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Is the MacBook screen REALLY that bad?
- Thread starter seven7seven
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No, it's rather nice in my opinion. The black are a bit washed out, but I don't thing the screen should be the biggest deciding factor. But that's just me.
All of the Aluminium MacBooks (and Pros) look bad compared to the White MacBook in my local Apple Store.
I thought they were running them on a non-native resolution when I saw them, but they weren't!
I'm surprised they keep a White MacBook on show, it's a pretty stupid idea if you let people compare the screens that closely.
I thought they were running them on a non-native resolution when I saw them, but they weren't!
I'm surprised they keep a White MacBook on show, it's a pretty stupid idea if you let people compare the screens that closely.
yup it's horrible. that's why everybody has taken theirs back..
No need for the sarcasm.
Just from reading on here it seems every post is like "I'm surprised apple puts such a terrible screen in the unibodys" and "not good enough to watch a movie"
IMO, ultimately, it is your call on whether the screen on the MB is good enough. Only you can decide if it is good enough for you. My advise is that if possible, go to an Apple store or a retail store that sells a MB to check out the screen yourself. That way you'll for sure find out your answer to your original question.
Good luck. We are all sarcastic on here a lot, and this topic has also been beaten to death over and over.
IMO I like the screen, it's workable and does what I need it to do.
Thing people forget is the Macbook is the baseline of the apple computer range. It can't be expected to have a top of the range screen
I'm not a professional or an authority on the subject, but even to my untrained eye, the colors on the Macbook are washed out. The most noticable thing though, is how it displays its blacks.
To be honest, this doesn't really bother me, even when watching movies, but I know it can be a deal breaker to some. You can fix the washed out part somewhat with better color calibration, but you can't really do anything about the blacks. Outside of color sensitive work and expecting the best out of your screens for viewing movies, the screen is fine.
To be honest, this doesn't really bother me, even when watching movies, but I know it can be a deal breaker to some. You can fix the washed out part somewhat with better color calibration, but you can't really do anything about the blacks. Outside of color sensitive work and expecting the best out of your screens for viewing movies, the screen is fine.
I bought a unibody MacBook (2.4GHz) less than 24 hrs ago, and so far I'm quite pleased with the screen I received.
As far as I can tell (and I've looked as best as I can), I do not have the gray-line problem that has been reported by so many. And while the screen is obviously a TN panel, colors do not look unusually washed out and gradient banding is fairly minimal for a laptop display. Backlight is very bright and uniform, and I see no significant light leak around the edges.
For those that keep tabs on this sort of thing:
Manufacturer: 0610
Model: 9CA7
Overall, I'm quite pleased. My MacBook seems to be a top quality specimen (or will be once the 4GB RAM is delivered later today).
As far as I can tell (and I've looked as best as I can), I do not have the gray-line problem that has been reported by so many. And while the screen is obviously a TN panel, colors do not look unusually washed out and gradient banding is fairly minimal for a laptop display. Backlight is very bright and uniform, and I see no significant light leak around the edges.
For those that keep tabs on this sort of thing:
Manufacturer: 0610
Model: 9CA7
Overall, I'm quite pleased. My MacBook seems to be a top quality specimen (or will be once the 4GB RAM is delivered later today).
Get the paddles! It's time to bring him back!
Joking aside, the screen isn't all that bad. The best thing to do, as someone already suggested, is go to an Apple store, Best Buy, or any store that sells them and have a look at the screen yourself. How does it look to your eye? I don't like the screen at all with the default color calibration (I have the 9C89 screen), but with a decent calibration, I have no complaints at all. Another common complaint is the reflective/glossy surface. It can be a little annoying at times, like when I'm working at my desk in the office...the overhead florescent lights cause quite a glare, but as long as your lighting source isn't above or behind you, the screen is fine.
I agree with this statement 100%. I found a spyder calirbation profile for my exact screen and it looks x1000 better.
For me, it's fine. I'm not doing any graphic design, or professional photo editing (if I was, i'd have bought the MBP) I simply wanted a surfing and mobile office machine and for that, it's fine. The only thing I'd say is that you can get a fair amount of glare as I noticed last week while watching the football from the Slingbox, but it was a very sunny day and I simply closed the curtains. There's some discussion that the newer MBs have a better screen:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/694320/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/694320/
Yes, it is that bad. I visited the Apple sore and compared the MB, MBA, an MBPs and the screens on the MB were awful by comparison (and in general). They looked like milk had been poured over them and the viewing angles were atrocious. I wanted the portability (I still miss my 12" PB after all these years) but it's just not worth it. WIll be going with a 15" MBP. As always, YMMV, so I would recommend having a look at them in person before deciding.
The Unibody screen is a lot better, but still not what one should expect from a $1599 laptop. If you ask me, each laptop needs to be brought down to the price of the product below it. Unibody Macbook, $999 and $1299, Unibody Macbook Pro, $1599, $1999 and $2499.
The unibody MB is generally a bit better than the older plastic MB's, but not near as good as the MBA or MBP.
Its screen quality is bad for a notebook over $1000. I've seen much better screens on $600 laptops. That said, it is crisp and clear and bright. But it suffers from a poor contrast ratio (giving it a washed out look at higher brightness) and it has a narrow viewing angle that when combined with its very glossy finish makes it difficult to adjust for a uniform brightness top to bottom.
While its aesthetically displeasing its still very useable all day long. It's not the greatest for watching video and I would not recommend it for any professional multimedia production but for general business or school use its fine.
Relatively speaking though this is a poor quality screen for a laptop in this price range.
Its screen quality is bad for a notebook over $1000. I've seen much better screens on $600 laptops. That said, it is crisp and clear and bright. But it suffers from a poor contrast ratio (giving it a washed out look at higher brightness) and it has a narrow viewing angle that when combined with its very glossy finish makes it difficult to adjust for a uniform brightness top to bottom.
While its aesthetically displeasing its still very useable all day long. It's not the greatest for watching video and I would not recommend it for any professional multimedia production but for general business or school use its fine.
Relatively speaking though this is a poor quality screen for a laptop in this price range.
Are you able to check out the screen model numbers (such as 9CA5, 9CA7, or 9CA8) on the MB that is on display at the Apple store?
I think I even read about someone one or two days ago that said that he/she thought the screen on the White MB is even better than the screen on the Alu MB while at the Apple store!
I think I even read about someone one or two days ago that said that he/she thought the screen on the White MB is even better than the screen on the Alu MB while at the Apple store!
I did, in Post 5 of this thread.
I still stand by that comment.
I don't think I've seen a worse screen.
Would you consider the screen on a £300 netbook being as good, if not better, than a £1100 apple laptop to be fine? Or does that just make me a moron?
The macbook screen is usable. It's not especially great. Its' certainly under specified for the price.