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Is MBP glossy glare as bad as it looks in Apple stores?

M

MikeyTree

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 5, 2007
295
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I'm trying to decide between a glossy MBP and a matte one. I've heard all the arguments, and a couple days ago I went to an Apple store to check them out. I liked how the glossy looked, but the glare bugged me, because it reflected many of the lights and I could see myself and people around me.

Apple stores seem to be the worst possible environments for glare though. They're very brightly lit, full of white and reflective surfaces. Plus, you look at the screens from above while standing, so the screens are tilted up toward the lights and other customers.

Is the glare as noticable in more normal environments as it is in an Apple store?
 
I don't think it is... I like my glossy screen b/c I think it is a little more crisp.
 
Nope, I rarely notice any glare from my glossy. Like literally, I can count the times on one hand, and I've had a Macbook and a MBP for close to a year.
 
Mine looks great. The MBP arrived Tuesday and we've barely been apart except for sleep (a bit) and work (too much).

The color and sharpness are beautiful!
 
Go with matte. I have a matte at home and glossy at work, and with the glossy I constantly find myself having to try and shut windows, etc. to keep the light from reflecting off the screen. It's annoying unless you're working in areas that are darker and without natural light.
 
i can't speak for the macbook pro, but i owned a macbook and was never bothered from the glare. what did bother me a bit was the color accuracy. :(
 
Illicit said:
your sleep without your mbp? :confused:
Click to expand...

I personaly fall asleep to music on my MB at night :rolleyes:

And i never really think about the glare being a problem, i think that maybe if there is glare i kind of tune it out because i never remember a situation where it really bothered me
 
It's really not that bad even in the store. I dont even notice it when i go to a glossy laptop. The thing is if you focus on it you can see directly behind you and such. But you really have to be looking to notice anything IMO
 
Like you I was faced with the same decision a week ago. All I had to go off of was the matte screen on my iMac and the glossy screens I had seen on Macbooks.
I slept on the decision for many nights until I decided to go with glossy. I do not regret getting the glossy screen, in fact I love it.

It is unlike other glossy screens you may see on PCs and the Macbook. I find that it is a more "high quality" glossy and doesn't suffer from typical glossy drawbacks.

There is some glare from things like lamps, but this problem can by easily solved by adjusting the screen by a few degrees. Even with glare I do not find it a problem because it is usually off in some other part of the screen I'm not using.

Anoither thing to remember is that the new LED screens are extremely bright. In fact, I can't stand to have it 100% brightness unless I'm outside in the sun. My brightness is usually kept at 60%.
What I'm trying to say is that because of the very high brightness of the screen, glare is most times washed out. If you have the display at a low brightness you may see some glare, but if you bring the brightness up a few notches, the glare will disappear.

I tested the display out on my porch today in the blistering sun and the screen was perfectly acceptable to use, unlike a matte screen. Matte screens by nature diffuse light and that means a horrible experience in outdoor light.

I am a student doing light web design and other "student" things and I'm very happy with my choice of glossy.
 
if you intend to use the laptop under sunlight, you'd be better of to get a matte screen (though honestly i think matte is hard to read under sunlight also).

i'm happy with my glossy, and my next MBP will be glossy as well.
 
Go glossy, my MB's display never bothers me and my soon to be MBP will be glossy because it makes things a little bit nicer and just looks crisper than the matte MBPs I've used in the stores. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hard core glossy guy, I'd take a free matte MBP, but glossy is my preference.
 
Glossy is better for in the sun because if you adjust the brightness on a glossy to all the way up all the glare goes away. I have a glossy PC and when I'm outside i have no problems with the glare form the sun. Just another little tidbit. You get a better looking screen that works in all environments. You'll enjoy glossy. Matte looks faded IMO
 
The answer is simple: if you think the glossy looks bad under (a) circumstance(s), it looks bad. Period.

The matte screen might not be as "clear" and "contrasty" as the glossy under "some" circumstances, but by and large they look "good". Hence it boils down to, do you like to be extremely awesome some of the time? Or do you want to be great all the time? :D
 
I have no idea what the hell is wrong with the mac stores, but seriously their lighting conditions makes the glossy screen look terrible giving off so much reflection and glare.

Never once have I ever had a problem with my glossy screen, even when Im outside!
 
In the train?

I'm also just about to buy a new MBP. I will be using it mainly in the train, as I have to commute for 2-3 hours every day to work. Will the glare be annoying in the train, when sitting next to the (unshaded) window?
 
MikeyTree said:
I liked how the glossy looked, but the glare bugged me, because it reflected many of the lights and I could see myself and people around me.
Click to expand...

It's horrible. If it bugged you in-store I'm sure it would bug you elsewhere. Unless you're only going to be using it in one dimly lit room and never move from there, then there'll always be a time when some light catches the screen and it'll bug you again. Go with the matte option.
 
I think apple wants most people to get a matte screen. Maybe they
are a bit more expensive to produce. Initially when they first appeared,
I think it was a $100 option. Maybe I'm wrong???

It comes down to preference. Which do you like more?
 
I loved the look of the glossy and was really tempted to get one. I borrowed a friends for a few days, and I gave it back to him the first day. It gave me headaches like you couldn't believe. So make sure the same doesn't happen to you. Also, if you do do any graphic design, matte's the only way to go.

And I'm just really curious, but does everyone live on a sunny paradise island that says glossy is perfect for outside? I just don't get the idea of using the macbook outside. Too many what-ifs.
 
I LOVE my glossy screen on my MB. I was really skeptical when I first got it, and almost ponied up for a mbp in order to get matte, but i will never go baclk. I'm actually considering a sr mbp now, and will definitely go glossy.
 
My glossy 15" MBP is wonderful. I don't find glare to be a problem, at least not so much that a slight shift doesn't fix. It looks great.

In-store lighting does not reflect the normal lighting situation you'll have when using your Mac.

My gf has an older 17" matte G4 iMac -- and prefers to work on the glossy MBP :) .
 
I went with the glossy and really enjoy it. There's a couple of time that I've caught a glare but it hasn't really bothered me.

That being said, when I saw the glossys at the Apple Store I was not as bothered as you appeared to be. So if it really bugged you then I'd get a matte. I have a friend who got a SR matte (accidentally, he asked for a glossy at the store and didn't realize until he got home what they gave him) who doesn't regret the choice.
 
skye12 said:
I think apple wants most people to get a matte screen. Maybe they
are a bit more expensive to produce. Initially when they first appeared,
I think it was a $100 option. Maybe I'm wrong???

It comes down to preference. Which do you like more?
Click to expand...

Matte's more expensive, as glossy is just a defective screen essentially. They've left off part of the process.

I'm confused there are actually people here defending "glossy".
 
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