iMac Matte Display - Solution

[BernardPhoto]

Hey guys,

I am new to the forum. I've read many posts in the past but for some reason never joined. I have an iMac and like many of you, I hate the glossy panel. I am a freelance photographer in Florida, and I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. Due to the limitations of the room I edit in, there is no way for me to completely cut down reflections with the glass panel on the iMac. I use a monitor hood, which helps a little (and I mean little).

I've searched and searched and searched for a good solution to this problem. The best I could find were suggestions to remove the glass panel of the iMac to expose the the semi matte display behind it. I thought this was a great idea, except for the fact that it left the display looking like a DIY project gone bad. Today, I came a across a site that makes a replacement bezel. It is basically a black frame without the glass over the display. It allows you to remove the glass panel and cover the edges of the LCD, hiding and protecting the iMac's internal components. I really wish I came up with this idea.

I haven't had a chance to purchase one yet as I just came across this today, but I thought it was worth sharing. Screen glare has been my only gripe since buying my iMac in 2009.

You can see the frame here: www.macframes.com

I am really surprised that I have found so little about this product on the web. It is a great solution for photographers, designers, and anyone in general that hates monitor glare.

I'll try to post a more thorough analysis of the product when I have a chance to buy one.


On a side note: For my capstone semester of my business degree, my team and I created a 5-year business strategy for Apple and competed against other teams with the same goal. Thanks to the information on sites like this, our team's 118 page strategy won. Thanks everyone for keeping the world informed on everything Apple.

Best,

Bernard

 

[BeeJee]

I don't have an iMac but I hate the glossy on my MBP so I checked out this thread. I don't have much to add but I really liked some of your photography!

 

[12dylan34]

I feel like you were on here a week or so ago advertising this and the thread was deleted. It's a great idea, but I feel as though this one will be deleted as well because it's also against the rules to pose as a customer praising your own product. At least make it sound like a real person: "hey, stumbled upon this on the Internet the other day. Great idea if you hate the glossy display (link)" instead of writing it like a paid testimonial.

Apologies if this is not the case, but it's eerily similar to the other thread.

 

[Opspin]

Take off the glass!

I like the picture of the kiwi and the picture of the nailed pear. But the rest of the product photos look sterile and boring albeit professional.

But taking the glass off your iMac seems like a dangerous path to go down, I wouldn't want to have my beautiful display exposed like that, and I think there was once an instructable that covered how to do exactly the same with a piece of cardboard.

If I really did want non glossy, I'd either go for an old cinema display, a present day 27inch display from dell with all the same specs as the thunderbolt display (well without many of the cool things like thunderbolt and USB and FireWire and speakers and all the stuff that wouldn't matter because I would use it with my iMac anyway) and run dual screen. Or just get one of those matte Antiglare films and put on your screen, no need to pry it off...

 

[BernardPhoto]

I feel like you were on here a week or so ago advertising this and the thread was deleted. It's a great idea, but I feel as though this one will be deleted as well because it's also against the rules to pose as a customer praising your own product. At least make it sound like a real person: "hey, stumbled upon this on the Internet the other day. Great idea if you hate the glossy display (link)" instead of writing it like a paid testimonial.

Apologies if this is not the case, but it's eerily similar to the other thread.

I can assure you this is my first time on this forum. I hope it doesn't get deleted. I am not affiliated with the company, just trying to pass along my find.

I am a real person. I am not sure how else to write about the thing. I suppose I could have misspelled every other word in broken English.

On a side note, how are we supposed to share information if we can't talk about what we find?

----------

I like the picture of the kiwi and the picture of the nailed pear. But the rest of the product photos look sterile and boring albeit professional.

But taking the glass off your iMac seems like a dangerous path to go down, I wouldn't want to have my beautiful display exposed like that, and I think there was once an instructable that covered how to do exactly the same with a piece of cardboard.

If I really did want non glossy, I'd either go for an old cinema display, a present day 27inch display from dell with all the same specs as the thunderbolt display (well without many of the cool things like thunderbolt and USB and FireWire and speakers and all the stuff that wouldn't matter because I would use it with my iMac anyway) and run dual screen. Or just get one of those matte Antiglare films and put on your screen, no need to pry it off...

I don't think it would make the display any more vulnerable than the matte screen options on the MBPs. At least I don't think so. I can't believe Apple would make the screen more fragile. Anyway, as soon as I buy one, I'll let you know the results.

 

[RedCroissant]

Macframe

I would absolutely buy one of the Macframes if I had the right iMac. My wife has one, but she has her computer in the perfect spot to avoid any glare.

 

[Thunderbird]

The best I could find were suggestions to remove the glass panel of the iMac to expose the the semi matte display behind it.

I didn'rt know there was a 'semi-matte' display behind the glass cover. I thought it was a glossy panel with a glass cover.


Also: what happens when you need to clean the screen? Can you clean the bare panel directly?

 

[BernardPhoto]

I didn'rt know there was a 'semi-matte' display behind the glass cover. I thought it was a glossy panel with a glass cover.


Also: what happens when you need to clean the screen? Can you clean the bare panel directly?

I call it semi-matte because it is supposed to be more like the glossy finish of the MacBooks. It is glossy, but not nearly as reflective as having the glass in front of it.

 

[Thunderbird]

And what about cleaning the screen?

 

[Moonjumper]

I hate the glare, but if I was considering getting an iMac, I would look at Museum Glass as a replacement for the normal glass. A local picture framer would be my first port of call.

I wonder if anyone has done this?

 

[Gloops]

And what about cleaning the screen?

Clean it the same way you clean any LCD screen - gently with a soft cloth (dampened if required). The earlier white plastic iMacs didn't have the glass cover and they were much easier on the eye. Hopefully they'll ditch it again for the next release...

