Apple heart glossy

[ironMonkey]

So let me get this straight: you can't even BTO an iMac or a macbook with a matter screen? The only way to own a Mac with a matter screen (read: every lcd you've used that wasn't on a media laptop) and spend less than $2000 is a mini? Well then let's just hope they go Pennry on those mac minis soon!

They say it's personal taste, so why is matte not even an option on the iMac? There's no opportunity to exercise said taste? Anyway, I just don't get the love affair with glossys. I jumped on an aluminum iMac in the lab the other day, and under those fluorescent lights, using the glossy is a completely different experience than the matte.

Rant over.

 

[EB66]

agreed it should definetly be an option

 

[gorby]

I hope a matte will exist in some form when I'm ready to upgrade again. Thankfully that's a long while away.

 

[Lord Zedd]

I too despise glossy LCD screens.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I too despise glossy LCD screens.

I love mine.

Matte screens are a recent development of the LCD age. CRTs were glossy and I never heard anything like the trendy anti-glossy fervor of today throughout their reign.

Anyway, it's just another one of those matters of total personal preference.

If I were a betting man I would not put much money down on Apple offering matte screens again for iMacs in the future but you never know.

 

[iMpathetic]

I believe you can still order MBPs matte, can't you?

I figure it's not a great thing in general, but PC manufacturers went all glossy quite a few months ago.

 

[mmahoney]

Glossy is great .. and if you're seeing reflections on the screen then that light source should be eliminated. I've flat black walls behind my workspace .. not always an option but worth it to have a good monitor.

 

[sushi]

The white iMacs had matte screens.

So after the new ones came out, I purchased an older white one. Love the matte screen.

Purchased a MBP a month ago or so, got a matte screen on it as well.

If the MB and MBA came with a matte screen option, I would have one of them now.

For me, it's matte all the way.

As for glossy screens, here in Japan I've noticed some new displays going back to matte. Seems like there is still a demand for matte screens.

 

[katejones]

they dont <3 glossy enough to make it the default on mbp and make matte the bto.

 

[blurb23]

I was planning to pick up an MBP in June before college, but I happened to pick up an iMac just a couple weeks ago just for kicks.

I thought I'd hate the glossy screens after reading what everyone had said about them here.

But it turns out, I actually love the one on my iMac, and I'm definitely getting glossy on my MBP.

 

[JeffTL]

I love mine.
Matte screens are a recent development of the LCD age. CRTs were glossy and I never heard anything like the trendy anti-glossy fervor of today throughout their reign.

For what it's worth, matte screens are one of the reasons that many of us like LCDs better than CRTs, besides the obvious size, weight, and energy efficiency benefits.

 

[SaSaSushi]

For what it's worth, matte screens are one of the reasons that many of us like LCDs better than CRTs, besides the obvious size, weight, and energy efficiency benefits.

Which brings us to the very next thing I wrote in my post above:

Anyway, it's just another one of those matters of total personal preference.

 

[Leon Kowalski]

Matte screens are a recent development of the LCD age.
CRTs were glossy and I never heard anything like the trendy
anti-glossy fervor of today throughout their reign.

Cheap CRTs were glossy, but ALL high-quality CRT monitors had
extremely effective anti-reflection coatings.

Anyway, it's just another one of those matters of total personal preference.

Yep, a "matter of personal preference." Uh, Steve's personal preference...

...and what customers think doesn't matter,

LK

 

[inkswamp]

Apple really needs to pull their head out of their a__ on this matter. It's ridiculous. If they refuse to offer a headless Mac more powerful than the Mini but without the crazy price of the Mac Pro, then they need to offer more screen options on the existing iMac line. They've got a lot of us stuck in a buying dilemma and trust me, as a long-time Mac user who cannot stand screen glare, it sucks bad.

There are a lot of apologists on this particular site who will go to the matt with you over this issue, but if you look at other, less biased sites, you'll see that overwhelmingly people are not happy about the glossy-only option Apple has foisted on us all. Personally, I know two people who were considering a switch from PCs to Mac, but were both turned off cold by the glossy screen. Neither of them liked the Mini's specs and price and neither were interested in going $2000+ for a Mac Pro. I imagine there are a lot of potential switchers out there reacting similarly.

