The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Good point, but elementary at best.

Apple mass-produces computers on a huge scale. If the larger percentage of the computers have the glossy screen, it costs them money to produce a matte screen for a few customers. It's the economics of scale.

I'm glad they included the option for the matte screen: the better question is has anyone actually seen one? Is it a true matte screen (the softer plastic ones) or a glass one with some sort of matte anti-glare coating?

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making the mate screen is actually more costly since it consists of more pieces. Plus Apple has always charged more for customizations and this is most definitely a customization and requires Apple to go back to an older manufacturing model. It is nice to Apple bending to the will of the consumers for a change. As much as I love their products they are notoriously inflexible. Now do the same to the remaining 13" MacbookPro and I'd be a really happy camper and heck I might even get one next year.

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@tevetorbes: Based on the matte 17" MBP I've seen I can say they are as matte as they come – basically the same as the previous Powerbook/MBP models without glare.

(Besides: matte screens are also glass (all LC displays are) – but with a special plastic sheet in front.)

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Proof that Apple can give people what they gripe and whine for, but they'll never be happy.

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Wondering this myself - just picked one up a couple of weeks ago.

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Calm down fella, the issue is real - you are simply lucky to have an ideal environment. I have an office with full-day sun at my back. This issue is significant and I am not a "pantone snob". I honestly don't know the difference between hue, saturation, gamma and whatever, but I do notice the blinding reflections on my screen. When I am home, I like my glossy screen, it is truly a thing to behold but it is simply a nuisance during 8.5 hours of my day.

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@Drupa

I work in all sorts of environments, generally cafes right by the window. Even outside, I don't have many problems although, obviously, if you work with the sun right behind you, you're going to have problems with any screen.

Obviously, in your specific situation, you have found the glossy screen to be a problem and you believe that a matte would be significantly better, fair enough. My concern, however, is with the level of panicked bleating that started before anyone had even actually seen a glossy screen - posts making declarations such as "I was planning to switch but, now, I refuse to buy a Mac". It is, simply, ridiculous.

Clearly, some people just want something to complain about, I just feel sorry for newbies who are influenced by this self-aggrandizing nonsense.

I really like your phrase "pantone snob", excellent :)

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Do you actually own one of these unibodies? I had the old (multibody?) MacBook Pro and I absolutely LOVED the glossy screen. I truly believe it was perfect.

Well, a couple of months ago, I upgraded to the unibody. Man is this screen annoying. I'm here with the blinds closed and the light is still somehow reflecting off this. Basically, any light behind this computer becomes annoying quite easily.

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Reflections don't cause eyestrain? Yeah, sure. Years of research in ergonomics were all wrong or at least no longer apply because the displays are now LCD and no longer CRTs.

(In case you forgot: non-reflective CRTs were the ones of higher quality...)

Besides, the whole issue has in many cases nothing to do with pretending to be "pro" or whatever: it's just that quite a few people (including me) find the reflections irritating and distracting. It's a personal issue. If your mileage varies there, you're lucky. But other people can't work with reflective displays.

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@Janichsan: If you put a matte plastic layer over the screen it blurs and reduces reflections... AND it blurs and diffuses the light coming THROUGH the screen. Impossible to do one without doing the other.

So.... Blurred text doesn't cause eyestrain?

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@ hmlong: It would if the blurriness was pronounced. But it simply isn't (at least not on real matte LCDs and not glossy ones with a tacked on anti-glare sheet).

The reflection is far more pronounced and hence a bigger problem.

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@donnacha

Glossy displays are a big no-no for colour sensitive work since they effectively attempt to enhance the colours on-screen. They might look nice but unless everyone else has the same display as you do then you want to work on something neutral.

Obviously there are other factors in determining the colour accuracy of a display but you will never find a professional display with a glossy coating. For this reason I will not buy a MacBook Pro with a glossy display. This news is good since it means that I can downgrade to a 15" model from my current 17" version.

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Wow, so much hatred and vitriol for getting more consumer choice. Did you enjoy living in the Soviet Union?

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