If you like glossy on unibodies, why?

[thadoggfather]

I've read lots of threads on both and one discrediting the other, but I'm not asking for that. I've had the matte and I know why I liked it, and I have the glossy right now and I know why I like it.

Time will tell which I prefer more. But if you definitively prefer the glossy, why?

 

[PAC88]

I'm jealous of people that like glossy screens because they have so many notebooks in the consumer market to choose from.. almost 95% of them are glossy now, it's nuts

glossy looks nice.. I'll admit that. but I'm afraid I'll regret the decision later down the road when my eyes start to hurt

 

[lyons238]

at first i liked the look of the matte, but the gloss looks good. and also i have a moshi palmguard which gives a rough matte feel.

and remember those shiny spots that would show up on matte finishes after some wear? gloss fixes that problem.

 

[rwd hero]

I'm jealous of people that like glossy screens because they have so many notebooks in the consumer market to choose from.. almost 95% of them are glossy now, it's nuts

glossy looks nice.. I'll admit that. but I'm afraid I'll regret the decision later down the road when my eyes start to hurt

Why would looking through a piece of glass to your screen hurt your eyes? 6 months and im still loving my MBP.

 

[PAC88]

Why would looking through a piece of glass to your screen hurt your eyes? 6 months and im still loving my MBP.

because with glossy you normally need to have the brightness turned up all the way to see past most reflections. but even when it's turned up, you still see yourself in all the dark colors. with matte, I normally have the brightness somewhere between the first 3 bars and it's easier on the eyes (and battery)

 

[alphaod]

I've used both glossy and matte, and I still prefer matte. I mean the glossy display on the MacBook Air and the MacBook isn't too bad, but then when you move to the MacBook Pro and the 24" LED Cinema Display, the glass on top of a glossy panel just makes it impossible not to see yourself when viewing dark images or videos.

Hence I ordered the matte option for my next MacBook Pro… and option I know I will not regret.

 

[gwsat]

I've used both glossy and matte, and I still prefer matte. I mean the glossy display on the MacBook Air and the MacBook isn't too bad, but then when you move to the MacBook Pro and the 24" LED Cinema Display, the glass on top of a glossy panel just makes it impossible not to see yourself when viewing dark images or videos.

Hence I ordered the matte option for my next MacBook Pro… and option I know I will not regret.

I think that matte is better, too. At least it works better for me. I hate reflections and ordinarily work in normally lighted rooms. Thus there is always ambient light around to strike a reflective screen, which doesn't create a problem with a matte surface.

 

[mobi]

Recently received my first glossy laptop - 13" MBP. 95% of the time I use it indoors, in a low light setting. The other 5% of the time outdoors.

Conclusion: Miss matte screen

 

[romeo26]

i like matte better then glossy. when working on my tablet i can be outside in sunlight and get work done. i dont think you can do that with glossy.

one plus for glossy:
-if you need to look in a mirror you can throw up a black background and have an instant mirror

 

[Gonzo3333]

Glossy does not bother me at all. If you are using a laptop just move a little bit to avoid the reflection, it is much easier than getting mad at the screen. I also never work outside (on the computer) and most of my work is done in very low light so the glossy screen on my 24" Cinema Display is a non-issue for me. Even during the day it is not that bad, just move the screen a few inches and the reflection is gone in most cases.

 

[Eric S.]

I never thought I would like glossy but I do. It's a sharp, clear, bright screen. The only time the reflection bothers me is when there is a very bright light directly behind me; in other words, almost never. I don't use my laptop outside so I suppose that could be a consideration for others.

 

[asia minor]

it looks nice. I would not even want to do any color work on any of the mbp screen so a matte option is moot point.

 

[ARF900]

I'm jealous of people that like glossy screens because they have so many notebooks in the consumer market to choose from.. almost 95% of them are glossy now, it's nuts

glossy looks nice.. I'll admit that. but I'm afraid I'll regret the decision later down the road when my eyes start to hurt

Glossy really doesnt hurt my eyes at all, and its easy to read in sunlight, the ambient light sensor does a great job and the lowest brightness setting is plenty dark enough. Just be careful if you open it in a dark room cause the sensor takes a minute to correct.

 

[choco]

i've only been using matte on any computer i've had but i plan on getting a glossy because, to be honest, i hate the gray border for the matte option. it's not like i use it out of low-light anyway.