 

[BernardPhoto]

I hate the glare, but if I was considering getting an iMac, I would look at Museum Glass as a replacement for the normal glass. A local picture framer would be my first port of call.

I wonder if anyone has done this?

The only reason I am avoiding museum glass is the potential color shift. My wife has her Master's degree framed with museum glass and I can see the green/red colors of the anti-reflective coating when I move my head. I am not sure how hardware calibration will deal with this. It could be a non-issue, just something to consider.

 

[unfrostedpoptar]

The only reason I am avoiding museum glass is the potential color shift. My wife has her Master's degree framed with museum glass and I can see the green/red colors of the anti-reflective coating when I move my head. I am not sure how hardware calibration will deal with this. It could be a non-issue, just something to consider.

I just did this a couple of days ago. Here are pictures of the original, museum glass, and no glass. No glass is the best, but I'm not sure if it's safe for the LCD panel. Physical damage is obvious, but would the LCD be hurt by UV?

iMac replacement glass pics

As far as color shift, the glass is designed not to do that, but I don't see how recalibrating with something like a Spyder would be any different through it compared to through the standard glass.

 

[iMcLovin]

I hope the next imac will have the same screen reflection tech as the new macbook pro. that would be the best solution. I dont want to add something on my screen nor take the glass off...

 

[BernardPhoto]

I just did this a couple of days ago. Here are pictures of the original, museum glass, and no glass. No glass is the best, but I'm not sure if it's safe for the LCD panel. Physical damage is obvious, but would the LCD be hurt by UV?

iMac replacement glass pics

As far as color shift, the glass is designed not to do that, but I don't see how recalibrating with something like a Spyder would be any different through it compared to through the standard glass.

Maybe your museum glass is different than ours. We have a custom fram with museum ordered through Michaels. If you look at it straight on, you don't see the coating. However, if you are at any angle, you see a very apparent green anti-reflective coating. Again, my fear with the glass that is available to me is that unless I am sitting perfectly straight on, my eyes will be influenced by the green tint regardless of the accuracy of the hardware calibration. In photography, hardware calibration is merely to ensure what you see is accurate. However, if your eyes are influences by other colors, your perception of the image may be off. From the photos you posted I don't see the green tint. I do notice a significant reduction in glare with no glass vs. either of the glass pieces though. I am not daring enough to pull the glass of until I have a Macframe to cover the exposed orifices to keep out dust.

 

[greg555]

That's pretty cool. If they made it for the 24" I'd be very tempted.

Greg

 

[unfrostedpoptar]

Maybe your museum glass is different than ours. We have a custom fram with museum ordered through Michaels. If you look at it straight on, you don't see the coating. However, if you are at any angle, you see a very apparent green anti-reflective coating. Again, my fear with the glass that is available to me is that unless I am sitting perfectly straight on, my eyes will be influenced From the photos you posted I don't see the green tint.

Mine was from Aaron Brothers, but the company that makes it is probably the same: http://www.tru-vue.com/Tru-Vue/Products/33/

I checked in the store and there is a greenish tint for bright lights at extreme angles. But this was for reflections, not transmissions - at least as far as I could see. So don't have bright spotlights behind you! Also, I think it would be OK at reasonable angles.

Just go to the store and look at their little sample frames with the glass in it for yourself.

 

[Mikey86uk]

Why cant they just make a film? (like an iPhone screen protector)

 

[unfrostedpoptar]

Why cant they just make a film? (like an iPhone screen protector)

Because it would look like crap? Have you even seen a screen-protector film that was high enough quality for serious photographic work? They could never be anywhere as good as a coating on the actual glass.

 

[Staindsoul]

So does anyone else have any feedback on these frames?

 

[BernardPhoto]

So does anyone else have any feedback on these frames?

I think I will finally order one. Once it comes in, I will provide more feedback and some pictures.

 

[Staindsoul]

Thanks. My iMac hasn't arrived yet so I don't know how bad the glare will be. No windows in my office so hopefully that helps.

 

[BernardPhoto]

Thanks. My iMac hasn't arrived yet so I don't know how bad the glare will be. No windows in my office so hopefully that helps.

No windows definitely helps. It may not bother you at all. My editing area is not ideal, so I need a way to help things out a bit.

 

[Melbourne Park]

heck, I have a white 24" imac, and always thought the bigger screen was way better.

Maybe reflection will be an issue ... mine hasn't been, but the sun is mostly behind the monitor. But it could be from the side if I move things ...

 

[BernardPhoto]

I just received my Macframe in the mail.

It literally took two minutes to install. Be careful when putting it on as the magnets that Apple uses are much stronger than you'd expect. I was using the provided suction cup to install the new frame and the magnets pulled it away from me and snapped it in place. It was a frightening sound, but everything worked great.

Esthetically, the frame looks fantastic. It is basically a solid sheet of metal that is powered coated black.

Here comes the best part. The screen looks amazing. I can't stress this enough. My best comparison would be going from standard def to HD. The sharpness and clarity of the screen are SIGNIFICANTLY improved and reflections are minimized to the point that I can finally get some work done during the daylight hours.

The picture I took doesn't begin to describe this frame. I was in a rush to get you guys feedback.

My conclusion:
For the low prices offered on the website, and the significantly better viewing experience, I can honestly say that I would buy the Macframe a 1000 times over. I just wish I knew about it two years ago. Do yourself a favor and don't buy a anti-glare film. All you would be doing is further diluting the sharpness and clarity of the actual screen.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. After installation, I would recommend re-calibrating your monitor if you are working with color critical media. If you have no idea what I am talking about, than ignore the last statement.