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Thought I purchased glossy, got home was matte

J&JPolangin said:
...so were you actually charged the extra price for the matte display on the laptop?

Or did they just hand you the wrong machine.... what does your receipt say?
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Yes, I was charged for the matte, I purchased an ipod, bag and iwork and so I did not look at the receipt too close. I know, I know, this would have never happened if I had took more time. I guess I was too tired.

We were looking at the floor model and I just said I'll take one. They did not have any matte versions on the floor.
 
The Matte screen is actually better because you get less glare. However people who are into aesthetics more than functionality prefer the glossy screen because it has that nice black outline around the screen and the colours are richer. The Matte screen looks more like the MacBook Pro of old.
 
shambo said:
Return it and take the 10% restock hit. Most people who have bought matte have lived to regret it.
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NO, I would pay for matt on my 15" unibody mbp, matt screens are amazing. I absolutely hate these damn reflection, having to keep adjusting my screen angle is incredibly frustration. To the OP, if you can have a look at a glass version but you will probably prefer the matt.
 
shambo said:
Return it and take the 10% restock hit. Most people who have bought matte have lived to regret it.
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I suppose you have scientific polling data to support that notion? Otherwise it seems an absurd thing to say since, the OP, not withstanding, since 17" buyers have to specify they want matte, and pay an upgrade fee. There are also plenty of 13" and 15" owners (me included) that would love the option, and cried the day Apple went "all glossy."

OP: I would not take a $230+ hit to exchange a matte for gloss... or even vice versa. That's nuts unless you have money to burn. Personally, I prefer the matte screen. It's much more versitile and easy on the eyes.
 
The whole glossy or matte debate is one of personal choice. There is no right or wrong answer and Apple should most definitely offer a choice of either screen on all of their notebooks.

However, seeing as it is a matter of opinion, mine is that the glossy screen delivers much more vibrant color and that the whole glare issue is massively overplayed.

To the OP, speak to the manager of the store as fast as possible, explain what happened and I can't see how they could ask you to pay a restocking fee.
 
No, I do not want to take a 10% hit.
I do not have money to burn, I sold my old computer to get a Mac.

I am in a slump right now, as I have been unemployed (laid off) since May 1st.

In 2008, I lost my job of 8 years, then the job after that, they closed our department and was let go (4 months) and now my last job lasted 6 months.

I do computer/web development in .net and some php.

-- Oh well, thought I would explain my circumstances.

AnotherFanBoy said:
The whole glossy or matte debate is one of personal choice. There is no right or wrong answer and Apple should most definitely offer a choice of either screen on all of their notebooks.

However, seeing as it is a matter of opinion, mine is that the glossy screen delivers much more vibrant color and that the whole glare issue is massively overplayed.

To the OP, speak to the manager of the store as fast as possible, explain what happened and I can't see how they could ask you to pay a restocking fee.
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I should not have to pay a restock fee, as I did not open it yet.
I am very tempted to through.
 
Okay, perhaps you could open it, then if you don't like it, return it and say you didn't realise their mistake until you opened it and saw the screen
 
Does it 'matte'r

frocco said:
I should not have to pay a restock fee, as I did not open it yet.
I am very tempted to through.
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Anotherfanboy is right they "should" not hit you with a restock fee, regardless (not irregardless) if you have opened it or not. You will be doing an exchange not a return. I hesitate to say stupid, but I would do just that, play stupid! Open that big bad boy up and then you'll discover the wonderful times that you and your new 17" mama-mac can have in the sun or in any room no 'matte'r the lighting conditions. Then I would say "oh my gees this thing is matte" as I call the Apple store and explain to them what has happened. Take it back to the store and now since you've had the chance to use the matte you can compare it to a glossy model at the store. The great one above knows that they have plenty of those models on the show room floor.
 
Maybe I will call first and try and get a feel for what they would do if I opened it.

I almost purchased the MacPro whild I was there, but decided that it would be nice to browse the internet anywhere in my home.
 
I am getting a 50/50 response for matte/glossy.
Problem is, I never show the matte and they had none on display.
 
...comparing my Asus netbook to the Acer netbooks at the on base PX, I'm glad I got my Asus unit... in low light, I don't mind the glossy screen of my whitebook and iMac but in direct sun/reflections, its a PITA...
 
AnotherFanBoy said:
The whole glossy or matte debate is one of personal choice. There is no right or wrong answer and Apple should most definitely offer a choice of either screen on all of their notebooks.

However, seeing as it is a matter of opinion, mine is that the glossy screen delivers much more vibrant color and that the whole glare issue is massively overplayed.

To the OP, speak to the manager of the store as fast as possible, explain what happened and I can't see how they could ask you to pay a restocking fee.
Click to expand...

What you prefer for sure is a matter of personal choice but there is a right or wrong answer as to which one is better for computing - matte.

The gloss screen DOES NOT make the colours 'pop', 'make them richer', or even increase the contrast. If you compare the two screens alongside each other in the Apple store there is no difference between the presentation of contrast or colour.

