend]

Wow, this whole poll seems to have you really bothered. If glossy doesn't "win", will you be ok?

Glossy has already won. Visit your local Apple store and see for yourself.

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Apple knows what is best for us.

I'm just curious. You really believe that???

 

[iAmLegend]

I'm just curious. You really believe that???

Yes. Just look at all the beautiful things they have given us.

 

[iZero]

We all know the glass-glossy displays on MacBook Pros are highly reflective and that Apple offers the antiglare option for folks who know better, right?

Apple is trying to stage-up the glossy display and market it as "the wave of the future" and the "sexy new look" when in reality the display is just a huge black mirror!!!

Not really entirely accurate.... Again, outdoors, indoors, in any light condition, I've never had a problem with reflections. Never unless I hold it at a weird angle, or a position that's way off anyway, or unless I have it off/extremely dim. Then it's like a mirror, yes. But then I guess the sun in my sky, and the lights in my rooms, are different from many, apparently And the folks that prefer AG (and I have one also) don't know "better" they simply prefer something different than a person that prefers glossy.

Everything this man has typed is a lie meant to convince you to make the same mistake he made by going with the anti-glare. Do not trust him.

Apple knows what is best for us. They know the glossy is gorgeous and they want us to be happy. Remember, your screen represents your personality. Do you want people to think you are drab and dusty and colorless? Of course not. Walk into any cafe right now and you will see nothing but glossy screens. Only antisocialites suffering from aspergers syndrome buy antiglare - because they are trying to convince themselves that they will someday leave the house and be exposed to sunlight. But they never do.

Wrong. It's his opinion, and he is entitled to it. Not everyone likes the same thing. The extreme arguments on both sides are WILDLY inaccurate. Absolutely insanely inaccurate, on both sides. People seem to think their personal opinion, is fact, with respect to these screens. The FACT is that both are slightly affected with different things. The glossy has a very slight reflection, and in extreme conditions, it's like a mirror. The antiglare is far from drab, dusty, or colorless. It is vibrant, beautiful, and accurate. Is it slightly less "popping" than the glossy? Yes. But drab? Hardly...

It's a personal preference. I hope no one that comes through here looking for advice buys the ********* stuff about either screen. Both are beautiful, neither has remotely near the drawbacks the other side claim. Period. Different doesn't mean better, or worse. It means you'll like one thing, someone else might like another. Try it for yourself, buy what makes you happy, and don't try to justify a choice with lies about another.

 

[eagle63]

Glossy has already won. Visit your local Apple store and see for yourself.

Isn't there a mac vs PC thread somewhere on the internet that you should be trolling right now?

 

[bcaslis]

Here's my take:

Short version: it's personal preference. If someone doesn't like your choice don't be bothered by it.

Longer version: I've had now both the glossy and AG 15" hires. Both are probably the best screens I've seen in Mac laptops. And I've had most models since the PowerBook 100 (anyone remember that?). I also had a Macintosh Portable but let's not talk about that.

I prefer the overall look of the machine better with the black borders and flat glass panel. Sorry if you don't agree. But I will say the 15" hires AG is the finest MBP display I've seen. Really. Great whites, colors, contrast. I always color calibrate my screens, but honestly the default color profile was as good or better than I was able to generate. I'm not bothered by glare, it's just the glossy doesn't seem to have as good whites and brightness as the AG. Right now I have the glossy hires in a maxed out machine so I'm not sure what I'm going to do. The matte display on previous models I always felt was lacking but this new AG is really very very good.

 

[iAmLegend]

People seem to think their personal opinion, is fact, with respect to these screens.

Glossy's superiority is a fact. Ask Jonathan Ives. You would have NONE of these nice things if it werent for him.

 

[Andeavor]

The whole "glossy" thing is the brainchild of Jonathan Ive who thought it would be "sexy" and "stylish" to make a "sleek" engineered panel of a single flat plane of glass. It all about aesthetics and sexy looks, not practicality. We all know the glass-glossy displays on MacBook Pros are highly reflective and that Apple offers the antiglare option for folks who know better, right?

Apple is trying to stage-up the glossy display and market it as "the wave of the future" and the "sexy new look" when in reality the display is just a huge black mirror!!! True, the colors might be a little more vibrant, but it's not photo-accurate color, it's just bright-popping color...not good for any photo editing or video editing purposes (back to the practicality point).

QFT

As I said before, I like both. I have an iMac with a glossy screen and although it's sleek and beautiful, it's not all that practical in my working environment, hence I went with a macbook with AG.

Now if they managed an AG with a glass pane...

 

[iZero]

Glossy's superiority is a fact. Ask Jonathan Ives. You would have NONE of these nice things if it werent for him.

Trolling a bit? It's not a fact. It's opinion of some of us, and not of others. Thanks to Ives for coming up with it then, because I love it. I rarely use my AG anymore. But that doesn't make it infinitely superior to Antiglare. Both have their place.

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Glossy's superiority is a fact. Ask Jonathan Ives. You would have NONE of these nice things if it werent for him.

Huh?!?!? I know I'm the stupidest & most ignorant member here at MacRumors but those sentences just don't make total sense to me. So if Jonathan Ives don't work for Apple anymore, you're not going to buy any more Apple products?

 

[Kebabselector]

Glossy has already won. Visit your local Apple store and see for yourself.

So why do Apple offer Anti Glare screens?

Apple push glossy as it looks nice, no graphics professional will use it if they have an option of AG.

As for your comment about dust on AG screens, at least that can be cleaned. Look under an iPhone, iPad or iMac glass screen, yep there's dust and you can do nothing about it. Well you can return it to Apple, then people claim you have OCD.

My 4 year old Samsung syncmaster has never had an issue with external dust, plus it doesn't shown grease marks like your precious 'winning' glass does.