[peetz]

If you still want Apple to bring back matte-screen iMac's, register your protest at this blog:

http://bringbackmatt...c.blogspot.com/

In terms of news on Mac websites, this might be old news -- but for people who need to use and buy matte screen iMac's, this is not just a topical issue. It is a protest issue that just is not going to go away.

[MacosNerd]

I agree that its unfortunate that apple does not offer an option but an online petition has 0% of succeeding. I mean I think when the MB's came out with a glossy only screen there were a bunch of petitions requesting that we have the option for a matte display. We all know how that went, we now have a choice of a glossy screen or a glossy screen.

[Heyoka_Happiness]

I also agree.

I will not be buying a new iMac just for that reason. I can not stand the glossy screens for a work station. Hopefully Apple won't ruin there cinema displays with glossy screen.

Although the next computer up-grade I do will hopefully be to a Mac Pro. (I am still saving.)

The option to choose glossy or matte screens would be nice.

[smax013]

MacosNerd said:

I agree that its unfortunate that apple does not offer an option but an online petition has 0% of succeeding. I mean I think when the MB's came out with a glossy only screen there were a bunch of petitions requesting that we have the option for a matte display. We all know how that went, we now have a choice of a glossy screen or a glossy screen.

I agree that a petition will likely do zippola. If you want any chance (as remote as it might be), you will have to do something a little more dramatic that shows a little more "committment" (i.e. "put your money where your mouth is", so to speak). A good example is the whole nuts campaign that the fans of the CBS show Jericho did...sending literally tons of nuts to CBS (i.e. showing CBS that they cared enough to spend money to buy and ship the nuts). A company need to see some real "money where you mouth" effort to make them change. Unless a petition results in a measureable, tangible decline in Apple sales that can be specifically traced back to the petition, it will likely have absolutely no effect. The only possible way it could have some effect is if Apple got some serious bad press out of the whole thing, much like the price shift on the Apple iPhone...but that ship has sailed on the iMac and glossy screens. It is highly unlikely to be able to generate some bad press for Apple on that issue now that glossy screen iMacs have been out more than 6 months.



The only way it will change now is if there is a serious decline in the sales of iMacs, which does not appear to be too likely.

[hsmultimedia]

Who came up with the ridiculous idea of the glossy screen -- that goes against all logic? Except, of course, for those who love to stare at their own reflection :-(

[Typhoon14]

You only get reflection at just the wrong angle to the light source. The rest of the time, you just get a crisper, clearer image.

[peetz]

Don't you see that you yourself are presenting a reason against glossy screens.

You acknowledge that there can be wrong angles.

Sometimes, it is not possible to adjust the angle of the imac to avoid these bad angles.

In my case, I am forced to have the iMac directly facing the window. Why? Because all the walls of my study are lined with bookshelves, which I don't want to block access with a computer desk. The other wall of the study has a built in cupboard. Thus, the layout of the room means there is only one logical place to position the desk.

C'mon, you glossy people. Get real. We're not asking Apple to change over totally to matte. Just to give us the choice.

I would dearly love to upgrade to a new iMac, but am forced to either keep my matte imac as long as it lives, or eventually go to a Mac Mini with cinema screen.

[smax013]

peetz said:

Don't you see that you yourself are presenting a reason against glossy screens.

You acknowledge that there can be wrong angles.

Sometimes, it is not possible to adjust the angle of the imac to avoid these bad angles.

In my case, I am forced to have the iMac directly facing the window. Why? Because all the walls of my study are lined with bookshelves, which I don't want to block access with a computer desk. The other wall of the study has a built in cupboard. Thus, the layout of the room means there is only one logical place to position the desk.

C'mon, you glossy people. Get real. We're not asking Apple to change over totally to matte. Just to give us the choice.

I would dearly love to upgrade to a new iMac, but am forced to either keep my matte imac as long as it lives, or eventually go to a Mac Mini with cinema screen.

And you are assuming that logic has anything to do with it. Like or not, iMacs are selling rather well, glossy screen be damned. Thus, it is not likely that Apple will change things unless THEY feel like it. Petitions and such likely will have little effect when the iMac is doing so well. The Apple folks seem to think they have a well designed machine (just go look at the iMac pages with the new iMacs...they "extort" their design as a "standard for elegance and power" and then elaborate how the aluminum and glass create that "elegance". Thus, I don't see them changing anytime soon.



But, by all means, "rail against the system" if you feel the need...just realize that it likely will not do much good. And if it is REALLY that much of a problem, go get a MacBook Pro with a matte screen...you can even hook up an external screen if you need a bigger screen...or if you don't need the graphics horsepower, then a Mac Mini and a monitor of your choice.



This is not to say that I disagree with you in principle. Personally, I hate glossy screens (my old CRTs, which are being retired soon, is about a glossy as I like). Part of the reason why I would not likely get an iMac is the glossy screen. But, the real reason is that I don't want an all-in-one desktop...I want a configuration/adjustable tower that I use what monitor that I want. But, I am also smart enough to realize that it is not too likely to happen no matter what I might want...and I even understand why it likely won't happen anytime soon...and I have accepted it. In the end, it is something (among a LOT of things) that I cannot control.

[mdawson]

This is not to say that I disagree with you in principle. Personally, I hate glossy screens (my old CRTs, which are being retired soon, is about a glossy as I like).

While I can understand the complaint, the point you made above shows how short (other) people’s memories are in regards to this matter. LCDs have only been the de facto display type for the better part of the 2000s, but for the 20+ years before the new millennium CRTs were standard. Like televisions, at one point 100 percent of the computer displays sold had glossy screens just as a matter of the fact that they were glass.