And the contrast and colour of my Dell 24" desktop display is much greater than that of my glossy 15" inch. Comparing this three year old display with the glossy Mac one makes a lie of all of the pro glossy arguments that I have seen presented on here. I guess most people who think glossy makes the colours pop must have knackered old monitors to compare them to.

The glossy has a further disadvantage - it gives everything an 'oily' appearance - a bit like looking at it underwater. Turning up the brightness on the glossy washes out the highlights and looks horrible. The display actually only works well in an unlit room whereas the matte is viewable anywhere. The reason that laptops never came with a sheet of 'glass' over them from day one is that it's a boneheaded idea.

We spent years trying to improve the viewing angle of displays and Apple threw it all away in one go - you can't see anything on a glossy display from the side.

To the OP - keep your matte machine - you inadvertently bought the best one.
 
shambo said:
Return it and take the 10% restock hit. Most people who have bought matte have lived to regret it.
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Lol.

OP, it's a blessing in disguise. Just use it outdoors once and you'll understand (on your deck, late afternoon, relaxing...). It's so much more versatile than the highly reflective glossy mirror that consumers just love.
 
silvershorts said:
What you prefer for sure is a matter of personal choice but there is a right or wrong answer as to which one is better for computing - matte.

The gloss screen DOES NOT make the colours 'pop', 'make them richer', or even increase the contrast. If you compare the two screens alongside each other in the Apple store there is no difference between the presentation of contrast or colour.

And the contrast and colour of my Dell 24" desktop display is much greater than that of my glossy 15" inch. Comparing this three year old display with the glossy Mac one makes a lie of all of the pro glossy arguments that I have seen presented on here. I guess most people who think glossy makes the colours pop must have knackered old monitors to compare them to.

The glossy has a further disadvantage - it gives everything an 'oily' appearance - a bit like looking at it underwater. Turning up the brightness on the glossy washes out the highlights and looks horrible. The display actually only works well in an unlit room whereas the matte is viewable anywhere. The reason that laptops never came with a sheet of 'glass' over them from day one is that it's a boneheaded idea.

We spent years trying to improve the viewing angle of displays and Apple threw it all away in one go - you can't see anything on a glossy display from the side.

To the OP - keep your matte machine - you inadvertently bought the best one.
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I have a 17" glossy display and can safely say you're exaggerating a lot here. I work in video and when I'm not in front of the $12,000 pro monitor at work, I use my MBPro. There's no question I would've preferred a matte screen, but I got a great deal on this unit and it happens to be glossy.

Basically, it can be really annoying at times and it's just not usable (for me, personally) when doing tricky detail work. I tried doing some blue screen compositing the other day and the reflections made it very difficult to focus on the tiny edge details, even though the detail on the 17" screen is stunning.

However, I'm sitting at a Starbucks with huge windows everywhere right now and the glossy isn't as big a deal as I thought it would be. For most other computer chores, it's okay. The screen is damn bright so that helps.

The claim about "oily" appearance just ain't true. It's very sharp. You might have a buildup of cleaning fluid residue or something. I find the glossy harder to clean than a matte. You really have to work at it to get all the residue off (the same Monster cleaner leaves no residue on my 24" matte display or my 46" Sony LCD).

Also, the viewing angle claim is ridiculous. My 17" has a much better viewing angle than any other display I've used. My 24" Samsung looks totally washed out from the side. I work directly in front of my monitor, so it's not a problem anyway, but the 17" is so sharp from the side that I'm worried everyone around me can see what I'm doing. Maybe you were using a white MacBook or something? I seem to remember these screens looking pretty crap to my eyes. But that had nothing to do with the glossy screen.

"The display actually only works well in an unlit room"
Oh come on. You lose all credibility with this one, I'm sorry.

All in all, I love my 17". It's an incredible, incredible piece of gear. The annoyances of the glossy screen are a small trade-off for me. If I was the OP, I'd keep the glossy. It's a no-brainer for me. If you think shiny things look nicer, though, go for the glossy.
 
chipmonkey said:
I have a 17" glossy display and can safely say you're exaggerating a lot here. I work in video and when I'm not in front of the $12,000 pro monitor at work, I use my MBPro. There's no question I would've preferred a matte screen, but I got a great deal on this unit and it happens to be glossy.

Basically, it can be really annoying at times and it's just not usable (for me, personally) when doing tricky detail work. I tried doing some blue screen compositing the other day and the reflections made it very difficult to focus on the tiny edge details, even though the detail on the 17" screen is stunning.

However, I'm sitting at a Starbucks with huge windows everywhere right now and the glossy isn't as big a deal as I thought it would be. For most other computer chores, it's okay. The screen is damn bright so that helps.

The claim about "oily" appearance just ain't true. It's very sharp. You might have a buildup of cleaning fluid residue or something. I find the glossy harder to clean than a matte. You really have to work at it to get all the residue off (the same Monster cleaner leaves no residue on my 24" matte display or my 46" Sony LCD).

