Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Translate the translation?

Sorry to be a complete dullard here, but is the site saying that the MB display is noticeably better or worse than the others?


Geez, I had a complete 'Airplane!' flashback reading your reply. "Does anyone here speak Jive?"

Oh, the genius at the applestore last night gave me a few options:
Wait a couple of weeks, and have them swap the monitor (maybe get a different build);
Swap for different model and cross my fingers;
Or, I could pony up the difference for a MBP for no restocking fee.

What would be your advice?
 
If you don't care about the weight go with the MBP. it has an excellent screen.

I'm trying to get a MBA myself.

I would not try to swap now because I am not sure if the C8 panel is really better than C89.

Sorry to be a complete dullard here, but is the site saying that the MB display is noticeably better or worse than the others?
They give 2 out of 5 stars to the MB screen of the 2.4 unit (C89). Another unit they reviewed got 2.5 stars. MBA is 5/5.

PS. I've updated the post with more info. Low contrast means worse, high black levels mean worse.
 
Quick Tip-How to show your display stinks

What really, I think, helped me at the apple store is playing he latest keynote address on my MB, Steve Jobs and everyone else wearing blacks looked like terrible floating heads on my display.
 
It's an Apple. They are overpriced period. That's the reality of purchasing an Apple product. For the amount of money one is spending on a Macbook do you know how many other laptops offer better specs overall than the Macbook (more powerful processor, more ram, larger hd, better screen, etc.)?

Now you're comparing the fully spec'd Macbook 2.4 to a base MBA as a price comparison. Another totally unfair comparison.

Remember the Macbook is Apple's entry level consumer notebook. A lot of the posters on here are portraying that the screen is unusable which is simply not the case.

If you compare the old MB to the new MB, the screen on the new one is better. That's the bottom line. TrunksGoku has posted videos of the screen and he fluctuates the angles as well (within normal viewing parameters) and the screen is fine.

Thing is, it isn't any better and worse on the blacks. I had a previous gen Blackbook and just returned the new 2.4 alu crapbook for a new MB Pro. I compared the screens of the previous gen Macbook (last gen, not the gen before that the very last one) and it is not true at all it is better screen wise. Graphics yes. Screen, no. Keep repeating to yourself that your new one is better screen wise if it makes you feel better about your purchase, but it isn't true. I even asked 2 Apple employees at the Apple store to be honest about it and they flat out told me that they couldn't see much difference in the screens of the last one and this one in quality. Anyone without any biases and emotional attachment which you clearly have would come to the same conclusion (we are talking about the very last gen Macbook--not one made 2 years ago).

I really feel sorry for people who spent so much money on a subpar screen. You deserve better from Apple, but instead you defend them ripping you off by putting a crappy screen with decent graphics. When they put the integrated Nvidia graphics in there which is pretty good common sense says they would complement it with a decent screen. They didn't. Defend them all you want because it makes you feel good about your overpriced purchase, but deep down you know what Apple did was wrong and you didn't get the screen it deserves.

Now I love my MB Pro. This is a screen I can be proud of when I compare it to my friends PC laptops and not feel ashamed like I did with the screen of the alu Macbook I had.
 
I really feel sorry for people who spent so much money on a subpar screen. You deserve better from Apple, but instead you defend them ripping you off by putting a crappy screen with decent graphics.

I'm not defending them, I just haven't noticed any problems with mine. I'm going to try the Steve Jobs keynote later so it'll be interesting to see if I have the same issues as everyone else.

I can't afford the extra $800/$1000 to upgrade to a base model MBA/MBP, so the only option I have would be to exchange for a WhiteBook and some store credit. Even then, the screen will probably the same I guess.

With the disclaimer that this may change later, at the moment I'm quite happy with my screen and I doubt I'd be worrying about it at all if I hadn't read this thread.
 
oh no..reading all those comments about the screen makes me nervous.

sold my macbook air (had problems with it..overheating and the like) and ordered a macbook on the 17th. hopefully i'll get it next week...but as for now i don't know where my macbook is, this really su*ks!!

after seeing some of those pics in this thread i'm sure i'll be disappointed. not sure what to buy instead? maybe it's time to look at thinkpads or sony, because the macbook pro is too big and the mba too expensive :(

i'm stuck right know...after waiting nearly 3 weeks for my new mb.
 
after seeing some of those pics in this thread i'm sure i'll be disappointed. not sure what to buy instead? maybe it's time to look at thinkpads or sony, because the macbook pro is too big and the mba too expensive :(

Maybe you should spend a week with it first before you start panicking and thinking of what to get next :)
 
if it ever arrives :p

i know..i'll have 14 days to test it. but since i am used to a mba screen...there is not much hope :eek:

<sigh>

You're right. Since you've already decided there's no hope just return it unopened as soon as you get it.

