Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

which do you prefer

  • glossy

    Votes: 255 39.5%
  • antiglare

    Votes: 391 60.5%

  • Total voters
    646
I am wondering why there are too many threads comparing AG vs glossy screen and people can't make a decision. Is there any ultimate guide to help us decide which mac is fit for our use??

I just got the glossy cause I was too cheap to throw down more money after upgrading to high res and a 7200 hdd haha
 
I had an IPAD and LOVED it. Then I bought the antiglare MBP. The glossy screen on the Ipad is super annoying now. I am beginning to curse it when ever I'm next to a window (home) or with overhead bright lights (office). I LOVE my antiglare screen and will NEVER choose glossy again. Also, my monitors at my business are glossy. And now I can't stand those either. I never realized how much of the screen is being "glared out" until I started using this Antiglare. THANK GOD I CHOSE WISELY for my MBP.
 
Most people who have bought a MBP have Glossy. Most shops only sell Glossy ones. Who knows what a poll like this would be like is the availability was equal.
 
Most people who have bought a MBP have Glossy. Most shops only sell Glossy ones. Who knows what a poll like this would be like is the availability was equal.

true. i would say 90% of people are going to buy what is at the store. as discussed before 3rd party dealers like best buy only carry standard res glossy no high res or anti glare upgrades. it seems many on here ordered online and may have "upgraded".

My assumption by reading post alot of i7, antiglare, ssd upgrades.
 
I just hate the small reflections when viewing a little darker stuff like movies, Games...
The extreme reflections outside will force even an AG owner to find a good position. And if all you do is reading pdfs glossy is okay. AG is soo much nicer though.
I lived with glossy for more than a year and didn't complain but AG is 1000 times better. In perfectly dark conditions you can only see the difference in color and contrast if you compare them next to each other. But with an AG you can stay in your hammock outside between two trees wearing anything and work comfortably. With glossy you need to wear a dark T-Shirt or have very dark skin to see anything at all. For a Caucasian that sucks (because we are usually to pale) and if you get it to work it will still be far from a nice experience.

Glossy in 5% of the time slightly better in direct comparison
AG in 95% of the time the better choice and often with a huge difference.

My aversion is primarily because of the small reflections that many people don't care about. I didn't either, but switching from glossy (and it was coated not as Glossy as Glass) to matte, is a, I never want to go back experience.
It is a difference like a really loud Notebook and than you switch to a perfectly silent one. More difference of course if you live somewhere like me where the only thing you can hear at night are crickets and their noise is muted easily by windows compared to car sounds in a city or the noise an AC can produce.
 
You forgot to put in the word "illusion" because that's exactly what it is. If you take a look at the thread about the panel lottery you'll see 9cb6 and 9cb7. The only difference between the two is the coating on the screen: the 6 is glossy, the 7 is antiglare. This means that they output the same amount of light and the same colours. Glossy only has the appearance of more beautiful and antiglare has the appearance of being a bit more dull but this is only (!) when you compare the two side by side. If you use them separately you won't even notice the difference apart from glossy-antiglare. If you're used to a PVA or IPS panel both screens are dull, washed out and simply crap. If you think about it for a sec it becomes quite obvious why: PVA/IPS really have more colours. This difference is something you do notice.

In the end glossy-antiglare is about what you prefer, not about the amount of colours or the screen being washed out (it's a TN panel, washed out colours is how you can tell if it's TN or not!).
 
Glossy strains my eyes when I read text for any decent period of time. I'm also one of the people who finds the reflections incredibly distracting and can't help but focus on them. For me, antiglare all the way!

This is why I switch back from AG after years of glossy. The reflections didn't distract me after some time, but I still found it hard to focus on lines of text. All that work focusing for 12+ hours/day gave me headaches (my job is writing software so text is what I deal with all day).

And really, neither monitor looks that different color wise. If you see one or the other washed out then they have not calibrated it at all. My AG screen looks great as did both screens in the Apple store when I put an AG and Glossy side by side. Both look really nice until it's time to read lots of text, and that's where the AG wins for me.
 
I've read of people spending ages trying to decide which to go for. For me it took about 10 seconds looking at both side by side in the apple store for me to decide on the antiglare. I was tempted by the glossy, but that was more to do with the black screen surrounding rather than the picture quality or contrast.
 
I am wondering why there are too many threads comparing AG vs glossy screen and people can't make a decision. Is there any ultimate guide to help us decide which mac is fit for our use??


yea
 
Antiglare. I don't have it but I regret getting glossy. Forget having a window in the room with glossy.
 
you could always tilt your screen away from the reflection or position yourself differently.
 
Matte, I've gotten matte for every single MacBook Pro/iBook/PowerBook (No glossy back in the G3/4 days of course) that I've boughten and am always satisfied with it. My sister has a glossy MacBook Pro and I can't stand using it, I don't know how people can suffer through the reflections and glare. I'll take a dimmer screen in sunlight over a mirror any day.
 
I have my 15" Hi-res AG, and I absolutely love it! The silver bezel looks a lot more professional-looking, and still blends well with the whole look. The thin rubber black surround is a nice touch and balances things a bit more.

I calibrated my screen, and after putting it side by side on my girlfriends 2009 MacBook Pro, the colours are just as good! I'm pretty sure the glossy gives it that "placebo effect" to some people? The white balance pops more on the AG. My girlfriend hates the glossy look now, and girls usually love looking at mirrors right? Wrong. :p

I think at the end of the day, not many people are aware of AG. I think it should be compared side to side, although I'm now noticing more people are hogging the AG demo's compared to the glossy ones at my local Apple store. I'm a semi-pro photographer, so AG is a must.
 
you could always tilt your screen away from the reflection or position yourself differently.

Yes, but that defeats the purpose of having ultimate portability and comfort. Imagine that, having to strategically position your screen everytime you open the lid.

I'm not knocking the glossy users at all, I just think that Apple didn't do a practical job on the glossy version. I'm glad I waited until the AG Hi-res came out.
 
you could always tilt your screen away from the reflection or position yourself differently.

Stop using logic! Everyone knows if you have glossy, you have a mirror that is impossible to use! Why should I have to move my screen after I paid $5000 to that crook Steve Jobs!!!!11!!!!!1111!!!...:mad:
:/
If I ever have a problem with "reflection (which I rarely if ever do) just s slight angle change of the display usually takes care of it...I like the colors and black level on the glossy despite the impossible reflection...:rolleyes:
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.