Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, MacBook
Shiny screens give me headaches
Someone in the comments to my morning post about the Apple Store being down noted this, and I agree: What's with the shiny screens on the new MacBooks? My friend Randall has a really shiny-screened HP laptop that he loves, but every time I use it I get a headache. I mean, they sell antiglare filters for desktops. Why do we want this on our laptops? Granted it makes the screen more visible outdoors with sunlight blaring on your screen, but ... I'm not sold on it. I guess I'll have to see one in person to make the call on whether to get my wife one of these or to go for an iBook.
What do you think? Should there be an option for glossy or not on the MacBook (like there is on the Pro model)?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
carbonbased said 2:08PM on 5-16-2006
Anti-Glare ftw
Glare ftl
Visibility > Looking good turned off.
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John Watkins said 2:17PM on 5-16-2006
I think there should for sure be an option to have a non glossy screen. Before I switched to Apple I had a Toshiba with a glossy screen and yes it was very clear and sharp but it attracted soooooo much dust!! Also, It creates a TON of glare. If they ever give this option i would choose the regular screen.
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Doug said 2:18PM on 5-16-2006
I've experienced the shiny screen thing on a crap-tastic dell laptop and I was kind of annoyed to read that the Macbooks have them now too.
But then I read this on MacCentral and it gave me hope: (From their interview with Phil Schiller)
?People have done glossy displays in the past, but it is only now that the quality is at a level that we are happy to put in our products,? said Schiller. ?We left it out because the color changing just wasn?t acceptable to us.?
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/16/macbook/index.php
So hopefully this means Apple's shiny screens won't be crap-tastic...
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Rare1 said 2:20PM on 5-16-2006
The glossy screen provide better contrast and color. I have had a sony xbrite for a while now and cannot go back to a regular monitor.
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Jacques Lema said 2:24PM on 5-16-2006
I just hope it's not too shiny. A colleague of mine has an HP laptop with a big 17 inch glossy screen. He had some many sun effects on the screen that we had to change places. My iBook has very low light, I wish it were much brighter, but I don't want to see stupid reflections on my screen.
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Grant Guthrie said 2:28PM on 5-16-2006
Given the option of not being able to see the screen at all in sunlight (non-glare screens), or having to deal with some reflections (new screens), I'll take being able to see what I'm working on. I'm going to pick one up tomorrow.
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Andy said 2:33PM on 5-16-2006
The glossy screen is going to be great. I've had friends with laptops that had glossy screens and they looked fantastic, far superior to the old iBook screens. Everyone will be changing their minds once they see/get one.
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Brett said 2:33PM on 5-16-2006
Agree, I will have to wait and see how they look in person. I worked with one on a Windows lappie a couple of years ago, and I liked it at the time, but I've been used to the non-glossy screen on my Powerbook for a while now. Wait and see for me.
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David Reitter said 2:36PM on 5-16-2006
Glossy screens look better in the store. If you've seen the vivid colors of a Sony Vaio next to an iBook, you know what I'm talking about. And this aspect is most important for a consumer-level notebook.
Apple has made the right decision in finally using glossy screens for the entry-level machines, while giving prosumers a choice.
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d. said 2:38PM on 5-16-2006
My Litte Brother has ont of those HP 17 inch monsters, and while i LOVE how bright and good the color representation seems on his screen, i can see him getting tons of glare if he was sitting near anything bright... or in the shade with bright around him.
i wish there was a happy medium cause i really LOVE the screen on his in a regularly light room (and it works for him because its basicly a desktop replacement). But on my powerbook i am out and about ALL the time... the shine woudl make me want to make with the murder.
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Greg Terry said 2:44PM on 5-16-2006
As a current user of an HP laptop with a glossy screen and looking to purchase a new Mac, my comments are:
Glossy screens are EVIL!
Unless you compute in a closet or a building with no lights and no windows, you WILL get lots of glare and reflections. I don't like seeing my reflection while computing. That's why mirrors were invented.
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brian said 2:49PM on 5-16-2006
why not let your wife see the screen and let her pick which she likes?