Seriously, just because some members here have problems does not mean you will. Spend a week with it first THEN decide what you want to do.
 
if it ever arrives :p

i know..i'll have 14 days to test it. but since i am used to a mba screen...there is not much hope :eek:

relax. i came from an MBA too and its not THAT bad where you will hate it. The screen for most part is decent and on par with the MBA with the direct view angle.

The blacks are a problem when you watch a movie at full screen. Usually will impact darker scenes.

For your normal use, dont worry too much about whats being said. But im a "normal" consumer and see it as a machine. I dont care what PC's have and my friends do not care about what my screen looks like.
 
relax. i came from an MBA too and its not THAT bad where you will hate it. The screen for most part is decent and on par with the MBA with the direct view angle.

The blacks are a problem when you watch a movie at full screen. Usually will impact darker scenes.

For your normal use, dont worry too much about whats being said. But im a "normal" consumer and see it as a machine. I dont care what PC's have and my friends do not care about what my screen looks like.

thx for your reply. i'm not using it for graphic designs etc. all i need it for is programming (java, abap and so on) taking notes in class and of course i'll watch movies on it. hopefully the black won't be that bad as on some pics..well i'll let you know when i get it :)
 
From the descriptions of people here, it seems the new Macbooks are using the same craptastic screens as the non-IPS Thinkpads.

I returned my Thinkpad X200 a few weeks ago for the same problems. Very limited vertical viewing angles, a solid black background will look black on the bottom and gray/brown/bluish on the top of the screen without moving your head as you stared at it.

It's a shame Apple has followed the path of the Thinkpads and Dell laptops, which are notorious for craptastic displays.

img35741ux5.jpg

Here's a craptastic Dell in all its washed out glory. Remind you of the new Macbook? Unfortunately for you, that Dell Vostro costs only $550.

Buy an HP Elitebook (business class HP's are great, but HP's consumer lines are really craptastic too) or a tablet PC for those looking for the 12"-13" notebooks with decent screens. Fujitsu's and Sony's make small laptops with great screens too. Or just get an MBA.
 
From the descriptions of people here, it seems the new Macbooks are using the same craptastic screens as the non-IPS Thinkpads.

I returned my Thinkpad X200 a few weeks ago for the same problems. Very limited vertical viewing angles, a solid black background will look black on the bottom and gray/brown/bluish on the top of the screen without moving your head as you stared at it.

It's a shame Apple has followed the path of the Thinkpads and Dell laptops, which are notorious for craptastic displays.

img35741ux5.jpg

Here's a craptastic Dell in all its washed out glory. Remind you of the new Macbook? Unfortunately for you, that Dell Vostro costs only $550.

Buy an HP Elitebook (business class HP's are great, but HP's consumer lines are really craptastic too) or a tablet PC for those looking for the 12"-13" notebooks with decent screens. Fujitsu's and Sony's make small laptops with great screens too. Or just get an MBA.


or you could swap the panel with an air's panel?
 
to all the guys taking pictures of your screens:

I think you need to change the white balance of your cameras in order to shoot to a LED lit display, the camera sensor gets fooled by the LED light and assume a wrong value for the white balance, thus the overly exagerated blue color.

all LCD screens have some quantity of light bleed from the bottom panel, my aluminium MB does have some light bleeding, but is only noticeable with very dark scenes, remember this is not a plasma screen so blacks will never be perfect blacks!.

I am not saying that the MB panel is a above average or anything like that but certainly is fine for normal use (internet, email, wor processing etc) or photo editing, If I want to do serious photo editing I would attach my MB to a proper screen perfectly calibrated with my printer's color scheme to obtain the best results anyway.
Even though, the difference between looking to an image on a professional screen and on my macbook would never be as drammatic as from b/w to color.
 