 

[twilightrose]

i've only been using matte on any computer i've had but i plan on getting a glossy because, to be honest, i hate the gray border for the matte option. it's not like i use it out of low-light anyway.

I like the glossy because its more vibrant, and I think the black bezel is fantasic^^

 

[Nein01]

honestly, i would consider getting matte if apple got rid of that stupid silver bezel.

however... colors do look way better (more saturated) on a glossy screen, and the blacks are blacker. the difference is significant; when you look at them side by side it's obvious.


so for me the main pros and cons are as follows

glossy
pros - the black bezel
more vivid colors
cons - bad reflections

matte
pros - eliminates bad reflections
cons - the silver bezel
less vivid colors


another thing is that a glossy screen is easier to clean and won't show wear over time, whereas a matte screen requires that you use particular cleaning solutions and they are worse for showing wear over time but that all depends on how much you touch your screen, so the advantage is subjective.

 

[Sn0wball]

Bought a Vaio last summer, it had a glossy screen and was unusable out in the garden, even under a patio umbrella. The higher resolution made it even worse.

I think it's unreasonable for Apple to charge an additional $60 (£40) for the matte screen option, especially as the glossy screen very likely costs more as it has the extra glass layer.

 

[Quetsche]

I think it's unreasonable for Apple to charge an additional $60 (£40) for the matte screen option, especially as the glossy screen very likely costs more as it has the extra glass layer.

Even if it should cost less, if their whole manufacturing chain is engineered to spit out glossy MBPs, it will, in the end, cost them more to put a matte screen. (there's probably not enough matte demand to build a lot of them)

 

[Sn0wball]

Even if it should cost less, if their whole manufacturing chain is engineered to spit out glossy MBPs, it will, in the end, cost them more to put a matte screen. (there's probably not enough matte demand to build a lot of them)

I find that hard to believe. A lot of people order matte screens, it's not an unusual request. The Apple production line will be more than capable of spitting out Macbooks with matte screens quickly. Any extra time/cost to install them could stand to be balanced out by lacking the additional cost of having a glossy glass layer.

 

[gwsat]

I like the glossy because its more vibrant, and I think the black bezel is fantasic^^

Both my Powerbook G4 and Macbook Pro have matte screens. Even the flatscreen monitor attached to my aged Compaq desktop PC has a matte screen. Thus, I have never understood Apple's thinking in going to glossy. I had a clear glass screen on my first HDTV and reflections were a frequent problem. When I replaced it with a screen with antireflective coating on it, though the reflections went away. That experience has made me a little afraid of getting a MBP with a clear glass screen.

I agree with your conclusion that the black bezel is an improvement over the dull aluminum bezel on the matte screens. Anyway, when Apple refreshes its laptop lineup, the clear glass screens will probably still be the default and I'll almost certainly buy one anyway.

 

[neteng101]

Vivid colors and images that pop - trademarks of the glossy screen. The matte images look too diffused and even a tad "soft" to me. And the glass is so much easier to keep clean vs. cleaning the actual LCD panel of a matte screen.

But you do get reflections - which I can live with.

 

[Coldmode]

I like the glossy screen for vibrant colors and the black bezel. I've only ever had a problem using the screen outside, which is basically never. Right now I'm in a well lighted room with screen brightness at 75% and there are no reflections whatsoever.

 

[ECUpirate44]

I'm stuck between deciding between glossy or matte as well. Ill proably go with glossy though. I really do not like the silver bezel around the screen. If the matte option was offered with the black bezel I would most likely choose that, but I think the black bezel looks a lot better. Ive also talked to a few people who have used both and insist that if you are working outside, it doesnt matter matte or glossy, the sun is going to get in the way. Ive also noticed if you plan on doing photo editing/graphic design, the matte screen is a better choice because it shows true colors

 

[Dozerrox]

Because of the bit of extra strength the glass gives.

I'd normally prefer a matte screen, if only because it makes it look a bit different, but the slight added quality over rides that for me.

 

[sushi]

so for me the main pros and cons are as follows

glossy
pros - the black bezel
more vivid colors
cons - bad reflections

matte
pros - eliminates bad reflections
cons - the silver bezel
less vivid colors

Interesting.

Personally, I would consider the silver bezel a pro and the black one a con. Then again, I prefer the matte screen option so I am biased in that view.