Glossy or matte display??

I'm about to the point of going to the dark side when it's time to buy another laptop. (I'm waiting until my next big trip to pull the trigger...)

Looks like the MacBook Pro will win out, and I thought I wanted the glossy display based upon input from others. But I've recently seen a number of comments on here that give me pause. (It looks like it's a moot point if I were to select the newest model, which is only offered as glossy.)

So, for those of you Mac afficionados (or anyone determined to not let me go that route), which display do you prefer?

The new macbook pro only has glossy displays. I havent seen it yet so I cant comment on how good or bad it is. I have the previous model, and i think the glossy screen on it is fine. I like it better than the matte screen. There is virtually no reflection or glare.

Cor

I am happy with the glossy screen. BTW, you are not going TO the dark side, rather, you are leaving the dark side because you have finally seen the light. :)

Thanks, John.

I'd like to think of it as being bilingual, since I won't be a total convert -- I'll still have my desktop.

Still like the glossy display in the Apple store. Some recent comments on wp made me wonder if I was making the right decision (over the matte).

I think when it comes to glossy screens, you need to look at the specific models. The new MBs and MBPs are supposed to have very shiny screens because they are actually glass. I haven't seen them myself. Not all change is progress.

I'm disappointed that Apple hasn't taken the initiative in offering large gamut notebook displays since all the major PC manufacturers are offering them now. Incidentally, all those wide gamut notebooks are matte screen, not glossy. I'm considering building a hackintosh out of the Sony AW or Dell M6400 in order to get the superior screen. I really wish Apple would offer an AdobeRGB option in the revised MBP17 when it comes out. I'm not holding my breath.

Matte. Matte. Matte.

You can't accurately edit photos on a glossy screen. They may look really nice, but they brightness/contrast and color will be WAY off if you look at them again later on a calibrated non-glossy screen. Apple says the new MacBooks are fine, but from what I've heard from people who've played with them, in addition to my experience with them in the past, they are not acceptable as a tool for editing photos.

My girlfriend has a MacBook (glossy screen) and I have a MacBook Pro (matte screen) - there's no comparison. The photos I edit on mine (calibrated) look good on anything I look at them on. If I edit a photo to look right on her computer, it will look flat/not-contrasty on another monitor (my laptop or an external monitor).

The 17" MacBook Pros will continue to offer the matte screens, which a lot of people are speculating is because those are a popular tool for photographers and graphics professionals, and that group would not be happy about losing their display quality.

You may be able to get a 15" MBP from an Apple store cheap because of the new models coming in - worth checking out, or the refurbs on apple.com.

The 17" MacBook Pros will continue to offer the matte screens, which a lot of people are speculating is because those are a popular tool for photographers and graphics professionals, and that group would not be happy about losing their display quality.

How do you know this? The 17" chassis was not updated most likely because it's schedule is further out. Once it is, who's to say Apple will continue with the matte option? The 15" model was every bit as much used for photography as the 17" and they canned matte for it. I can't see how Apple can continue the consistent appearance of the new edge-to-edge glass display with a matte option.

Photographers and graphics professionals will be demanding wide gamut displays now that PC notebooks offer them. We'll see if Apple really cares about those customers.

Alright, for my dumb question of the week: What's wide gamut, and why would I want one for my new laptop?

Wide gamut displays are ones that display a wider than normal range of color. You would want one on a laptop for the same reasons you'd want one on any computer---because you were doing work that benefits from the display of a wide range of color. Laptops have historically had displays with a much narrower gamut than typical desktop monitors so the benefits of such displays will be even more pronounced. Photographers, videographers, and many kinds of graphics users stand to benefit, basically the kinds of "pros" for which that the MacBook Pro is supposed named. Instead of pioneering the kinds of displays that those users could really use, Apple is making its machines more shiny. Apple plays to the ego, not to the task.

At least Apple is finally owning up to another of its mistakes. It will be the last OS vendor to make gamma 2.2 the default starting with 10.6. Maybe now we can see web pages properly while still seeing video the way it is intended.

You can also get a nice big matte display that you use at home for fine editing and have a glossy display on your 15/17" laptop. It's a whole lot nicer to edit on a 20+" display anyway. Just a thought

Having a larger monitor at home is a given. I'm just trying to determine what's best for the laptop itself for traveling and doing the initial editing.

Ok, I didn't say how long they will continue to offer matte screens on a 17" Macbook Pro, but for the time being they still do, and it's a viable option if you want an Apple laptop.

The matte screen on the 15" Macbook Pro (the LED version - the CFL was better than a lot of other offerings, but not great) is totally usable for field editing if you've got it calibrated. I've not seen a wide-gamut display on a PC laptop so I can't comment, but if you're looking for something that's usable in the field for editing, a LED-based matte display on a macbook pro is a good tool. Maybe not perfect, but it gets the job done.

I dont know what some people are on about, but the glossy 15" MBP (last years edition) is totally usable outside and inside. I take it everywhere, and ive never even thought about anything like reflections or anything else. Its just not an issue. The new ones may be different though, i should head out to the macshop soon and check it out.

I dont know what some people are on about, but the glossy 15" MBP (last years edition) is totally usable outside and inside. I take it everywhere, and ive never even thought about anything like reflections or anything else. Its just not an issue. The new ones may be different though, i should head out to the macshop soon and check it out.

Cor,

I don't think there's right and wrong here, just preference. My desktop screen is matt, and I find that images on my glossy iMac at work look much brighter and more contrasty than they look on my Eizo desktop and subsequently look different to my prints. When one is going through all the trouble to calibrate monitors to get repeatable prints, I like to keep things as consistent as possible from laptop to desktop to print.

The reflections I saw on the new ones a couple days ago in the Apple store were impossible to miss. It's polished glass after all. If you like half your screen washed out by a giant fluorescent light fixture imprint then you'll love it.

Matte provides consistency in a variety of environments. Glassy provides higher contrast. Apple has specifically said that what they care about is what the majority of customers want and the new MacBook Pro is not targeted at pros, it's targeted at majority preferences. Meanwhile, the new PC workstation-class notebooks with wide gamut displays are all matte because they are actually targeting pro applications. Perhaps we will get lucky and Apple will offer such an option when the new 17 comes out. That would surprise me.

Hmmm.... Maybe the MBP isn't the way for me to go after all. I can definitely get more machine with Dell, Lenovo, and similar ilk...

Hmmm.... Maybe the MBP isn't the way for me to go after all. I can definitely get more machine with Dell, Lenovo, and similar ilk...

Wise decision, I went to the Apple store to buy 1 of the new 15" MBP and I turned away. The screen is mirror like [just like my iMac 24 Alu] and although at home you can exercise some control on the lighting the same is not usually the case for a laptop on a boat, airport, whatever. The folks at apple didn't learn anything from the iMac complains they got [the screen is utter rubbish, uneven brightness, color rendition and small color gamut], I just decided to pass the new MBP and since I can not anymore the previous model with the configuration I want I will pass on that too. I am considering buying another license of Leopard and patch it so that it can be installed on a laptop PC [be sure to check the hardware configuration of your laptop in detail!]

My last laptop had a glossy screen, which was great for showing photos to clients etc as the contrast and colours looked fantastic on it. I bought a mac book pro for the first time in April, (having been previously PC based) and was advised by one of the technicians in the Apple store that the matte screen was better for colour rendition and accuracy when printing. I had also found that the glossy screen on my previous laptop was terrible in tented press centers and outside. I haven't looked back since having the matte screen.

Hope this helps

Tristan