In the mid-1990s, some of the first matte finishes were introduced, but such coatings were reserved for the very high-end. The real trend toward glare reduction in CRTs was screen flattening. When I purchased my current television in the mid-1990s one of its selling points was the semi-flat screen to reduce glare—my Sony screen is flat on along the vertical axis and has a less pronounced curvature along the horizontal thus reducing glare from ceiling lighting—and the same trend began to appear to a lesser extent in the computer display market. By the late-1990s the first “true” flat screen CRTs began hitting store shelves across-the-board (e.g., TVs and displays) and some higher-end models also included the matte coating for further glare reduction. But even the flat screen CRTs were not always perfectly flat, some even exhibited a slight concave curvature.

Realistically though, by the time LCDs began supplanting CRTs in the PC market, some 90 to 95 percent of CRTs being sold still had uncoated glass, some degree of surface curvature and the reflective glare that accompanies those attributes. That proportion was probably closer to 98+ percent if one strictly looked at the consumer (general-purpose) display market segment that did and still does constitute the vast majority of computer displays sold.

Companies like Lacie that only cater to the high-end design market have a long history of offering anti-glare hoods for their displays to overcome glare and even included hoods with their early LCDs. One reason for this was due to the negative impact matte coatings can have on screen rendering (e.g., reduced contrast, saturation, etc.). The iMac is not targeted toward the professional design market so its glossy screen is not a real concern for such users.

Simply put, glare has always been something that computer users have needed to contend with until very recently. The iMac, and a number of laptops that do and have offered glass screens before Apple joined in on the trend, are at least truly flat displays that only reflect (mostly) on-axis direct light unlike the curved CRTs of the past the picked up light from almost every direction. And, as you have already indicated smax013, based on the continued success of the iMac, it is quite obvious that most people are not concerned with the iMac’s glossy screen. Also, Typhoon14 correctly noted that the iMac’s design improves how things appear on an iMac’s display. The glass surface results in crisper, cleaner looking imagery and the deep black border causes colors to stand out more.

[smax013]

mdawson said:

In the mid-1990s, some of the first matte finishes were introduced, but such coatings were reserved for the very high-end. The real trend toward glare reduction in CRTs was screen flattening. When I purchased my current television in the mid-1990s one of its selling points was the semi-flat screen to reduce glare—my Sony screen is flat on along the vertical axis and has a less pronounced curvature along the horizontal thus reducing glare from ceiling lighting—and the same trend began to appear to a lesser extent in the computer display market. By the late-1990s the first “true” flat screen CRTs began hitting store shelves across-the-board (e.g., TVs and displays) and some higher-end models also included the matte coating for further glare reduction. But even the flat screen CRTs were not always perfectly flat, some even exhibited a slight concave curvature.

Realistically though, by the time LCDs began supplanting CRTs in the PC market, some 90 to 95 percent of CRTs being sold still had uncoated glass, some degree of surface curvature and the reflective glare that accompanies those attributes. That proportion was probably closer to 98+ percent if one strictly looked at the consumer (general-purpose) display market segment that did and still does constitute the vast majority of computer displays sold.

On that note, I seem to have MUCH less problem with glare on my CRTs than I have had one some nice flat glossy LCD screens. My CRTs are not perfectly flat (as you noted), which seems to prevent broad glare. The times that I have used a laptop with a flat, glossy screen, the screen was almost impossible for me to use due to glare (my buddies laptop was especially bad). It seems to be that true flat screens are worse for glare. Thus, I don't believe I will have much interest in an iMac anytime soon. But, there are other factors that affect that decision for me as well. But, that does not mean that there are not plenty of people who find an iMac just right, glossy screen and all.

[Martian]

Has anyone tried an anti-glare film?

[hsmultimedia]

smax013 said:

On that note, I seem to have MUCH less problem with glare on my CRTs than I have had one some nice flat glossy LCD screens. My CRTs are not perfectly flat (as you noted), which seems to prevent broad glare. The times that I have used a laptop with a flat, glossy screen, the screen was almost impossible for me to use due to glare

The glare from CRTs was an unwanted consequence of the glass being used. Most manufacturers tried to limit the glare by treating the front of the screen. The modern, glossy LCDs are glossy because glossy is fashionable. The more glossy, the more fashionable. LIke with most fashion...

[dougster]

Martian said:

Has anyone tried an anti-glare film?

-Hi,

My bro tried the film and ripped it off after a couple days. He built hoods -mdawson mentioned for his CRTs. He is an architect and teaches StudioMAX so the glare is a big issue. The classroom displays are Dell LCDs but the lighting there is different than his work studio.

I do agree that Apple should give folks an option: Glass glare or matte. I'd take the matte which I'm use to -->22" Apple CD. In reality I don't see the glass finish going away any time soon. But ya never know. Apple often times does try to make their customers happy from time to time. :)

[smax013]

dougster said:

I do agree that Apple should give folks an option: Glass glare or matte. I'd take the matte which I'm use to -->22" Apple CD. In reality I don't see the glass finish going away any time soon. But ya never know. Apple often times does try to make their customers happy from time to time. :)

I thought I would point out a little irony since it just dawned on me. The title of the thread is such that it starts from a false premise. To my knowledge, there was NEVER a choice on screen type for an iMac. You got matte finish or nothing. Now, you get glossy or nothing. Thus, there is no choice to "bring back". There never was a choice...you took what you got. The title would more appropriately be "matte screen iMac: bring it back" or "matte screen iMac: give us the choice".