Some shots of the MB C89 and Sony Z.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3436s.JPG
    IMG_3436s.JPG
    806.8 KB · Views: 1,060
  • IMG_3500.JPG
    IMG_3500.JPG
    959.5 KB · Views: 170
  • IMG_3488.JPG
    IMG_3488.JPG
    902.4 KB · Views: 152
  • IMG_3499.JPG
    IMG_3499.JPG
    926.8 KB · Views: 157
I'm typing on a new aluminum 2.4 Macbook and the screen is horrible as is my friends new aluminum 2.0 Macbook. The new one is slightly better than my previous blackbook, but not by much. The blacks in the new one are the worse I have ever seen on a modern computer.

So to answer your question many people own the current one and hate the screen.

So, you turned in your macbook for a pro? Do you think it's worth the extra $700 difference between the two?

I took my 2.0 to the applestore and got an authorization number where I can either wait a week or two and either swap it, have them replace the screen, or trade it in for a MBP? What do you think? If I'm going to be staring at it a couple hours a day or a year or three, is it worth the difference with all of the economic uncertainty? I compared mine to a midrange whitebook my friend bought last christmas. Mine was brighter, whiter, but equally crappy on darks. Watching night scenes on it is unbearable.
 
So, you turned in your macbook for a pro? Do you think it's worth the extra $700 difference between the two?

I took my 2.0 to the applestore and got an authorization number where I can either wait a week or two and either swap it, have them replace the screen, or trade it in for a MBP? What do you think? If I'm going to be staring at it a couple hours a day or a year or three, is it worth the difference with all of the economic uncertainty? I compared mine to a midrange whitebook my friend bought last christmas. Mine was brighter, whiter, but equally crappy on darks. Watching night scenes on it is unbearable.

Clyde:

Yes it was well worth returning the new alu Macbook for the new Macbook Pro. I didn't pay an additional $700 for it. Remember the new Macbook 2.4 is $1599 and the new Macbook Pro starts at $1999. I only paid $400 difference to get it. Well, well, well worth it. Some say they like the reg Macbook because it weighs less and has a smaller footprint (I think many just can't afford the Pro, but that is my opinion). I'm a girl and I can easily tote this Pro anywhere. An additional pound in weight and a slightly bigger footprint doesn't bother me, so it is hard for me to imagine how it can be for a man. The benefits of the Pro far outweigh the small additional weight, cost, and footprint anyways IMO (price compared to the new 2.4). I carried it a long way yesterday on campus. My classes on campus are spread out and I have to climb a lot of hills and stairs. I didn't see much difference between the Pro and carrying the alu Macbook I returned. I think it is just an excuse, but oh well to each their own.

The Pro is light years ahead of the reg Macbook in the screen. There is no comparison and to try is stupid. I compared the new Macbook I returned along with my friends new alu Macbook and to a few of our friends cheap PC's laptop screens and that was the final straw. I could not live with the new alu Macbook knowing it had a cheap screen and was worse than way cheaper PC's laptops. I owned a Blackbook before this and I don't care what a few of the new Macbook owners say, the last gen Macbook's screen was slightly better. Apple should of put a quality screen in the new one to complement the new graphic chip, but they put a good graphic chip in it with a horrible screen. It makes no sense other than them ripping people off because it is the "in" thing to buy a Mac. I have owned Mac's for the last 10 years and I have never been as disappointed as I was when I bought the new alu macbook. Current and future owners of the new Macbook should demand Apple do better on the screens (calibration doesn't work that much, I tried 3 different programs--it was the poor screen--I tested it on my friends new one along with several at the store--some were slightly better, but still horrible for that amount of money). Instead of defending the screens and Apple, people need to make their feelings known. When I returned my alu Macbook the Apple Store manager told me they have had a large number of returns with the new Macbook primarily because of the poor quality of the screens. He also said all the stores in his district are experiencing the same high rate of returns on it. It isn't just people on here complaining, but others as well. If I paid less than a $1000 on it, I could of accepted that screen, but it is unacceptable when you pay that much money and get a below average screen. Like I said earlier, current owners do need to hold Apple to a higher standard because they pay a premium for it. I think many of the new alu owners are taking this thing way to emotional and personal. It isn't. Many people, especially those of us who have been Mac owners for years, are mad that Apple put a poor quality screen in a otherwise really nice laptop. Write letters, email Apple, and complain to the managers at the Apple stores. If enough people complain they might change the screen and make it better for people. People who pay that amount of money deserve at least a decent screen that can show black when it is black.
 
