Matte Display = Grey not black Bezel?

[AndyCro]

If the matte display ends up having a black bezel, it will be worthless.

As anyone with even a glimmer of knowledge about picture framing knows, a solid, jet black border will make printed blacks within the image appear washed out. That's why picture frame mattes are generally neutral tones.

This is less of a problem with gloss screens because image blacks are deeper. But with a matte screen, with blacks exhibiting less intensity, a deep black border would be awful.

People saying they prefer a black bezel for a matte screen clearly have no clue about color and tonal matters, which makes one wonder why they need a matte display in the first place.

wow someones on their high horse.

I know full well what the benefits are, but it makes you think therefore how directed this machine actually is to the prosumer demographic that they have to start messing around with aesthetic regularities that if they had considered this in the first place would have affected the whole line as opposed to making it look like a bit of an after though on apple's part.

 

[Dreamail]

it look like a bit of an after though on apple's part

I'm pretty sure it was. And likely a post-design addition, as you suggested.

Seems Apple really is turning into a plain consumer product company, and any 'professional' features become more and more an afterthought...

Perhaps the future belongs to third party modders offering high-end mods of Apple's consumer products, like the 'ModBook Pro', which seems to be a really well designed professional Mac tablet. Not cheap, but professional. Not for the average consumer or perhaps even prosumer.

I don't have the impression Apple is still pursuing that market.

 

[davidjearly]

This is what ALL of the new MacBooks should have looked like. Coupled with a silver keyboard, they would be amazing looking machines.

It's just unfortunate Apple spoiled them all with the ugly black rim and the ugly black keyboard.

Seriously, I'm beginning to wonder if you actually seek out threads in which to criticise the black and aluminium combination on the new Macs. I've seen you do it over a period of months.

What's with the vocal hate?

I personally think that it is a much better design, and I think the majority would agree. Perhaps a poll should be created?

 

[chaosbunny]

If the matte display ends up having a black bezel, it will be worthless.

As anyone with even a glimmer of knowledge about picture framing knows, a solid, jet black border will make printed blacks within the image appear washed out. That's why picture frame mattes are generally neutral tones.

This is less of a problem with gloss screens because image blacks are deeper. But with a matte screen, with blacks exhibiting less intensity, a deep black border would be awful.

People saying they prefer a black bezel for a matte screen clearly have no clue about color and tonal matters, which makes one wonder why they need a matte display in the first place.

Then why do these come in black?

http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/index.asp

 

[InkMaster]

Then why do these come in black?

http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/index.asp

Because lol. Its funny, all these "professionals" here (again, lol) keep on whining about how matte in grey frame is so superior all the time. I have a 17" MBP, matte screen etc - and under sunlight atleast you can SEE whats happening on a glossy screen. The colors may be a tad screwed up, but atleast you can use it.

A matte, rather then just clearly reflecting w/e comes at it, blurs and smudges everything and in turn all you see is a white blob on your screen. In addition to that the aluminum turns into a mirror for light when sun is shining on it.

So again, lol at the "professionals" around here who think that a matte screen is somehow superior, because in the real world, if you actually use a matte display rather then just whine about not having it you can see how useless it is anywhere outside of a studio with no windows and controlled light.

Oh but to answer your question - because colors just look a lot better when in a black frame and no light at all is hitting the screen (hence the covers on the top/sides)

 

[AndyCro]

Because lol. Its funny, all these "professionals" here (again, lol) keep on whining about how matte in grey frame is so superior all the time. I have a 17" MBP, matte screen etc - and under sunlight atleast you can SEE whats happening on a glossy screen. The colors may be a tad screwed up, but atleast you can use it.

A matte, rather then just clearly reflecting w/e comes at it, blurs and smudges everything and in turn all you see is a white blob on your screen. In addition to that the aluminum turns into a mirror for light when sun is shining on it.

So again, lol at the "professionals" around here who think that a matte screen is somehow superior, because in the real world, if you actually use a matte display rather then just whine about not having it you can see how useless it is anywhere outside of a studio with no windows and controlled light.

Oh but to answer your question - because colors just look a lot better when in a black frame and no light at all is hitting the screen (hence the covers on the top/sides)

Its a case in point where glossy screens over saturate the colours and cause eye strain. Now if im working for print then thats not something id like to be experiencing

 

[Zw42a]

I just mailed Apple a thank you for bringing back the non-glare screens. Now let's find out if it's matte or just a coating and how these look in reality.

 

[sushi]

I like it, it gives it the classic mbp look but the new form factor gives it the new generation feel. If I were getting one I'd be getting the matte over the glossy

Well said.

I hope Apple adds this option to the MBP 15 inch model.

 

[InkMaster]

I just mailed Apple a thank you for bringing back the non-glare screens. Now let's find out if it's matte or just a coating and how these look in reality.

Its as matte as in the previous MacBook Pros. All they've done is removed the glass completely and replaced it with a piece of aluminum as earlier MBPs had. And so now while you do get the matte screen, you get that nasty dust collecting bump/edge - unless of course they somehow made it all on 1 level which I would absolutely love. - But who knows, given that they didn't bring the matte MBPs to MW, no-one knows how one looks like irl.

 

[Sir Cecil]

Then why do these come in black?

From the first ColorEdge review I checked for you:

"... the ColorEdge is a monitor specifically intended for professional work with color. It is made in a matte dark-gray case with a minimum of contrasting details."

Perhaps they should introduce a jet black, glass-covered bezel in future.