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S said 2:52PM on 5-16-2006
I work at an Apple Store, so I see the "glossy" screen on the 17" every day. I just have to say, do NOT be alarmed. The MBP we have in store has more of a semi-gloss finish than the kind of crap you see on VAIOs and such. You only really see the "glossy" quality if you are standing perpendicular to the screen.
We also have bright directional lighting in our store, and there's not even a hint of glare. The pictures that have been posted on the Apple website must have been doctored to exaggerate the effect, I've never seen a reflection like that ever. I'm just happy that there's enough reflection of light now that it might be visible outside; my 14" iBook is practically useless on a sunny day.
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Chris said 2:52PM on 5-16-2006
Here's my question: since maintaining a glossy/matte choice for the Pro probably means a significant amount of extra manufacturing, is there always going to be a choice between the two, or is the choice simply available until the current supply of original-screen MBPs runs out? As a flipside of that question, if I was to order an MBP in the immediate future (which I'm starting to think I will), will I be getting an older model if I opt for the matte screen? We don't know yet if the glossy-screen MBPs have had any other internal changes made (possibly to reduce the noise or cooling problems), but if so, I certainly don't want to get stuck with an older model -- but I hate glossy screens...
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icerabbit said 3:06PM on 5-16-2006
I give glossy screens a thumbs down, in general.
That said, it of course it remains to be seen what type Apple uses. For me, in my neck of the woods that means, I will not see one till my next trip out of state.
I've worked on a few and seen several pc notebooks with the ?Brite / Glossy screens and I would not want that level of glare on my personal system.
Yes, the view may be better when you view a DVD movie in a darker room, but these screens are imo not needed for a good & comfortable computing experience.
You used to have to turn your your desk and angle your CRT monitors & TVs so they wouldn't catch to many reflections, close the curtains, ... and it seems we're now going back to that.
Also if good LCD monitors from Apple & others for years have received raving reviews for contrast, brightness, color representation etc ... why would you have to resort to something like ?Brite / glossy screens.
To me it is a gimmick with more downsides then plusses.
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NotAwesome said 3:26PM on 5-16-2006
I don't recall where I read it, maybe Ars Technica, but it was a year or so ago. The author/commenter was talking about all of the craptastic PC laptops that were getting the glossy screen treatment.
They thought that it was another way to mask bad product: glossy = shiny, clean and new. Trying to appeal to consumers' associations with glossiness to make up for the crap they were selling, to give the appearance of a more high-end laptop, etc.
Seemed pretty plausible to me, especially since seeing them out and about and on my brother's laptop really did hurt my eyes. They were too reflective and ended up blurring my vision.
I hope what commenter #2 above cited about advancements in the finish is true for the new crop of Apple laptops. I think I'm enough of a fanboy to have a measure of good faith, but I won't be convinced until I spend some time trying to work with the new screens.
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Ole Martin said 3:27PM on 5-16-2006
I think that the glossy screen should be optional as on the MBP. I have the 1,83 GHz version of the MBP and I do not regret buying it early considering the new glossy displays.
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Eric Carroll said 3:38PM on 5-16-2006
I fear an iPod nano-esque tidal waves of "THEY SCRATCH SO EASY" complaints...
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Greg Terry said 3:44PM on 5-16-2006
Notice the quote from Phil Schiller says nothing about glare. It is talking about color changes. Unless they have a new type of screen and some pictures I saw earlier indicate it isn't, then the glare will not be acceptable.
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Joey S. said 4:03PM on 5-16-2006
My sister has a VAIO (but she's making the conversion to Apple soon). Anyhow, I find the shiny screen to be rather nice now. New glossy screens are much better than those of the past. I think things come out much clearer and I've never noticed any glare, even in well-lit areas (haven't tried outside though). All in all, I think there are way too many opinions in the comments from people who haven't seen it. It's one thing to make a prediction and then note that it is just a prediction (as C.K. did), and that's fine, but to automatically assume that you won't like the glossy screen having not seen it is illogical and unfair.
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