Has anyone gotten the high-res antiglare display and regretted it?

[tka]

I'm about to order a new 15" MacBook and I'm debating whether to go with the high-res antiglare option vs standard res glossy. I spent a good amount of time in the Apple store today with the antiglare screen and really liked it. The first time I saw the high-res display a few weeks back, I had concerns. But after taking another look, I found the text on the higher resolution display to be readable, I had more windows up without having to minimize or use Spaces, and there was less glare.

Since this is mainly for software development, I had concerns about the text being too small before. But, after spending some quality time in the Apple Store, I think I'll enjoy having more up at the same time and the antiglare will be easier on my eyes after 10-12 hour days.

Have any here gotten the HR AG and later regretted it?

 

[alust2013]

I know many users here have gotten the AG display and say it's the only way to go. I don't often work in places that have issues with glare, so I don't have an issue with my 13" glossy.

 

[corvus32]

Sorta. I originally bought a 17" MBP (which has a similar PPI as the 15" HR), but text was to small and not comfortable for my eyes. After two days of trying to adjust my eyes, I returned it for a 15" non-HR screen and love it. YMMV

 

[tka]

The text on the 17" shows up even smaller than the HR 15" so I would agree..

Sorta. I originally bought a 17" MBP (which has a similar PPI as the 15" HR), but text was to small and not comfortable for my eyes. After two days of trying to adjust my eyes, I returned it for a 15" non-HR screen and love it. YMMV

 

[falsecathedrals]

I bought a HR AG 2011 macbook pro recently and actually returned it, but not because of the high res screen. My old macbook pro was glossy and I was so used to it that I actually couldn't stand the antiglare. I know that may sound really weird, but I was so used to the glossy that I don't notice glare any more. The antiglare looks really washed out in direct sunlight, so much so that to me it seemed like larger amounts of the screen were unusable than the glossy. Even in lower light situations, the light dissipation on the matte screen really bothered me.

I ended up getting the HR glossy screen instead. It is a bit glossier than my 2007 macbook pro, but not really that noticeable. I should say that I don't do any photo work so correctness of color doesn't matter to me. The other reason I switched was because the glass covered screen is really easy to clean.

I may be the only one here who has ever returned an antiglare screen for glossy, but I am happy with my choice to switch. The HR screen is definitely the way to go, most worthwhile upgrade for me.

 

[hakuryuu]

At work I have the 17 inch with antiglare and it is hooked up to a 27" ACD. I have to make sure the ACD is angled just right or I end up looking at the reflection of all the lights. AG will make it easier on your eyes indoors which is what is important. Working in sunlight regardless of AG or Glossy is kind of stupid anyways.

As for resolution there are times I wish text was a bit bigger, and thats when I just make it bigger (obviously menus aren't going to change size).

 

[sparklo]

There is really no reason for you to avoid HR simply because "the font size is too small to read".

You know you can always change the font size, right? Especially if you are doing software dev, I can't imagine one single IDE or editor that does not allow you to change its font size.

 

[xdbuix]

i just got a glossy 15" low end. From what ive been reading,

Antiglare- no glare of course, with high resolution, which also means smaller text and etc.

Glossy- lots of glare, the extra color pop for gaming and etc.

I played with both antiglare and glossy, I'm happy with my low end glossy. The glossy doesn't really bother me and its really great for the gaming. But if you're going to be doing video editing or something like that, you'll probably need antiglare to get rid of the glare. Hoenstly, it can go both ways.

 

[zenit]

Anti-glare screens induce eye strain for me, independently from manufacturer. On some shades of colors i always notice slight shimmering or faint lines running through the area that displays that color on the screen, which I think my eyes don't like. Amazingly other people think I am crazy when i try to point it out, but I don't think my eyes lie.

I just got a HR glossy MBP, and I am amazed how much longer i can last on it without eye strain compared to my anti-glare W510. I had same problem with other anti-glare panels from Dell and Lenovo, while glossy was always kind to my eyes (Asus, MBA, MBP, another Dell).

 

[Jazwire]

I have had both, and AG is all I can buy from now on.

 

[aznguyen316]

I had a 2010 AG screen for a week. Loved it. Sold it for a 2011 model. I kept trying to convince myself I didn't need the AG. Ended up getting a 2011 model with AG. It's really bright! (which was a concern for me at first, it being not bright enough when I needed). Colors match up to nearly what the glossy had in store. I pulled together two and played with it for about an hour today before just going with the AG. No regrets.. except for this pixel that seems to be dead..

 

[tka]

Great.

Did you go with the 2.0 or the 2.2?

I just ordered the 2.2 (better video card), HR AG, and the 7200 RPM hard drive.