Anybody who argues that glossy is no big deal and that we're all just overreacting needs to explain why there was an entire industry back in the mid-90s catering to the desire to reduce screen glare. There were screen hoods, anti-glare coating, etc. all of which came with their own drawbacks. There simply is no defense for this move on Apple's part. Glossy screens are a step backward. Period. Apple's apparent refusal to offer a matte option is a bit of a slap in the face too considering that many of their users are graphic designers and photographers who know the newer glossy screens over-saturate the colors and make that kind of work far more difficult.

I'm still puzzled by what Apple was thinking. This is hands-down one of the dumbest decisions I've ever seen Apple make... well, this side of the Pippin.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I have an iMac with a glossy screen at home and a Mac Pro with dual matte screens at work and I prefer the iMac's glossy display; and it's not even close. Sure, I notice a little glare from time-to-time but for the most part the glossy screen just makes everything look better--more vibrant--in my opinion.

 

[inkswamp]

Sure, I notice a little glare from time-to-time but for the most part the glossy screen just makes everything look better--more vibrant--in my opinion.

To each his own. If you prefer the glossy, then wonderful for you. But remember that the "more vibrant" you're seeing is a tendency for the screen to oversaturate the colors which, if you do design or photography work on it, is not a good thing, regardless of how it looks at first glance.

Anyway, the real crux of this issue isn't your own personal opinion. It's why Apple has decided to thumb its nose at a significant number of users who prefer the matte screens. There's no defense for that kind of decision, especially from a company expecting users to pay a premium for the quality they offer. I'm happy to pay that premium, but I'm not willing to have a reflective display pushed on me for that which I (and many, many others) view as a step backward in terms of quality.

 

[PNW]

Sure, I notice a little glare from time-to-time but for the most part the glossy screen just makes everything look better--more vibrant--in my opinion.

Yep that's what glossy screens are designed to do, however that makes it much more difficult to produce true to image colors when printing to non glossy formats.

Anyway, it's just another one of those matters of total personal preference.

Easy for you to say your preference is the stock option and I can't even get mine BTO. It's definitely been a deal breaker for me. I had talked myself into settling for an all-in-one to replace my aging tower just so I could go from Linux/XP to OS X, but every time I go play with the glossy iMacs at the local Apple store I back off.

 

[clyde2801]

Yep that's what glossy screens are designed to do, however that makes it much more difficult to produce true to image colors when printing to non glossy formats.



Easy for you to say your preference is the stock option and I can't even get mine BTO. It's definitely been a deal breaker for me. I had talked myself into settling for an all-in-one to replace my aging tower just so I could go from Linux/XP to OS X, but every time I go play with the glossy iMacs at the local Apple store I back off.

You can still get a 20" or 24" white refurb from the apple store...

 

[czachorski]

Cheap CRTs were glossy, but ALL high-quality CRT monitors had
extremely effective anti-reflection coatings.



Yep, a "matter of personal preference." Uh, Steve's personal preference...

...and what customers think doesn't matter,

LK

Weird how they keep selling them, though, huh. You even bought one, didn't you? Maybe, just maybe, it's not as big of an issue as your trolling would suggest?

 

[PNW]

You can still get a 20" or 24" white refurb from the apple store...

Yes, but I'd like a little more CPU than they have. Still If my old box bites the dust and Apple doesn't offer me any better options, I'll probably start shopping around for an old white 24".

 

[ironMonkey]

Yeah, I seem to remember there being screens that would clip onto the front of crt monitors to reduce glare. People would actually buy aftermarket accessories for their monitors, to reduce glare. That seems a powerful statement regarding the annoyance that some people have towards reflective monitors.

I particularly enjoyed the suggestion that we paint walls black, in our work areas, to reduce reflection.

I'm curious, do they offer their cinema displays with glossy? It's no surprise that the pro laptops have the matte option. I see no problem with offering glossy, I just can't grasp why only their $2000+ computers offer the matte.

