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Which protection would you choose for your Retina MacBook Pro?

  • Matte film.

    Votes: 12 60.0%
  • Tempered Glass.

    Votes: 8 40.0%

  • Total voters
    20
Right now I'm considering Hackintoshing a Dell XPS 15.

I was under the impression that XPS 15 also uses a glossy screen, not to mention that its screen has significantly lower brightness and contrast compared to the MBP?
 
I was under the impression that XPS 15 also uses a glossy screen, not to mention that its screen has significantly lower brightness and contrast compared to the MBP?

It has 1080 P matte screen or 4K glossy touch. Your choice.
 
It has 1080 P matte screen or 4K glossy touch. Your choice.

Well sure, but I assumed that we are talking about the premium end of the market and not the budget variant that uses cheap XXth century tech... in the high-end, Dell doesn't have a matte option.
 
I also have a silicone keyboard cover on my air...

Be careful. I had one on my 2012 retina Pro and because it adds bulk to the keyboard there’s real potential of denting the screen. I ended up having white spots I couldn’t remove. Luckily my screen got replaced for other reasons, but I’d never use a keyboard cover again.
 
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Use a photodon antiglare screen protecotr. I have one for my 2015 15" and its the best thing ever. No conplaints at all. No grease on screen, no fear of scratching coating, no glare, no eye strain.
 
Do the same things apply to the iPhone's screen? Like, not putting any film on it because it will tear off the coating?
Honestly, I've been using a glass protector on my iPhone since I bought it and at some point, I took it off and use my phone without any protection but it seemed like the coating wasn't very good. Could it be from those things? (If yes, kinda sad because I got a refurb one and put a protector on it as soon as I got it)
 
@alpi123 to be honest, something similar happened to me. I put a screen protector on my SE just to try, and then I took it off. Somehow, screen felt more grippy and more difficult to slide the finger. But I thought that was just my imagination.

I'm started to think, maybe it is better just not put anything until staingate start to make its first appearance. Then, use the warranty and, in worst case scenario, put THEN the screen protector.

But I'm not sure yet...
 
@alpi123 to be honest, something similar happened to me. I put a screen protector on my SE just to try, and then I took it off. Somehow, screen felt more grippy and more difficult to slide the finger. But I thought that was just my imagination.

I'm started to think, maybe it is better just not put anything until staingate start to make its first appearance. Then, use the warranty and, in worst case scenario, put THEN the screen protector.

But I'm not sure yet...
I'm waiting for my new glass to be shipped because I cracked the old one lol at least saved my display but again, that coating ;-;
 
Be careful. I had one on my 2012 retina Pro and because it adds bulk to the keyboard there’s real potential of denting the screen. I ended up having white spots I couldn’t remove. Luckily my screen got replaced for other reasons, but I’d never use a keyboard cover again.

My 2012 air screen is set back from bezel by about 1mm.
there are dust marks around bezel where keyboard cover touches it in closed position but nothing on screen.

my air has a hard clip on case on outside too so this seems to prevent flexing of lid as well probably why no marks on screen.

my work place is messy and more likely to spill something on keyboard so worth risk as cannot afford to replace it.
only cost £400 but took me 3 months get the money to buy it.
 
I had a pre-retina Macbook Pro some years ago and the glass on it was quite resistant to everyday scratches. I also owned an iMac 2011 and no matter how much I cleaned that screen, it never had any cosmetic damage. If I remember correctly, Apple removed a layer of glass from the retina display on the MBP to make it thinner and now I'm interested how the tbMPB's screen holds up over time.

Also I read more than one thread where the owners complained about the keyboard scratching the display and if I need to consider to put a cheap plastic film on a device that costs this much just to protect it from itself, I simply won't buy it.
 