I had a 2010 AG screen for a week. Loved it. Sold it for a 2011 model. I kept trying to convince myself I didn't need the AG. Ended up getting a 2011 model with AG. It's really bright! (which was a concern for me at first, it being not bright enough when I needed). Colors match up to nearly what the glossy had in store. I pulled together two and played with it for about an hour today before just going with the AG. No regrets.. except for this pixel that seems to be dead..

 

[DJAKO]

Great.

Did you go with the 2.0 or the 2.2?

I just ordered the 2.2 (better video card), HR AG, and the 7200 RPM hard drive.

That's the exact config I was thinking about doing, let me know how it works out for you.

 

[tcador]

Great.

Did you go with the 2.0 or the 2.2?

I just ordered the 2.2 (better video card), HR AG, and the 7200 RPM hard drive.

Great choice! Of course I am a little biased

 

[tka]

Very nice, I see you have SSD. I thought of going that route (128 GB SSD to keep price reasonable) but I couldn't get over not having enough space at some point.

Besides being quieter, is the big advantage with SSD the faster bootup and app start time?

Great choice! Of course I am a little biased

 

[tcador]

That plus a general faster "feeling" when using it for any tasks. I"ll be honest, I wouldn't be able to get by if I didn't already have a 2TB NAS drive. What I did was put all my music and media files there and now have about 20GB free.

 

[tcador]

BTW, I had originally ordered the 7200 drive and then ended up returning it (unopened) and ordering the SSD. Given the fact it has native TRIM support and the upgrade price was less than $200, it was too good of a deal to pass up.

 

[tka]

All of these options are nice to have. Unfortunately, it's hard to justify custom-building a system with too many upgrades when the regular 2.2 is available on Amazon for $2067 without tax.

I've gone back and forth on if I really need the higher resolution and antiglare and if i need the faster hard drive.

BTW, I had originally ordered the 7200 drive and then ended up returning it (unopened) and ordering the SSD. Given the fact it has native TRIM support and the upgrade price was less than $200, it was too good of a deal to pass up.

 

[aznguyen316]

All of these options are nice to have. Unfortunately, it's hard to justify custom-building a system with too many upgrades when the regular 2.2 is available on Amazon for $2067 without tax.

I've gone back and forth on if I really need the higher resolution and antiglare and if i need the faster hard drive.

Lol yeah the amazon stock 2.2 nagged at me so bad. If I never had the hires AG then maybe I would've gotten it but knowing a higher res was available plus if you wanted 7200rpm it's free online while you would have to drop between $60-$100 for an aftermarket one with stock 2.2. which makes the cost with tax a little more bearable on AG if you get my reasoning. I ended up getting the hi end model, gotta have that gfx card haha.

 

[Miss Terri]

There is really no reason for you to avoid HR simply because "the font size is too small to read".

You know you can always change the font size, right? Especially if you are doing software dev, I can't imagine one single IDE or editor that does not allow you to change its font size.

sparklo,

If you have discovered something that I and others have not been able to find, please let us know.

From what I understand, with OSX not having resolution independence, it's not that simple. I wish it were because I would love anti-glare, but don't enjoy the small size of text that comes along with it since they bundle it with the high-res screen.

The system fonts cannot be enlarged at all to my knowledge. Other things can be enlarged, but it's in somewhat piecemeal fashion, and some things (web pages, etc.) end up kind of goofy. There is no simple/consistent/easy way to change font sizes.

I sure hope resolution independence does come to the OS one of these days. Then I could get either an anti-glare MBP or an MBA (of course if they made an anti-glare standard resolution MBP that would be nice for now!).

Miss Terri

 

[Meetster]

I've had a 2010 MBP Glossy, and now I have a 2011 MBP AG and am not regretting it

 

[christophermdia]

Sorta. I originally bought a 17" MBP (which has a similar PPI as the 15" HR), but text was to small and not comfortable for my eyes. After two days of trying to adjust my eyes, I returned it for a 15" non-HR screen and love it. YMMV

I agree with this, I had a 15" HR-Antiglare, and absolutely loved it, however, my eyes would strain so hard and it was hard for me to focus on anything else after taking my eyes off of it.....

 

[euphoria47]

Never regretted my decision, having dealt with glossy displays, I will never take one unless AG was discontinued. If you have good eyesight, having as much information on the screen as possible is a beautiful thing

 

[DHagan4755]

I just watched Diary on MTV where they went behind the scenes at Facebook. 95% of the computers were 15" MacBook Pros with the anti-glare display. I saw a 13" MacBook Pro and a few ThinkPads. But the MacBook Pros were all attached to large Dell displays, which of course, were anti-glare too.

 

[tka]

The 15" MBP with HR AG must be on the Mark Zuckerburg approved hardware list.

I just watched Diary on MTV where they went behind the scenes at Facebook. 95% of the computers were 15" MacBook Pros with the anti-glare display. I saw a 13" MacBook Pro and a few ThinkPads. But the MacBook Pros were all attached to large Dell displays, which of course, were anti-glare too.