 

[CWallace]

But remember that the "more vibrant" you're seeing is a tendency for the screen to oversaturate the colors which, if you do design or photography work on it, is not a good thing, regardless of how it looks at first glance.

And this might be why Apple went with glossy LCDs on the iMacs. Many PCs have glossy LCDs. My HP 17" laptop did and folks were always impressed how colors "popped" on it. Personally, since I do not do professional color work, that my iMac has a glossy screen is a plus for me. Apple may have felt they needed to compete in the "consumer market" - the iMac - with glossy screens, as well.

But for folks who do perform professional color and video work, they are more likely to buy a Mac Pro since it is a more capable platform for such work and Apple offers the Cinema Display with matte LCD panels. So they're "protected" so to speak.

The folks who lose out are the color and video "prosumer" who don't need (or cannot justify/afford) the price of a Mac Pro with an ACD and use the iMac, but are forced to use an LCD panel not suited for color or video work.

I would expect whomever supplies Apple with their glossy iMac panels also offers a matte version, so I agree Apple should offer it as a(n extra-cost) BTO option.

I'm curious, do they offer their cinema displays with glossy?

No. And I don't expect the eventual refresh to be glossy, either.

 

[czachorski]

And this might be why Apple went with glossy LCDs on the iMacs. Many PCs have glossy LCDs. My HP 17" laptop did and folks were always impressed how colors "popped" on it. Personally, since I do not do professional color work, that my iMac has a glossy screen is a plus for me. Apple may have felt they needed to compete in the "consumer market" - the iMac - with glossy screens, as well.

But for folks who do perform professional color and video work, they are more likely to buy a Mac Pro since it is a more capable platform for such work and Apple offers the Cinema Display with matte LCD panels. So they're "protected" so to speak.

The folks who lose out are the color and video "prosumer" who don't need (or cannot justify/afford) the price of a Mac Pro with an ACD and use the iMac, but are forced to use an LCD panel not suited for color or video work.

I would expect whomever supplies Apple with their glossy iMac panels also offers a matte version, so I agree Apple should offer it as a(n extra-cost) BTO option.




No. And I don't expect the eventual refresh to be glossy, either.

Right. Apple does this thing that pisses off a lot of people: they assume the iMac is a consumer machine, and the Mac Pro with an ACD is for pros, and they assign features to each product that best suit that particular function. It is frustrating to those who want the features of the pro machine, but without the expense, and that is understandable. But it is also what allows Apple's products to be great - they are highly focused on the features of their intended use. It is a design and marketing philosophy, not an attempt to force the CEO's opinion on everyone, as others have naively suggested.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

To each his own. If you prefer the glossy, then wonderful for you. But remember that the "more vibrant" you're seeing is a tendency for the screen to oversaturate the colors which, if you do design or photography work on it, is not a good thing, regardless of how it looks at first glance.

I do quite a bit of design on my iMac , and get paid rather well for it, and I've never had a problem with color-matching. That's what calibration and proofing is for.

Anyway, the real crux of this issue isn't your own personal opinion. It's why Apple has decided to thumb its nose at a significant number of users who prefer the matte screens. There's no defense for that kind of decision, especially from a company expecting users to pay a premium for the quality they offer. I'm happy to pay that premium, but I'm not willing to have a reflective display pushed on me for that which I (and many, many others) view as a step backward in terms of quality.

So, the real crux of the issue isn't my opinion, it's yours? That makes a lot of sense.

The bottom line is, if you want a matte screen, don't buy an Al iMac. If the number of people Apple is "thumbing its nose" at is as large as you'd like to believe, they'd be losing market share rather than making significant gains there.

 

[ironMonkey]

It is frustrating to those who want the features of the pro machine, but without the expense, and that is understandable. But it is also what allows Apple's products to be great - they are highly focused on the features of their intended use.

Matte screen isn't a "pro" feature. My iBook G4 has a matte screen. Back when I purchased this (2005), the only lappies with glossies that I saw were HP machines. Just cuz apple tells you that consumers should want a glossy, doesn't mean that we want to switch the viewing surfaces we've been using since the emergence of lcds.