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If you hate your glossy display how have you talked yourself into keeping it?

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Original poster
Nov 5, 2009
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My first MBP was a matte screen in 2006 and it was great although the idea of a glossy screen wasn't even under my radar yet. In 2009 I upgraded to a Unibody with gloss screen, not putting any thought into it. It grew to annoy me over time though. In 2010 I upgraded to an i7 but convinced myself to go gloss for the 1440x900, thinking it would help when I played games.

Bad idea. I hate it now and really want a matte screen. The problem is the Machine is great otherwise and it would be such a hassle to sell and get a new one, and I'd lose a bit of $.

So those of you in my situation, what have you done to come to terms with it?
 
When I first booted up my '11 13" MBP I thought "Oh crap this thing is glossy!" and hated it. However after about a weeks worth of use I don't mind it and even like it now. I find that I can focus past the reflections if that makes sense. When you first see the glare and reflections it's rather alarming but that's primarily because you are looking for them.
 
I force myself to accept it because I don't like to read text on high res screens all day and the only anti-glare screens are high resolution too.

And also, because the 13" is really the best size for me and there is no anti-glare.

I would still vastly prefer anti-glare though, if I had the option.
 
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It's too bad they don't offer the antiglare screen in standard resolution on all models.
 
When I bought my early 09' 15" MBP, the glossy standard (1440x900) screen is the only option available. :( What I did was to buy a PowerSupport anti-glare screen protector to apply over the screen. It is not as perfect as a real matte screen but it is pretty close IMHO. :)
 
Upgrading from my 2008 non-unibody MBP that had a matte screen, I was really weary of coming into the world of glossy. It put me in a little bit of a dilemma because I wanted a 13" notebook which didn't have a matte option. I took the plunge and find that I'm starting to like the glossy screen.. I find that it's manageable even at about 60% brightness (which is what mine is set to when not plugged in) and that you sort of develop a knack for getting past the reflections. In most cases, since I'm sitting right in front of the laptop, I find that my reflection is not that noticeable. There are times in rooms with a lot of sunlight when it can get a little annoying, but in these cases turning up the brightness will do a good job offsetting the gloss.

You could also go the route of trying one of the matte screen protectors? They give some pretty decent results. So yeah, I told myself that if the glossy screen turned out to be too much of a problem, I was going to return the notebook within the 14 day period and get a 15", but I guess I've successfully managed to talk myself into keeping it :D
 
I got the first unibody 15" when there wasn't antiglare option. Hated it, so picked up a 2009 model when AG was available. Just upgraded to the early 2011 one with highres AG and love it. I absolutely can't deal with glossy screen on a laptop, I'm ok with a monitor coz I setup my desk in the optical spot to minimize glare at home.
 
This is one thing that I would never compromise on ever again. I've had a unibody 13" MB for two years, and the glossy screen has been a pain throughout that time. I've used external monitor and keyboard setups just to avoid looking at it, even though I much prefer working on a laptop.

I've just ordered the 2011 15" with the high-resolution AG screen. I would never consciously buy glossy again (even the screen on the MBA, which is far less glossy than the MBP, is a deal-breaker for me.)
 
I went from 15" matte to 13" glossy and thought that I would for sure hate it, but it is seriously growing on me. I even like it...still miss the matte but whoever above me said you can "see past the reflections," I definitely find this to be the case. And when I have the brightness above, say, 70% or so, I struggle to even see the reflections when I'm looking for them.
 
I'm with glossy 13" for almost a year and I still can't get used to it. Low resolution don't help either. I'm considering 2011 15" AG for both size, res and AG.
 
My next MBP will be anti-glare ... been using the late 08 unibody for a while now, still hate sitting in well lit areas and using it :eek:
 
I can't for the life of me understand what people are complaining about when it comes to glossy displays. I'd read all the horror stories on this forum about them, but now that I actually own a glossy MBP -- which I use on a desk that has a window right behind me, it's perfect.

Honestly, I think back-lighting eliminates any problems with glossy. And the only "problems" that there is, is when the computer is off and you live in the Nevada desert with the sun glaring directly onto the screen. Now that I've experienced a glossy display myself, I will never trade it for dull colors and an ugly silver bezel.
 
I stick both my head and my mbp under my big winter jacket when I'm sitting outside. Been working pretty good so far, not a single glare.:D
 
Kauai said:
I can't for the life of me understand what people are complaining about when it comes to glossy displays. I'd read all the horror stories on this forum about them, but now that I actually own a glossy MBP -- which I use on a desk that has a window right behind me, it's perfect.

Honestly, I think back-lighting eliminates any problems with glossy. And the only "problems" that there is, is when the computer is off and you live in the Nevada desert with the sun glaring directly onto the screen. Now that I've experienced a glossy display myself, I will never trade it for dull colors and an ugly silver bezel.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Had a 2007 matte, now have a 2011 glossy. Both are great computers, and I haven't had any problems with neither.
 
Glossy is fine. It is the glass over the display that does my head in.

I had an original MacBook Pro with a matte display, then upgraded to the unibody in 2008 and had to switch to glassy. Then, when I heard matte was being offered on the 15" again, I sold mine and switched to a matte display. However, seeing as matte is only available in high-res (tiny fonts tire my eyes out more), I was restricted to having to use glassy again.

I hate it.. and I can't understand people who like having glass over their display. This is not glossy v matte, but glassy v matte. Glossy has reflections, but not on this magnitude. The 13" Air that my flatmate has, has next to no reflections (unless an actual light source is behind it), where as the glassy display reflects absolutely everything, even on white.

Think if one of my football accumulators every comes in again, I'll switch to the high-res matte, and just suck up the small fonts.

My eyes get tired from glassy, and my eyes get tired from small fonts. Can't win now.. and I'd rather have no reflections.
 
The decision to go with glossy or antiglare delayed my purchase. I asked friends, looked at the laptops at the Apple Store and thought about it. I had anti-glare on my first MacBook Pro, which I bought over 4 years ago, and I remember thinking I didn't like the glossy displays when I first saw them way back when. But I kept reading that the glossy display makes photos and videos look better/richer, so I thought I should give it a try since I look at a lot of photos and videos. And I am so glad I did.

Sure, my new laptop has a much nicer monitor than my old laptop, so that prob has something to do with my experience, but I totally love my new laptop's monitor. Everything is so crisp and beautiful. And I don't have any trouble with glare, at least in my home. I did notice that the glare was more of a problem at the Apple Store where the lighting is bright and all around. I have had no regrets about choosing the glossy display from the first moment I turned on my new laptop.
 
Take your pick...:apple:

glomat1.jpg
 
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I looked at both glossy and anti glare but went for the glossy in the end as the colours appeared much more vibrant to me - the picture posted by calibrad shows this IMO. Also, I didn't like the silver surround which would distract me more than any reflections.
 
It really is very much a personal preference. Personally I love the glossy display (just as well really as I have the 13" :p) but if there was an option on the 13" I'd still choose the glossy.

The colours just seem to pop more on the screen and reflections really don't bother me. Plus I really do prefer the black bezel to the silver one.
 
I don't get why anyone would complain about the silver bezel. It's the classic MBP/Powerbook look, you know. It's the black bezel I find irritating.
 
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