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MBP: Glossy or Matte?

Well, I went in to the Apple store today and looked at the same photo on a matte and glossy side by side. They definitely looked different The matte screen did not have as much contrast and seemed somewhat flat, whereas the glossy was noticeably more vibrant and the blacks were a deeper black. The glare on the glossy was annoying, but not that much.

I ended up getting the matte and here's why: if you do photo editing on a glossy scren to the point that it looks good to you, it will look noticeably flatter on non-glossy paper and other computer monitors. However, if you do your editing on the matte finish to the point that it looks good, it will only look better if/when someone views it on a glossy screen or if you print it on glossy paper (I'm guessing).

Also, matte and gloss looked totally different side by side. I have a 23" ACD that I will be using most of the time which is matte. How can I swap back and forth between two monitors if they have totally different looks to them? I need a consistent image representation for doing photo editing.

So now I've got me a new MacBook Pro! :)
 
I am planning on getting my MacBook Pro from Amazon (pre-order only at the moment).
Is glossy considered the default screen? Amazon's page doesn't say one way or the other yet.
I suppose I'll wait until they actually have them in stock and perhaps they'll list specifically what you'll get.

John
 
Okay, I'll answer my own question as I should have looked around more.
Matte is the standard, glossy is considered optional (but no extra charge).
 
Is there any difference in the 'newer' Matte screens on an MBP vs. the 'older' matte screes on a Powerbook?

I had a 12" BP a while ago, and while I loved it, I often found myself wishing the colors were brighter and crisper. I look at it, and just felt it seemed....flat.

Then I got my 13" MacBook with the glossy screen. The sun shined brighter, the grass seemed greener, the water seemed clearer (metaphorically speaking...). The dust also seemed thicker. The smudges seemed more magnetic (literally speaking).

Now, I'm looking to go for a 15" MBP - and I no longer can leave it up to the hardware to decide for me - its my choice...

If the MPB Matte screen is the same as the 12" Powerbook, then I don't think I have a choice - glossy it is.. If the MBP's have an improved screen, then maybe its a split decision.

I do plan on making my way to an Apple store this weekend or early next week - but was wondering if anyone had some insight on this, so I don't get my hopes up that the matte is any better than it was.
 
dpaanlka said:
I really don't get this washed out argument.

Look around you... how many objects in real life are glossy?
Click to expand...
Your argument is total nonsense. Matte doesn't get washed out because most things aren't glossy? No, it gets washed out because it scatters more ambient light instead of reflecting it. That's a fact.
 
Heavy discussion
I prefer the black n white old CRTs :p
never had a problem with it :d
 
I have used an awful lot of LCDs in the last few years - two of which have been matte. (Sony XBlack monitor, Macbook)

I've got a Core2 Macbook coming with a matte screen - glossy looks great - really nice vivid colours, but it's not accurate. When it arrives, I'll be able to compare it to my sister's new Macbook. (that I'm typing on right now)

Glossy looks nice if you can avoid reflections, but it's quite hard to do that, in my opinion. I'm always seeing hot-spots on this thing. It wasn't bad with the Sony monitor, as I was able to have it in a position that didn't get relfections/glare, and leave it there, but the Macbook is portable.

For what it's worth, the Macbook measures 190cd/m2 with the backlight at maximum, and my Powerbook was only 90cd/m2. (130cd/m2 once they replaced the screen with a newer one) I'll measure the MacBook Pro when it arrives too. I imagine it'll be around 200cd/m2 as well.

Laptops simply aren't bright enough yet for viewing in very bright rooms/outdoors though, glossy or not. LCD televisions can go up to 550cd/m2, with matte screens and look fine in a bright room with the sun directly on them. (but it would probably drain the battery too quickly on a laptop)
 
dpaanlka said:
Yes. Much brighter now.
Click to expand...
Wow - you weren't kidding.. I stopped at my local Apple store today, and after seeing the Matte, I decided to go with it.

Also, interesting note - they had a 15" MBP Rev B and Rev C side by side - both Matte, and the latest is definately the greatest.. I checked the display settings to ensure they were set the same, and there was a noticible difference. I asked the sales guy, he noticed it too, but wasn't aware of any changes they made to the display.. Not saying the older one was bad, but the newer was definaltey brighter. If it weren't for the lack of glare, I would have thought it was glossy!

It could also have been a bad floor model with the Rev B (2Ghtz) they had on display, but who knows...

I opted for Matte.. I think the deciding factor was when I turned around, and instantly spotted the smudge marks on the MacBooks across the way - they are just too noticable..
 
glossy screen

Hi i recently bought a macbook about 2 weeks ago and i have the glossy 13.3" screen. I have really only used it inside but so far i havnt had any problems with it.

Tyler
 
i ordered mine glossy just because I didn't really mind the glare and such, then i remembered how bad the smudging was on my old macbook, and I'm kinda kicking myself in the head for it. I'd change, but now I don't want to go even longer without the MBP. If I truly hate it that much, i'd get rid of it
 
I'm typing this on a Macbook right now and sitting under my dining room light, and I truly cannot see ANY reflection. I mean literally, I'm waving my hand in front of it and can't see it, can't see anything behind me, etc. It looks almost matte.

