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My new NON-GLARE 27" iMac

How does the exposed iMac screen compare to the exposed Macbook Air screen? The Airs still have a proper LCD screen without a big mirror cover glass.

I have no problems with the reflections on my Macbook Air and I assume the panel under the cover glass on the iMac is similar.
 
iMac no glass

Hey i have been following this post for some time now after having several frustrating issues with dust collecting under the glass of my iMac display. Apple fail! why would you cover such a beautiful LCD panel with nasty reflective glass and not have some way of sealing the unit so dust isn't an issue? Any way to get to the point of my post. As we have seen the using an iMac with out the Glass cover drastically improves the usability of the system, however apple warns that this is a bad idea as the panel is not intended to be exposed. I was even told by the genius at my local apple store cleaning the LCD panel will damage it and leave streaks. Well yesterday I called to have my system replaced due to 9 black pixels in my display (side note just so you all know 6 is apples number of acceptable dead pixels on a 21.5 inch iMac) so I decided to try cleaning the LCD panel with 3 types of LCD cleaner. ( iKlear, a generic cleaner from walmart and one from the dollar store) none of these cleaners damaged the display. so to all of you frustrated with staring at dust under the glass panel I say store the panel some place safe and use the iMac.
 
friends1stu2 said:
I too hate the new mirror screens Apple is forcing us to use (if we want to stay within the Mac world). I have experimented with a number of possibilities including removing the front panel (which is not glass by the way, but some sort of acrylic material instead), which reduces the overall glare significantly (my guess by about 40%).
I have tried different films applied to the outside panel (terrible results with little improvement with low anti-glare films to awful red sparkles with the high anti-glare films (photodon films). I have tried applying the various films to the surface of the LCD itself. This has had better effects, and I settled on the MXH film from Photodon. This reduced glare slightly without any noticeable loss of graphic clarity. I would consider the higher rated MXT film if I had to do it over again. The red pixeling you see when film is applied to the outside panel does not exist with the MXH when applied to the LCD. I doubt even the MXT would be a problem if applied directly to the LCD itself. The film was much easier to apply than I suspected it would be and I completed the job w/o any bubbles at all.
I also had a piece of museum glass cut to size and replaced the front panel. I painted the outside edges black to cover up the hardware underneath, and are using it as I type this. From the outside it looks exactly like the original panel. The museum glass cuts down the reflection/glare by about 50% over the original Apple panel. I have contacted a fabricator to apply some metal strips on the glass to hold it tight in place and are confident it will be a very workable and attractive solution. Mind you, the film on the LCD and the museum glass in front together do not reduce reflection/glare to the level of our beloved matte screens, but it gets about half way there. I suspect it would achieve another 10% to 20% with a higher rated anti-glare film, but still not what Apple achieved with their old monitors.
Costs
The film from Photodon (which I had custom cut, and they did a great job) was about $45 or $50. The museum glass was about $125. The custom corner grinding was $15. I simply taped the glass once it was cut and shaped and spray painted the 1" outside edges with a black paint. I am still working to get some metal strips attached to the glass so that it is held firm. Overall, I expect to have some $275 to $300 invested in my new panel. It should be indistinguishable from the original once complete.
Overall, I'd say I've got about a 50% reduction in reflectivity and a 10% matte appearance on my monitor. If I had gone with the MXT film instead of the MXH, I think my overall performance would have been closer to 60% to 65% improvement.
I am also investigating other materials for the outside panel. Museum glass is good if you don't ship or move your machine much, but it would be a real breakage hazard if you did.
You can see my work and pictures at: http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/album/A24A3933AAB4?c=pw59560&CS_003=4433951
Click to expand...

Absolutely fantastic post.

However I am curious. According to iFixit, Thunderbolt Display and Dell Ultrasharp 27" use the exact same LCD panel!

Even though the Dell is matte.

The panel is LM270WQ1. How is this possible?

Do you think your modified 27" Apple display is comparable to the Ultrasharp?
 
Also, I think I might try macaddict's hack with the new Thunderbolt display.

Has anyone done this? Thoughts?
 
GlassFree for iMac

If you would like less glare and reflections maybe you would like to support our crowdfunding project "GlassFree for iMac". Annoyed be the reflections on the glass we developed a frame that just replaces the glass in front of the display. The view is significantly better and you still have the colors of a glossy display.

Check out our IndieGoGo campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/glassfree
and our website: http://berlin1000.com/en/glassfree-for-imac/

Thanks for your time. Please feel free to contact me anytime.
 
RustyMacVet said:
I can't see your pictures :(
Click to expand...

Everything is up and running, so you should be able to see it. I attached a picture for you here. It shows the iMac with a prototype of the GlassFree with the original glass on the right side. You can see how reflections are minimized.

IMG_9934.jpg
 
Thanks for that link, I checked out the site.

I guess the big difference is that our frame will be made out of plastic instead of metal. We tried that too some time ago but found out that the WLAN and bluetooth signals are shielded then. Also, a plastic frame can be designed more precise around the webcam, LED and ambient light sensor.

We like to provide an alternative made out of high quality plastic - like the black parts on the MacBook Pro or iPad.
 
I also wondered about the bluetooth and WLAN. My testing showed no problems with the WLAN and the bluetooth signal strength stays at 100%.

The webcam, LED and ambient light sensor are available through a small laser cut window at the top.

Good luck with your project!
 
The Dell has it's problems too. One reviewer called it "the worst anti-glare coating ever".

I really think that once you remove the outer glass, you have the best of both worlds - less glare and a slightly glossy screen that looks great.
 
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