Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

ross.32

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 27, 2007
259
0
I am getting a MBP later this month for college. I am going to get the 17'' with the HD screen. I will be using it to watch alot of TV and movies, and I will also use Aperture to do alot of photo editing. I wont be printing most of these pictures so if the pictures are not 100% true to print then it is not a big deal. So my question is will the benefits of the better looking pictures video on my computer justify getting a glossy screen instead of a matte screen, or would I still be better off getting a matte screen?
 
Go for the matte. I always find the glossy to have too much glare. If you really look at both side-by-side, you'll notice that there isn't much of a difference. Most of the people who say that glossy has a "richer" picture are refering to the fact that the glossy takes everything to a greater extreme. Just my thoughts though; I will never buy a glossy screen if I can help it.
 
I hear glossy is a lot better for watching movies. Regardless it seems any screen people choose, they are happy with it. I would say matte if you are planning on using is outdoors or in rooms with odd lighting and glossy if you are going to mostly be in your dorm room watching movies/working. I would check them out side by side as well..
 
I personally like glossy cause yes the colors are to the extremes and the colors are transition smoother. If the reflective surface doesn't bother you in the Apple Store then it probably won't bother you so much anywhere. I've used my laptop outside and even then it doesn't bother me that much. I thought I was a matte guy but then I wanted to try the glossy screen and it's been great cause I watch a lot of shows.

Either way, I really don't think you can go wrong with either. They're both beautiful. If you can live with the reflective surface then go for glossy.
 
We should make one of this thread a sticky note. Half of the thread is going to say "Matte" the other half is going to say "Glossy". It all comes down to personal opinion. *I* like the matte screen better. True the glossy screen has deeper colors, but I prefer NOT to have excessive reflections (even though my mbp is on a controlled environment 90% of the time).

If you have an Apple store nearby, go and see for yourself, its the best way of choosing, really.
 
We should make one of this thread a sticky note. Half of the thread is going to say "Matte" the other half is going to say "Glossy". It all comes down to personal opinion.

Others have suggested this, but the people who create these threads aren't likely to read them. The guides are one tab over, yet none of these posters thinks to check them out. I admire your desire to cut down on useless threads, but I just don't think it'll work.

If you have an Apple store nearby, go and see for yourself, its the best way of choosing, really.

Yes. I can't stress this enough. Nothing we tell you can make the decision for you. A good decision will be based on your perceptions, not on ours.
 
OK, my school is near a Apple store so I will try it out there. As far as glossy goes, is there a major difference between what I would see on screen and what I would see on paper if I printed it?
 
Get glossy. Images appear sharper and more vivid. Matte is for the undiscerning eye and only affords the very occasional added convenience of not having to reposition your computer slightly when the light directly behind you is unusually bright. Most of the time (i.e., normal conditions and even outside in the sunlight, where I sometimes work), reflections are not really noticed and are not any greater a hindrance to viewing what is being displayed than with the matte screen.
 
OK, my school is near a Apple store so I will try it out there. As far as glossy goes, is there a major difference between what I would see on screen and what I would see on paper if I printed it?

There will always be a difference between screen and paper, unless you manage to calibrate the screen just right. I don't know if that's possible with any screen.
 
Most of the time (i.e., normal conditions and even outside in the sunlight, where I sometimes work), reflections are not really noticed and are not any greater a hindrance to viewing what is being displayed than with the matte screen.

I'm replacing my glossy MBP with a matte MBP because of all the reflections I get in the screen when I'm just sitting at my desk. (Well, the actual replacing is due to my yellow bottom screen, but I asked them to change it to matte.) It reflects like crazy, very annoying.
 
grr... *waves fist angrilly* :cool:

It is a big issue for new buyers, but for the love of Buddha, please search...

Oh don't get me started on people not searching for simple things that either a search here or a good search wouldn't give you the answer too.

I'm a lazy person but i at least try to find out the answers, or exhaust every possible way i know to find the answer, before i post a thread on here.

But anyway... Glossy or Matt? :D

I'll have to go visit my friend in london... so i can go to a london apple store and see them in person :)
 
But anyway... Glossy or Matt? :D

i s'pose I'd better answer the question which, apparently, is more poignant than the question of life, the universe and everything...

If I had a choice, I'd go for matte. I'm no graphic designer or anything, but I find the glossy finish looks kinda... cheap?

I reckon the glossy on the MacBooks isn't too bad, though. The Acer displays I have at my school, phwar, you reckon the iMac's glass is bad, you should have a look at these headache-inducing pieces of crap displays. A 100 minute class in the middle of a Thursday is like torture. Not to mention the awful chairs, keyboards and mice.
 
i s'pose I'd better answer the question which, apparently, is more poignant than the question of life, the universe and everything...

We already know the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything...

It's 42!

If I had a choice, I'd go for matte. I'm no graphic designer or anything, but I find the glossy finish looks kinda... cheap?

I was only kidding by the way but I'm still debating what to get if/when i upgrade to a MBP. I like glossy, and i had a Matte MBP which was good too.

Decisions, decisions!
 
Definitely Matte. Specially if you haven't experienced a glossy screen.

Why would you order something that you have just about equal chances of liking/hating AND you have never tried?

When was the last time you sat on a computer and said "Darn I wish this screen was glossy"? Stick to matte. Take it anywhere in your house/dorm without having to worry whether you have a window or light behind.

I just upgraded to a new 17 MBP and went with matte again.
 
Go with matte. Glossy picks up way too many extaneous light sources, which makes it hard to enjoy the "gains" in color.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.