 

[Sir Cecil]

I just mailedNow let's find out if it's matte or just a coating and how these look in reality.

They will look just like the equivalent screen on the previous 17" MBP.
The all-over glass on the new 15" was simply a replacement for the old gloss coating. Now they're taking off the glass to leave the screen exposed, with just an outer silver bezel as on the older model.
Don't complain if it gets scratched a lot easier than the glass covered version

 

[09872738]

I personally think that it is a much better design, and I think the majority would agree. Perhaps a poll should be created?

I do not agree on this point.

Too much complaints about the black components, not only here but also in german forums.

I personally consider buying an old model, as the ugly black bezel/keyboard make my eyes hurt (8 hours battery life is convenient, though). Simply Ugly. How could they ever do this? What´s next - pink powerbricks? Intel Inside stickers?
Besides, quality of the black keyboard is fairly poor.

 

[Willis]

from what I understand its the same Hi-Res screen they used before which explains why it has a silver background rather than black. I understand this means it doesn't have the glass on it.

thats a guess though.

 

[rick3000]

I may get the 17" with the antiglare coating just because it has a white/grey trim instead of the black. I really do not like the black trim and keyboard, and this color scheme makes me wonder why they didn't do this to begin with.

And to clarify, during the Keynote Phil says that the screen is the same, but they removed the glass which is apparently connected to the black trim and replaced it with the antiglare screen cover.

 

[peskaa]

From the first ColorEdge review I checked for you:

"... the ColorEdge is a monitor specifically intended for professional work with color. It is made in a matte dark-gray case with a minimum of contrasting details."

Perhaps they should introduce a jet black, glass-covered bezel in future.

I'm sitting in front of an Eizo ColorEdge CE210W. The bezel isn't black, but the grey is so close to black it's not funny. Most people would just call it black.

 

[AndyCro]

Its a huge aesthetic cock up imo

They tried to establis this unified look slowly redesigning imac>iphone/touch>MBA>Macbook pro/ACD

all with the exception of the air, this black bezel glass look has been used.

But suddenly they miss out a fundamental pro required feature on what is/was a pro machine and have to back track with a design that cocks whats gone before it right up.

Its as if the grips been loosened ever so slightly on maintaining a fluid product line because of back tracking.

 

[darngooddesign]

If the matte display ends up having a black bezel, it will be worthless.

As anyone with even a glimmer of knowledge about picture framing knows, a solid, jet black border will make printed blacks within the image appear washed out. That's why picture frame mattes are generally neutral tones.

This is less of a problem with gloss screens because image blacks are deeper. But with a matte screen, with blacks exhibiting less intensity, a deep black border would be awful.

People saying they prefer a black bezel for a matte screen clearly have no clue about color and tonal matters, which makes one wonder why they need a matte display in the first place.

Hey professor, that only REALLY applies if you can control the color of the mounting surface and the color of the light cast on the screen. Otherwise the colors that surround the screen's bezel affect how you perceive the colors on the screen and the bezel's color has very little to do with it, and because with a laptop those variables change the color of the bezel is less important.

You should probably take a color theory refresher course.

PS> If you were really concerned about color accuracy you would be using Pantone swatches and a higher quality external display anyway which has been Gamma calibrated aganst whichever press you are using for the job. And not solely relying on a laptop screen with a black or grey bezel.

 

[sinser]

LOVE IT! Best look ever. All MacBooks should be like this.

 

[09872738]

LOVE IT! Best look ever. All MacBooks should be like this.

Actually, actually all MacBooks LOOK like this. Unfortunately

 

[miketcool]

PS> If you were really concerned about color accuracy you would be using Pantone swatches and a higher quality external display anyway which has been Gamma calibrated aganst whichever press you are using for the job. And not solely relying on a laptop screen with a black or grey bezel.

While I wholeheartedly agree with you on the appropriate techniques of color accuracy, I would still like my laptop in the field to get me as close as possible. We all know about dithering...

 

[thiagos]

LOVE IT! Best look ever. All MacBooks should be like this.

If the keys were silver (silver bezel and silver keys), yes it would have been stunning. With the keys being black and having the silver bezel, it is definitely not my cup of tea, I would keep the black bezel.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

Tis, true all this matte and grey border stuff you know.

Thats why iPhoto and Aperture (among other things) defaults to a grey background when looking at your photos.

However the MacBook does look aesthetically better with a black border and gloss screen.

 

[sinser]

If the keys were silver (silver bezel and silver keys), yes it would have been stunning. With the keys being black and having the silver bezel, it is definitely not my cup of tea, I would keep the black bezel.

To each its own I guess. However, as I said, I really like it. Did already love the MacBook Air design, which is nearly the same.

 

[09872738]

In some way, Apple returned to their roots: the actual line looks like the Ti-Books, at least in respect of the keyboard.

Well, the Al-Books were definitely an evolution after the Ti-Series and featured BEST POSSIBLE design. I´m not too happy with the actual designs, as one may guess

 

[darngooddesign]

While I wholeheartedly agree with you on the appropriate techniques of color accuracy, I would still like my laptop in the field to get me as close as possible. We all know about dithering...

All I'm saying is that as far as laptops are concerned the color of the bezel has very little impact on how you perceive the image on the screen since the things that majorly affect the image are not controllable. That's why all the image stations in the various shops I've worked in had those big-ass shrouds on the CRT's or they were in dedicated rooms where we could dim the lights. For online work its a non-issue since you can't control the end-user's environment.