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glossy screen posts

Filed under: Hardware, Portables, MacBook

Swap a Macbook's glossy display for matte

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Oct 12th, 2009



Users have a love/hate relationship with Apple's glossy displays. Namely, they either love them or they hate them. I haven't used one myself, as I'll be hanging on to my original MacBook Pro until it ceases to work.

Until now, shoppers could get either a glossy or matte display with the 15" MacBook Pro, but not the 13" model. TechRestore has stepped in to do the "repair." For $200, they'll remove your 13" MacBook or MacBook Pro's glossy display and slap a matte screen in its place. The work comes with a 1-year warranty and TechRestore says they'll have your precious back to you within 24 hours of receipt. Note that this requires a trade-in of your existing screen; you won't get it back.

If you have this service done, please let us know how it goes. Enjoy your glare-free computing!

For comparison, RadTech sells an anti-glare film that can be applied over a glossy display. They're available for the 13in MacBook/Pro (unibody), the 15in MacBook Pro (unibody), the 17in MacBook Pro (unibody) and various iMacs. You can get the full list here. The films start at $19.95US each.

[Via Cult Of Mac]

Tags: glossy screen, GlossyScreen, hardware, macbook, matte screen, MatteScreen, portables, repairs

Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends, iMac, Macbook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air

Blinded by the light? RadTech's ClearCal may save your eyes

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Jul 13th, 2009

Since Apple made the design decision to forgo glare-free screens on MacBooks, iMacs, and Cinema Displays, a common problem for lots of users is reflection of light off of displays. It seems to be particularly bad if you sit with your back to a window, and it can cause both figurative and literal headaches.

RadTech has come out with some cool products for Macs over the years. For example, I've owned at least one of their ScreenSavrz "LCD Display protection, cleaning, and refinishing systems" for each MacBook I've had. The company is always in touch with the pulse of the Mac community, so it didn't entirely surprise me when they recently started selling ClearCal Anti-Glare films for MacBook, MacBook Pro, 24" iMac, and the 24" Cinema Display.

ClearCal is similar to the films you can get for iPhone and iPod touch screens, but in addition to protecting your screen, it also provides a solution for those pesky reflections. As you can see in the marketing shot to the right, it appears to do a decent job of making your Mac screen anti-glare. You can even remove the ClearCal a few times, wash it, and re-install it.

RadTech has an installation video if you're interested in seeing how easy or difficult it is to apply the ClearCal film to your display. Pricing starts at US$19.95 and peaks at US$25.95 for the 24" iMac and CInema Display. As soon as I replace my old iMac with a new 24", I'm installing a ClearCal so I can see more of my screen and less of the glare from the picture window behind me.

Tags: cinema display, CinemaDisplay, glossy screen, GlossyScreen, imac, macbook, radtech

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, MacBook

MacBook screen, my thoughts

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on May 22nd, 2006

People seem pretty pleased with the MacBook, though some are still worried about the glossy screen. Is it just one big mirror? Won't it blind you? Isn't change bad?

One person went so far as to suggest that anyone who likes the glossy screen is an idiot. Here is the statement that many of you have been waiting for, I'm an idiot. The glossy screen on my MacBook is great. The colors look more vivid and it is easier to clean to boot (the matte finish on my Powerbook's screen always required just a little more elbow grease than I was comfortable applying to get the smudge off).

Now, the fact that this screen is brighter doesn't hurt either, but I am officially a glossy screen booster.

Tags: glossy screen, GlossyScreen, idiot

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