Sorry for the bad image quality -- it's really quite bright in here. I'm under a 100watt light. Eating dinner, so didn't want to bug around and dig up my other camera.
 

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Figured I'd contribute my opinions to this.

I went to the Apple Store today to return my MacBook (to make way for a C2D MBP), and decided to look really closely at both glossy and matte MBP's.

I do think that the glossy looks pretty good, and from my experience with the MBP, the glossy isn't nearly as distracting as I thought it would be (even in situations where lights did reflect on the screen, I didn't have trouble just focusing off of them).

However, I also found photo and video display on the matte screens to still also be quite excellent and crisp. I did notice that some colors didn't seem as vibrant (i.e. a photo of a beach seen with water), and the blacks were not quite as "black".

But I really think both are excellent screens, and I feel like I could be happy with either one.
 
Well i had a strange thing happen today, local applestore got MPB in stock so my mom went to go pick one up (i broke collar bone, can't leave house)and i cancelled my online order. She asked for matte, but when it got home and i unpacked it, it was glossy. It was a cruel twist of fate that i'd debated matte or glossy for so long, decided on matte, only too have a glossy infront of me, i was forced to reconsider my desicion. I tested it out in a few key areas around house with different lighting that i would be useing it in. And the verdict is... I still don't like it, moms going back to exchange it free of charge for matte rite now. Biggest problem i had with it was if the screen is angled at all it either turns white or black, which is bad for photo/video work. And the only reason this is a problem is because you have to angle the glossy to get rid of glare, but when you get rid of glare you loose acurate colours.

Within the hour i should have the matte, so i'll post my comparasin then.

cheers,
 
I went to the Apple Store here in Portland yesterday and decided to stay for a bit and interview customers about their choice. Obviously the sample size is very small, but out of 5 customers, 4 said they're choosing matte and also gave the usual reasons for doing so (truer color, glare, et cetera).

I chose matte as well for those same reasons.

(Though, I will admit that the glossy is beautiful on my GF's Macbook.)
 
Re glossy vs matte

Well I am a newbie here as my C2D will be my first mac ever. I ordered a matte because that is what all my friends that have the MBP got earlier this year. But after reading everyone's comments I was thinking I made a bad choice. So went to the Apple store again last night and talked to several sales people who said i made the best choice not because of color but because of using it outside the home in starbucks, etc.. I watched several iDVD movies on both screens. I than looked at the other Mac's in store and most monitors where all matte and looked just like the MBP. I agreee with above that some colors where deeper and richer but the matte looked so dang true and had no reflections. I am huge fan of DLP and LCD tv's and hate plasma's so maybe this also swayed decision.
I think its wired that all the notebooks now a days have glossy screens and most off all our new desktop monitors are matte. I saw only 1 out of maybe 15 at besbuy that was glossy. Thanks to apple for "keeping it real."
Hope this helps your decision.
 
I would think photographers would be the group that wouldn't even have to think about any minor position changes necessary to deal with stong point source lighting problems in any environment.:rolleyes:
To each his own, but I bet the matte screen joins the Dodo in 3 years time. CRT glare was a valid issue 10 years ago..and still can be for some in mostly unique situations, but coatings have come a long way and you can pretty much have your cake and eat it too now.
Wow, I just hit the source button on the matte LCD I'm using at work...I could see the reflection of my offwhite shirt clearly, well smudgingly in the black with me sitting 18 inches away. Does anyone really do critical photo editing in bright sunlight at Starbucks?
 
has anyone in the uk ordered a standard 17"mbp over the last few days?i am considering canceling my glossy 17 and getting the matte but cant wait any longer than i am for the cto glossy.
its due to be shipped on the 7th and delivered on or before the 14th.

i will be using it for learning pro video editing.
 
also any chance of someone posting a high quality picture of a matte next to a glossy screen?
i cant really tell from the other pics on this thread. :confused:
 
Just got back from the Apple store in Sacramento and I got a chance to play with the older MBP with the core duo. I had my wife with me and we compared the glossy vs matte next to each other and the glossy looked far better than the matte screen even with the lights above shining on the screens. The glossy had far deeper blacks, the colors were more vibrant and it was much more pleasant to look at compared to the washed out matte screen. I think people that opt for the matte screen are insane or have some heavy prescription glasses on.
 
stealthman1 said:
Does anyone really do critical photo editing in bright sunlight at Starbucks?
Click to expand...
Never said they do.
Just talked to a few people who said just go with matte since that is the type of place where I would be studying most of time along with home and other places. Won't be going outdoors otherwise decision may have been different, but don't know.
From what I have read in other forums, really is personal preferance just like your desktop monitor. One thing someone brought up somewhere else was eye strain with the glare, although people at my company don't use the anit-glare screens that much any more as CRT's gave way to LCD's, but maybe something else to think about.
 
i am still following that one guy's opinion who said the glossy screen totally goes against the look of the macbook pro/powerbook casing. a glossy wet looking screen does not look good with a brushed aluminum casing. matte goes PERFECT with it. not to mention matte screens look better too! :p
 
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