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Ok - final thread on the anti-glare v glossy conundrum

dreamsandart said:
It was a toss up, both looked great. If you had a gun to my head I would go for the glossy - if it wasn't for the reflection...
Click to expand...

Totally agreed !!! (but I balanced the reflection against durability and - basically, my emotional reaction to one or the other - and am throwing my lot with glossy)

If I were Apple having two such great screen choices, how would I market them and guide consumers? It is hard because they are both great in their own way - and it really does come down to personal choice.

I have flopped back and forth easily 10 times I can identify - but never felt strong enough to go ahead and buy the darn thing. I am comfortable now. Part of it was doing what you did - spending time in the Apple Store just staring and probing and testing and asking myself how I would feel about one or the other. I don't know how people do that who are not close to Apple Stores - the simple descriptions on the online Store site don't do this decision justice.

I can argue processors, GPUs and hard disks all day - all those things have hard and fast statistics that are easy to wrap your head around. When it comes to the display, yes there is technology but the choice is largely how you react to what you see... Its personal and emotional, which is why so many of us have gotten worked up in advocating one or the other. Unlike your GPU, there is no perfect or right answer. In a way, I am glad we have this choice - but it is a hard one to make. At least it was for me.

I wish everyone the best in coming to your own conclusions on this conundrum... I never expected to work this hard in buying a laptop...

JB
 
Just thought I'd chime in from another thread and mention that the 15inch HR AG weighs approximately 0.5 pounds less that the glossy. Well it looks like i'm back to being undecided again!

Could anyone with the older 17inch macbook pro AG screens comment on how well they've held up? Are there any noticeable discoloration/smudges/smears or dust trapped between the seam etc.?

Adam
 
Just to chime in with my own opinion on the subject: I just received my i5 15" MBP w/ HI RES Glossy screen on Tuesday. This is my first mac and I must say that I love it! I was extremely worried about whether or not I made the right choice regarding whether or not I should have gotten the anti-glare/glossy. I read through multiple threads on this forum and the conclusion that I came to was that your choice between glossy and AG comes down to two factors: 1) personal preference and 2) what types of environments you use you laptop in.

Having come to this conclusion I then received my laptop and I must say that I do not understand people's hatred of the glossy screen. Unless you have a strobe light behind you while working on the MBP the glossy screen is not problematic at all. If I was constantly outside while working with my MBP that might be a different story. But if you use your laptop in doors, the glossy screen is great. The colors are more vibrant, the screen is easy to clean, and best of all it doesn't, in comparison to the AG screen, look like the typical screen on a PC. Unless you exclusively work on your MBP outside go with the glossy (HI RES to if your getting a 15").
 
You will see what we are talking about over time. The glossy will slowly start to drive you mad.

johnnymike24 said:
Just to chime in with my own opinion on the subject: I just received my i5 15" MBP w/ HI RES Glossy screen on Tuesday. This is my first mac and I must say that I love it! I was extremely worried about whether or not I made the right choice regarding whether or not I should have gotten the anti-glare/glossy. I read through multiple threads on this forum and the conclusion that I came to was that your choice between glossy and AG comes down to two factors: 1) personal preference and 2) what types of environments you use you laptop in.

Having come to this conclusion I then received my laptop and I must say that I do not understand people's hatred of the glossy screen. Unless you have a strobe light behind you while working on the MBP the glossy screen is not problematic at all. If I was constantly outside while working with my MBP that might be a different story. But if you use your laptop in doors, the glossy screen is great. The colors are more vibrant, the screen is easy to clean, and best of all it doesn't, in comparison to the AG screen, look like the typical screen on a PC. Unless you exclusively work on your MBP outside go with the glossy (HI RES to if your getting a 15").
Click to expand...
 
I'm going for the Glossy one cause I really don't see any big difference, I'm not a computer expert and also cause some of the smartest engineers in the world thinks that it's the best choice for the general consumer and I'm as general as it gets.. :D Until I started reading on here I'd never heard anyone talk about disadvantages with the glossy screen except for when you're out in the sun..
 
Mine came in yesterday and so far I'm loving the hi res glossy. Right now I'm at work and have it across the room doing installs of CS4, etc while I code. I can see a *slight* reflection, but it's just not enough to complain about for me personally.