Also, the viewing angle claim is ridiculous. My 17" has a much better viewing angle than any other display I've used. My 24" Samsung looks totally washed out from the side. I work directly in front of my monitor, so it's not a problem anyway, but the 17" is so sharp from the side that I'm worried everyone around me can see what I'm doing. Maybe you were using a white MacBook or something? I seem to remember these screens looking pretty crap to my eyes. But that had nothing to do with the glossy screen.

"The display actually only works well in an unlit room"
Oh come on. You lose all credibility with this one, I'm sorry.

All in all, I love my 17". It's an incredible, incredible piece of gear. The annoyances of the glossy screen are a small trade-off for me. If I was the OP, I'd keep the glossy. It's a no-brainer for me. If you think shiny things look nicer, though, go for the glossy.
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I told you what I was using - a 15" MBP - not a white macbook. With the 15" you can see FA from the side compared to a matte screen.

The 'oily' appearance that you think I'm exaggerating in not the result of a 'buildup of cleaning fluid residue' (do you think I'm a moron?) its due to the diffraction of light from having an extra transmissive surface between the screen and your eyes. In all cases I'm talking about matte in comparison to glossy. The matte has a slight visible granular texture - obviously -since it's not reflective.

People clearly like shiny things - maybe we're all savages at heart - the point is that LCD technology has reached a point were it need not be an issue any more. Apple has made it an issue. In your post you agree that your MBP screen is 'just not usable' in certain situations. This is a ridiculous and unnecessary situation for Apple to have put us in - they've got us designing on TVs.
 
If you're really that torn this is what I think you should do:

Open up the box, setup your Macbook Pro and surf the web for a bit. Take some time to inspect the screen...do not install anything on it.

After you have spent enough time on it, make a decision on whether you like the matte and if it's worth the extra money to you. If you decide that's not the case and you want the glossy (like you originally thought you purchased), get on the horn with a manager at the Apple store so you can waive the restocking fee and get it replaced.

YOU NEED TO DO THIS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

The longer you sit around and wait to decide, the less likely the manager is going to buy your story.

The bottom line is that it's THEIR fault for getting you the wrong product. YOU should have thoroughly checked it since you live far away but really it's a moot point now. Live and learn.
 
The OP is not going to be charged a restocking fee if he opens it. Firstly, he went into the Apple store and decided on a 17" that had a glossy screen, he liked it and that's what he wanted. He had not seen a matte screen model so he never compared it. All he has to do is open it up and if he doesn't like it then take it back and tell the store, "Hey, I bought this 17" model and when I got home and opened it, it wasn't the same machine that I asked to buy and I want the model I intended to buy".

There's nothing wrong with that and he's not scamming the store. There's NO reason for the store NOT to exchange his machine WITHOUT a restocking fee. It was the stores mistake, not the OP's. Yes, the OP could've easily looked on the box and saw that it was different looking than the one he bought but it still should be no problem.

No, to all you people here who are talking crap about the glossy screen and pimping the matte like it's the end all to laptop displays, get over yourselves. Both matte and glossy have benefits and disadvantages.

Pros: Glossy gives a nice rich color picture which makes watching movies and web surfing a pleasure to the eyes. Outdoors, the glossy looking amazing which is what is unique about the glossy.
Cons: Glossy is highly reflective of surrounding lighting but it's not a huge issue with notebooks as you easily adjust the screen angle.

Pros: Matte, keeps the users eyes more focused on the screen since there's no reflections from background objects.
Cons: Matte retains a nasty white glare from room lighting and sun from open windows. You still end up adjusting the screen to avoid the glare. Also when using the matte outdoors it tends to get washed out.

I recommend that the OP open it up and see if you like it since you have such a long drive, you actually might like it but if not take it back and don't worry about restocking fees. There's no reason for you to call the store and play games to see how they are about returning open products. They didn't have a matte version on the selling floor for you to compare so your intentions were to buy what you saw.
 
I called the apple store and was told I could open it and see if it meets my needs. If not, I could return it and get the glossy without incurring the 10% restock fee.

Now to open the box. :)
 
There's no reason to be afraid of the Apple store, they're pretty helpful. Instead of posting this you could have easily just called or gone down there today when they opened.

I'm sure they'd even let you bring in your new purchase to compare it to the glossy display model side-by-side...or show you that shiny 24" LED so you could have the best of both worlds:p
 
I just noticed a dark spot on the left speaker that looks like a watermark.

The screen seems ok to me, I am sitting on my deck and have no problem reading the screen content.
 
frocco said:
I just noticed a dark spot on the left speaker that looks like a watermark.

The screen seems ok to me, I am sitting on my deck and have no problem reading the screen content.
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That dark spot, watermark-looking thingy is the built-in microphone. Good, sounds like you like it. Keep it and enjoy. :)
 
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