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I had a pre-retina Macbook Pro some years ago and the glass on it was quite resistant to everyday scratches. I also owned an iMac 2011 and no matter how much I cleaned that screen, it never had any cosmetic damage. If I remember correctly, Apple removed a layer of glass from the retina display on the MBP to make it thinner and now I'm interested how the tbMPB's screen holds up over time.

Also I read more than one thread where the owners complained about the keyboard scratching the display and if I need to consider to put a cheap plastic film on a device that costs this much just to protect it from itself, I simply won't buy it.

Keys are plastic, not going to scratch the screen. If there's particles on the keyboard then the clearance is so tight it can have an abrasive quality on the screen itself. This will be exaggerated using a protector as there's going to be zero clearance. Keep your keyboard clean either way.
 
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Well sure, but I assumed that we are talking about the premium end of the market and not the budget variant that uses cheap XXth century tech... in the high-end, Dell doesn't have a matte option.

I"m not particularly interested in jumping on the 4K+ train - not a lot of media for it that I've seen. Look at it this way, at least people have a CHOICE. Apple likes to make choices for you.
 
I"m not particularly interested in jumping on the 4K+ train - not a lot of media for it that I've seen. Look at it this way, at least people have a CHOICE. Apple likes to make choices for you.

Apple only offers high-end, so yes, if you want a budget option using technically inferior components, you are right, there is not much choice here (unless you get the obsolete MacBook Air). As to the "not a lot of media" - really? Almost every single app on for macOS has HiDPI support, and all major websites have it too. Not to mention that the content that benefits most from HiDPI and is out there in abundance is text. Or are you talking about movies? Who in the world cares about that? Do you buy a business laptop just to watch movies?
 
Keys are plastic, not going to scratch the screen. If there's particles on the keyboard then the clearance is so tight it can have an abrasive quality on the screen itself. This will be exaggerated using a protector as there's going to be zero clearance. Keep your keyboard clean either way.

At work see many screens with the edges of keys etched into the screen so yes over time it will leave marks.
It is usually when the laptop is closed and in a bag/carry case etc that the is small amount of movement causing the keys to touch screen causing marks.

my fiancee 1st gen macbook air has many key outlines on her screen.
not an issue yet as not too heavily marked up.

my asus transformer tablet has key marks on screen from the dock too.

my macbook air 2012 has some residue from my silicone keyboard cover if I really look hard but wipes off with a soft cloth.
I have a film protector on my air screen.
 
At work see many screens with the edges of keys etched into the screen so yes over time it will leave marks.
It is usually when the laptop is closed and in a bag/carry case etc that the is small amount of movement causing the keys to touch screen causing marks.
Unfortunately I can attest to this as well. Despite regular cleaning, the screen of my 15" is very prone to developing key marks. They are a pain in the neck to remove and come back very quickly. I have a very small smudge from one key which I couldn't manage to remove (luckily it's super tiny and visible only under direct light on a completely clean black screen, so it does not bother me). Using the thin white paper film that comes with the MBP was not sufficient to avoid the issue, I had to purchase a Radtech cover to prevent it from getting worse.

Note that I'm generally very careful with my laptops. I use a hard case, a padded sleeve and a padded bag, and wipe the keyboard and screen regularly and properly, so it's definitely not an improper handling issue.
 
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Unfortunately I can attest to this as well. Despite regular cleaning, the screen of my 15" is very prone to developing key marks. They are a pain in the neck to remove and come back very quickly. I have a very small smudge from one key which I couldn't manage to remove (luckily it's super tiny and visible only under direct light on a completely clean black screen, so it does not bother me). Using the thin white paper film that comes with the MBP was not sufficient to avoid the issue, I had to purchase a Radtech cover to prevent it from getting worse.

Note that I'm generally very careful with my laptops. I use a hard case, a padded sleeve and a padded bag, and wipe the keyboard and screen regularly and properly, so it's definitely not an improper handling issue.

Hmm I've never had an issue with screens being scratched up from keyboards, I don't put anything in between the keys and screen however. Were you using something? You mention a 'thin white paper film'?