At work I develop on dual 24" matte Dell monitors and at home I use a 22" glossy on my desktop. I like the glossy for the color vibrance a bit more. Maybe hardcore designers think it's "oversaturated", but that's what calibration and proofs are for. :)

Anyway, just throwing in my $0.02 saying that I like the glossy. But I'm also pretty used to glossy screens from machines in the past.
 
amarcus said:
Could anyone with the older 17inch macbook pro AG screens comment on how well they've held up? Are there any noticeable discoloration/smudges/smears or dust trapped between the seam etc.?

Adam
Click to expand...

I got a late 2006, MBP 2,1 17" with the matte screen as a replacement for my G4. Screen hasn't had any noticeable discoloration with the exception of one tiny light spot, that I suspect is from my brother dropping the machine. I've kept it fairly clean with a bottle of screen cleaner and a fatwa on anyone who touches the screen, so there are really no smudges or smears.

On the downside, there is a considerable amount of lint and dust that accrues along the seam. And it is a bit tedious trying to clean along the edges, but a can of compressed air can handle most of the work. But the occasional hair that wedges itself in between the screen and the frame/bezel can be really frustrating. Maybe it'll slide out, or maybe it will break forever to remain. Also with the slight texture to the screen surface it appears that dust accumulates a little faster, but I can't be sure of that. Last thing I would mention is the screen does appear a little dull, but that could be because the machine is older or the matte screen that diffuses light hitting the screen might also diffuse the light exiting the screen.
 
13" MBP AG Ever?

I have a 17" AG MBP and will buy a 13" MBP for traveling. Please hypothesize: When will Apple release a 13" AG? Ever?

Thx,
rJ
 
I have a 24" iMac and I loved the glass look at first, but it gets super annoying after awhile.

Believe me, go matte.
 
Ordered the Moshi anti-reflective display cover for my glossy 15" uMBP. Yes, the glossy drives me NUTS now!!!! Took a little over a year, but when I'm doing anything that isn't just facebooking/macrumoring, it's pretty awful.
 
I like the glossy screens the most...

I never follow the herds so I may stand alone on this but, the Glossy is much better looking IMHO. For instance, the Hi-Res Glossy(black) vs Hi-Res Anti-Glare(silver). To me the glossy black screen just radiates "I am an Apple product" and the anti-glare screams "I am a Dell product".

I agree that the anti glare is nice for blocking the sun but, I have never minded the minor screen adjustments to correct any glare that came my way.

The nice thing is that despite the differences on screen preferences we all love our MACs.

-Nate
 
EVO9Nate said:
I like the glossy screens the most...

To me the glossy black screen just radiates "I am an Apple product" and the anti-glare screams "I am a Dell product".
Click to expand...

Whaa? There is a reason Apple charges a premium for matte. Discerning people demand it. The sheep and the cheap go for glossy.
 
Feel free to add to this ...

Neither are perfect, both will get better as technology advances.

Both are excellent screens, depends on your preference, here's some idea's that may help.

Matte Screen
plus
- Truer colors, good for photo editing etc
- Minimal reflections
- good under many lighting conditions, fluorescent/outside
minus
- you can tell there is a film on the screen, as someone mentioned above looks like a 'stretched pantyhose'.
- outdoors, or sun shinning direct at screen from a window it can appear dark/almost black and difficult to see.


Glossy screen
plus
- blacker blacks, more punch to the color.
- "pleasing" to look at, soft yet vivid colors.
minus
- very reflective under some lighting conditions, have to set to full brightness to view as a result, for example outdoors.
- not as color accurate, (photography).

The best screen Apple has put out to date, (imo), is the MacBook Air. It's a glossy screen, without the glass, but reflects no more that a matte display. I think great for reading text also good color for photo/video work?
 
There is no conundrum. It's personal preference.

Me? Glossy is horrible. Matte only, please.

Paper vs. plastic. Chocolate vs. vanilla. Just a simple preference, nothing more.

It seems everyone wants to be directed what to do in life.

OP: Order matte HD screen only. Avoid glossy as it will cause cancer.
:D
 
The only thing I want from the AG is the weight. It makes an already somewhat bulky laptop much easier to carry around. However i still chose the glossy because I like how much easier it is to clean.
 
Ok - the original poster has his HR glossy !!

My 17" HR glossy arrived yesterday from Shanghai and is in front of me now doing an install on Office Mac. I have a very light filled office with 6 pendulum halogens and 7 or 8 track lights - but glare is hardly noticeable. Instead, the clarity and color is everything I was looking forward to and more.

