Seriously.
I've been in the business for over 25 years and I was part of the transition
that went "digital" in the first place, so I'm gonna toss my 2 cents out there.
First, there is no "perfect" system.
When it comes to colors and screens, it's ALL a matter of compromise and adjustment. Even CRT's can't provide a perfect consistent color match across the spectrum. Something is ALWAYS going to be slightly off.
I'm typing this from a 2 month old 15 inch MacBook pro with a matte screen.
At home I use a 20 inch iMac with a glossy screen.
Are there differences? Sure.
Is any of it a dealbreaker? Of course not.
That's why companies like pantone are still in business. That is the criteria
you use for your color standard. Even along the EXACT same monitors with
the exact same specs and calibrations there are going to be differences in color reproduction. That's just the nature of the game.
One is NOT any better than the other. How you DEAL WITH IT is your mark as an experienced professional.
People.
Calibration software DOES exist. You have the ability and the tools to make your screen, your colors, and your user experience pretty much just what you need them to be.
It took me about a day after getting my iMac to "see through" the gloss on the screen. In my mind it is not even there anymore when I sit down to work on it. White balance. Gamma. Saturation. There are tools to make this work. And keep in mind that this IS just a tool we are talking about.
The computer is just a means to the end, not the end in itself, and if whatever talent you possess can be derailed by a "shine" or a "bezel" than I seriously doubt your graphic capabilities to begin with.
People USED to be capable of producing dazzling and brilliant full color work using nothing but a 9 inch CRT black and white screen and their imaginations. (Or to go even further back, Pantone marker comps and type speccing for you old timers)
All this whining? Is just whining.
Just another reason to complain that YOUR Santa Clause did not fulfill YOUR particular needs.
If you don't like the new Macs, don't buy them.
Apple owes me nothing and I don't "expect" or "deserve" anything from them. The last transaction I made with them was the last transaction I made with them. I bought a tool to get my work done. I am happy with that tool.
They are in no way obligated to bend to my wishes or court my desires on ANY future tools or services. If I don't like what they have to offer, I'll look elsewhere. Last time I checked most every application I use as a graphic designer is available cross platform.
What I PAY for is the user experience and the reliability of the tool I am using. In that, FOR ME, Apple HAS delivered, and from what I see from the new machines, CONTINUE to deliver, pound for pound, the best, easiest and most convenient means for me to produce the materials I need to produce to make my living. If they ever stop providing that for ME, I'll stop using them.
Nothing in this recent up date "breaks" that.
What galls me is all the "experts" that come on here claiming to speak for graphic professionals as a whole. If there was an election, I must have missed it. Last time I checked, it was still a matter of individual choice.
What's professional? The individual, not the tool.
Let's act like it.
WRC
That would give even more reason to shut down the main GPU when not in use (although actually Nvidia's newer hardware has amazing power saving abilities when not being pushed...at least the GTX280/260 do...they fall below MUCH lower end hardware when not in use, on the desktop side).