I just clean often (Not that often, maybe once a week, or when I notice dirt). Never had any issues, would not use a silicon cover or anything of the sort because of the added pressure against the screen.
 
Hmm I've never had an issue with screens being scratched up from keyboards, I don't put anything in between the keys and screen however. Were you using something? You mention a 'thin white paper film'?

I just clean often (Not that often, maybe once a week, or when I notice dirt). Never had any issues, would not use a silicon cover or anything of the sort because of the added pressure against the screen.
I meant that paper sheet which comes with every new MBP, don't know how to call it, maybe most people throw it away :)

Btw, my screen is not scratched, there is only a super small smudge I wasn't able to remove with a delicate cleaning, but it's something 98% of people would never have noticed. I would avoid using a silicon keyboard cover as well, they are too thick for the current MBP and actually worsen things because they still have the key shapes and add pressure on the screen.
 
Neither, it won't fit in my pocket so I'm not sure how it'd get scratched.

If it's about protecting the device from Apple's defects (Staingate) then sorry but no, I expect my £1749 computer to be free from defects, not to have to cover it up in case Apple made a mistake. I'd be off down the nearest Genius Bar citing the Sale of Goods Act at them over and over and seeing who gets bored first.
 
I'm not sure that "Apple only offers high-end" is an accurate statement. Apple until recently has been offering old processors and memory that are years behind the competition but charging the same prices. The new MBP just got Kaby Lake behind the competition, plus aren't running 4k screens like a lot of other laptops, or touch screens (not that I'd personally want one). They still have DDR3 memory maxed out at 16GBs. Even still, Apple is playing catch-up trying to prove to the world that they still cater to the professional, and haven't abandoned the mac. Why? Because they dropped the ball and focused on the every-day consumer and tried to convince people that all they needed was an iPad. Now they're back-tracking and trying to prove otherwise. So to say Apple only offers high-end might be more true now, but not completely true.

I'm not sure what you mean about the "not a lot of media" quote, as I don't recall saying it. Maybe it's from someone else.

Apple only offers high-end, so yes, if you want a budget option using technically inferior components, you are right, there is not much choice here (unless you get the obsolete MacBook Air). As to the "not a lot of media" - really? Almost every single app on for macOS has HiDPI support, and all major websites have it too. Not to mention that the content that benefits most from HiDPI and is out there in abundance is text. Or are you talking about movies? Who in the world cares about that? Do you buy a business laptop just to watch movies?
 
I'm not sure that "Apple only offers high-end" is an accurate statement. Apple until recently has been offering old processors and memory that are years behind the competition but charging the same prices. The new MBP just got Kaby Lake behind the competition, plus aren't running 4k screens like a lot of other laptops, or touch screens (not that I'd personally want one). They still have DDR3 memory maxed out at 16GBs.

Your post is full of one-sided statements which fail to see the things in context. Like a) yes, Apple adopted Skylake CPUs later than some other competitors, but its because they've been waiting for a specific revision of those CPUs that Intel never delivered in sufficient quantities b) their displays are among the finest on the market, not choosing the mainstream 4K is a deliberate choice which in no way diminishes the quality of the display itself — same for touchscreen c) they don't use DDR3 but LPDDR3 (big difference), like any other manufacturer that cares for battery life.

On the other side, Apple offers the only laptop currently on the market that gives the customer full TB3 bandwidth (correct me if I am mistaken though), has the fastest WiFi, top-level SSDs, display with best combination of brightness and contrast ratio without sacrificing battery, as well as fastest CPUs Intel currently has to offer in that respective bracket. These are some of the reasons why I am saying that Apple is only offering high-end.

I'm not sure what you mean about the "not a lot of media" quote, as I don't recall saying it. Maybe it's from someone else.

I"m not particularly interested in jumping on the 4K+ train - not a lot of media for it that I've seen.

Sorry if I misunderstood your post.
 
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