I could not have been happier with my glossy choice.

Now, this is how I feel - and I respect all the AG mavens out there....

But for me I have found my mac - and I am a happy clam !!!

:D:D:D
:apple::apple::apple:
 
JerseyBill said:
And of course we are setting this picture up at exactly the PERFECT angle to maximize glare - note the window shadow behind. Not a realistic computer use situation.

If the author of this had shot them straight on - to not make an extreme point about glare - it might be a fairer comparison. Even in this shot the matte seems less precise an image than the glossy - more indistinct
Click to expand...

HAHA as the person that actually took these pictures and posted them on the AppleInsider forums last year, this is the entire post I had made, including the other images I had taken. I didn't have a 17" glossy to compare it with.

OK, so I got my hands on the new 15-inch MacBook Pro. I wanted to compare it side-by-side with my 17-inch that I spent extra money on for the matte option.

I took these comparison photos of them sitting on my dining room table. The sun was starting to set when I snapped them, so the rays are beaming through my windows. The screens are not facing the windows.

gloss1.jpg


gloss4.jpg


gloss5.jpg


As you can see, the ambient light in the room is reflecting off the glass a little bit here, giving the appearance of haze on the 15-inch. But this seems only apparent in the photographs because it's not at all apparent in person. The blacks do look deeper, like Phil Schiller says.

gloss2.jpg


From an off angle, it's a different story. Reflections are very apparent. But who looks at their screen off angle like this? I guess it's not good for the friend next to you looking on. Both displays were at maximum brightness levels.

gloss3.jpg


The closer you are, the less reflective the glass appears to be.

Now, these photos were taken in the morning in my kitchen. Windows are right behind me.

glossy6.jpg


Same kitchen, matte screened 17-inch unibody:

glossy11.jpg


There is some reflection off the 17-inch screen but it's much more diffused.

These photos were taken outside in full sun. As you can see, the glossy screen is no match for daylight.

glossy10.jpg


glossy14.jpg


glossy15.jpg


In the final analysis, the glassy screen can be impressive. I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would! But I can't imagine how Apple could go this long without offering the smaller MacBook Pro models at least the same option of having a matte finish as they are giving the 17-inch buyers. Apple must have the matte option on the other models in the works.
 
I wonder if the so-called stretched pantyhose effect is just the black LCD pixel element grid lines. Back around 2001 - 2002, when LCD displays were starting to become popular, some people moving to LCDs from CRTs complained about the lines as a window screen effect. Back then, all LCDs were matte. The grid is not as evident in glossy displays, and may not be visible to the naked eye on a glass covered screen unless you examine it very closely. If you examine a matte screen with a magnifier the dark grid lines between the pixel elements are very easy to see. On a higher res matte screen the grids can interact optically with microscopic dust particles on the screen to give a patchy veil effect, as there's only a fraction of a millimeter between the dust and the screen elements. This effect would be minimized on a glass screen because of the distance between the screen elements and the outer glass surface.
 
1st macbook pro

random thought....i ordered the Hi-Res Glossy Wide screen display. How will i know it is in fact the Hi-res screen? i've never owned or used a macbook pro enough to "notice" the difference from the older models. will there be a setting i can check when i load up the computer to see the screen resolution? or will there be a list of configs on the box i can read?

Just want to make sure i don't get jipped of my money due to bad luck and me not getting the hi-res screen i asked for...because honestly if they through on a regular glossy screen i 100% know i wouldn't know the difference and i would be playing myself thinking its the hi-res when it really isnt.

just a bit of paranoia creeping in due to the long wait for my macbook pro!

Thanks.
 
dsprimal said:
random thought....i ordered the Hi-Res Glossy Wide screen display. How will i know it is in fact the Hi-res screen?

just a bit of paranoia creeping in due to the long wait for my macbook pro!

Thanks.
Click to expand...

lol, first check the description on the side of the box before you open it. It should say Hi Res or something next to the model.. Then go into your settings and into display options or whatever. It should should show 1680x1050. Or go to about this mac in the top left corner (apple logo) and click on more info, then look at the display details..

And if your still paranoid you can take it to a store and compare.


DHagen4755, Nice pictures by the way.. You really make the glossy look good in those.
 
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