I agree with everyone who says the new MBP screen is better than the Macbook's. But I've lined two of my white Macbooks (one two years old and the other less than a year old) next to my alum MB 2.4 and the new one has a better screen than the others. And it's not just brighter.

I'm running the Jobs keynote and on the new one the black background is uniform from top to bottom and Jobs' different shade of black shirt is easily discernible. Yes, there is a limited viewing angle but I still prefer the new screen over the old by far.
 
I agree with everyone who says the new MBP screen is better than the Macbook's. But I've lined two of my white Macbooks (one two years old and the other less than a year old) next to my alum MB 2.4 and the new one has a better screen than the others. And it's not just brighter.

I'm running the Jobs keynote and on the new one the black background is uniform from top to bottom and Jobs' different shade of black shirt is easily discernible. Yes, there is a limited viewing angle but I still prefer the new screen over the old by far.

I disagree. The previous gen Macbook has a much better screen overall. It is sad when the Apple employees agree with you. The manager and the guy who helped me, even knocked the new one especially on the blacks. I lined up several as well also like I said in the above post.

Previous gen is better by far (if you want to be that biased, I will also). Neither one in reality is better than the other (the older one has better blacks and the new one better on brightness) because both screens aren't that good. Whatever makes you feel good about your purchase though.
 
I disagree. The previous gen Macbook has a much better screen overall. It is sad when the Apple employees agree with you. The manager and the guy who helped me, even knocked the new one especially on the blacks.

Previous gen is better by far (if you want to be that biased, I will also). Neither one in reality is better than the other (the older one has better blacks and the new one better on brightness) because both screens aren't that good. Whatever makes you feel good about your purchase though.

Holy crap, give it a freakin' rest. You're like a damn broken record. Everyone knows how you feel, you don't need to chime in every single time someone says something positive about their screen.
 
Holy crap, give it a freakin' rest. You're like a damn broken record. Everyone knows how you feel, you don't need to chime in every single time someone says something positive about their screen.

Then put me on ignore, genius. If people keep claiming things that are untrue (like the new one's screen is FAR better than the old one--which is a lie--I know it makes the new alu Macbook owners like you feel better thinking that, but it isn't true) I will give my opinions also. If you don't like it then ignore me. It is mostly the same people saying how great the new screen is, so it works both ways. Use ignore.
 
Then put me on ignore, genius. If people keep claiming things that are untrue (like the new one's screen is FAR better than the old one--which is a lie--I know it makes the new alu Macbook owners like you feel better thinking that, but it isn't true) I will give my opinions also. If you don't like it then ignore me. It is mostly the same people saying how great the new screen is, so it works both ways. Use ignore.

I'm well within the means and return period to return my new Macbook if the screen bothers me. You can call it a lie or untrue but again, TO ME, the new Macbook screen is much better than the other two white Macbooks I own. If you're not happy with the new screen that's fine with me but please don't infer that I'm lying about my experience with the screen comparisons I've made.

Would I like the screen to be on par with the MBP? Of course. But as far as I'm concerned the screen on the new Macbooks is an improvement on the older Macbooks.
 
Would I like the screen to be on par with the MBP? Of course. But as far as I'm concerned the screen on the new Macbooks is an improvement on the older Macbooks.

Exactly. I owned three of the previous gen, and I think this current model is superior as well. The LED backlighting alone is a nice step forward.
 
Then put me on ignore, genius. If people keep claiming things that are untrue (like the new one's screen is FAR better than the old one--which is a lie--I know it makes the new alu Macbook owners like you feel better thinking that, but it isn't true) I will give my opinions also. If you don't like it then ignore me. It is mostly the same people saying how great the new screen is, so it works both ways. Use ignore.

What I don't understand is...If you have the Macbook Pro now, why aren't you posting in those forums instead of continuously bashing the Macbook. We get it...you don't like the new Macbook. Yes you are entitled to your opinion, but at this point it is starting to get a little ridiculous. Every time somebody makes a post on how much they love their Macbook, there you are right behind them to tear it to pieces. Just enjoy your new Macbook Pro!:rolleyes:
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.