[stella1829]

Apple is probably working on it now. Take it away as an option, market it as an accessory.

[jasonh1234]

I JUST got this e-mail from Apple:

I had recieved their promo ad e-mail for the new MacBooks ("Meet the next generation of notebooks")

I replied to it with: "I think the time is right to buy one. But do they all come with the reflective screen? I don't like that."

The reply I just got was...

"Hello,

Thank you for contacting Apple.
In response to your inquiry, the matte display is available on the 17" MacBook Pro:
http://store.apple.c...rowse/home/shopmac/family/macbookpro
Apple welcomes your feedback on its products. To comment on a particular product line, please visit the following link:
http://www.apple.com/ca/feedback/
Thank you,
Apple Postmaster"

[Vanmo92]

I like glossy screens. And the new LED backlit displays are so bright, that it can largely overpower the glare IMO. I would rather have the colors POP and have some issues occasionally with glare. Than to have dull(er) colors and not worry about the glare.

[DIESEL_X]

Sorry to hear so many people disgruntled..
I have to admit that there isn't a person I know to date, that say chooses matte photographs when getting prints from various places for their holiday pictures & snaps from other occasions.. they 'always' ask for glossy prints including myself, why? well because glossy prints look infinitely better than matte prints, honestly they just do!
My point is that I see the same quality difference when I look at both a matte display (which I've always found disappointing) and a glossy display where the colors and brightness and contrast ratio just leap out at you, also ensuring that it's LED backlit as well further enhances the colors especially ensuring that you get even whiter whites, so much so that it makes the 'whites' on the traditional backlit displays look almost a whitish-creamy/yellow in a side by side comparison next to a glossy LED backlit display.
Nearly all TV's in the world (except a minority) have a glossy or glassy look display for helping towards maintaining the highest possible contrast ratio and brightness that a display could deliver. As for color accuracy, glossy display's have less dreaded 'diffusion' going on (almost none) therefore there's a much wider color spectrum to be experienced in close relationship with the increased and enjoyed contrast ratio, leaving you with the option to just tweak until your hearts content to get the color reproduction as accurate as you need with all that extra spectrum/brightness/contrast ratio to play with and experience.
Best of all, to some of the hard-core matte fans who simply cannot live without a matte display whatsoever; you now have the best of both worlds! Simply apply some of the high quality 'matte' version screen protector & convertor's out there and you get the added bonus of further screen protection as well as the desired 'matte effect'.. what could be better. Then if for any reason you change your mind or come to your senses (only joking, you have to respect everyones preferences at the end of the day, but) you at least then don't have to buy another machine if you did change your mind cause you could simply peel off the matte protector. Also this method only works this way round i.e. you could not apply a glossy protector on a matte screen because diffusion, light/brightness reduction, contrast-ratio reduction, color-spectrum width reductions, all these have taken place on the computer screen's display (being the first stage) and therefore is equally transmitted through any transparent glossy screen protector as a second stage on the screen, its a no brainer.
So if you really think about it, you really now do have the best of both worlds at your disposal ensuring you never have to change the machine if you decide to go with glossy, OR have the bonus of further screen protection if you use a quality matte screen protector/converter.
And if truth be known, the real tragedy of the latest MacBook, is the amazing lack of the more superior FireWire 800 interface (being the more superior with 'full-duplex' connection method)... against the more inferior slower USB2 which is only 'half-duplex'. Terrible mistake and a serious one...

[repmek]

For the record: I never ordered anything but matte prints all my life. I don't like glossy prints, they are finger print prone.

All we ask for is options. Choice. The last time I checked there was still choice which kind of prints I can order, right? Glossy prints for you, matte for me.

And I don't want to spend 2 grand on a laptop and then mess it up by sticking a bubbly screen protector. How would it be vice versa, if it only were matte screens? Would you then put a glossy screen protector on it?

[Urenstaat]

Well, if I'm watching my parents television in daylight I sometimes have to close all curtains to prevent reflection of the windows. I don't plan on doing this when working on my computer. So I voted with my money and bought an old model MacBook Pro with matte screen.

Yes, I did visit the Apple Store to compare the new 15-inch glossy screen and the matte screen on a 17-inch. Glossy is not the right word, it's a mirror. I don't need that. I have a mirror in the bathroom, thank you very much..

I'm good for the next 3 to 4 years, but when I have to buy a new laptop I'll look at all possibilities, including a Windows machine. Computing is about getting work done, if I want to flash a shiny new toy in Starbucks I'll buy the MacBook Air. For my production work I need a glare free screen and enough ports to hook my computer to whatever I throw at it.. This means I'm also doubtful about the proprietary mini-Display port. Surely, a full Display port was a better option? I hate those overpriced small white adapters. I needed one for my 12-inch Powerbook (mini-DVI to DVI) and that was the ONLY thing I didn't like about my Powerbook.. (by the way, I just sold it to a professional photographer for 500 USD! Which shows, there is a demand for a small MacBook with FW and matte screen).

I'm sure in 4 years time a Sony Vaio will start to look pretty interesting.. OS X is nice, but I'll live without it... even after going through all the steps from OS 8.6 through the first incarnation of OS X to the current 10.5.5.. I always vote with my money when doing business.

[ToddBradley]

@DIESEL_X:

Would you mind pointing me to an aftermarket screen protector that (a) correctly fits the new MacBook Pro 15" display and (b) gives it the same color and anti-glare characteristics of Apple's previous award-winning matte LCDs? Price is no object. I await your reply.

[DIESEL_X]

Don't worry, they'll be coming out in abundance soon and Apple will only sell the good one's.

I used one of the scratch-resistance glossy one's which have a special strong crystal coating amongst the multiple special coatings they use for this quality screen protector, for my iPhone's glossy screen (purely for protection) and when applied correctly, well it actually looks like the screen itself has nothing on it what so ever, really! Very true the cheaper/rubbishy ones can look quite awful, I saw one on my friends iPhone, it was a bad quality screen protector and he didn't rub it onto the screen with a cloth while applying it, but to be fair it was a bad quality one in the first place.. he actually couldn't see the one on my iPhone because it became so transparent once applied correctly.. The top boss at my company was so impressed that I passed one of these on to him.

Therefore it's worth keeping an eye on this company because it's a matter of time before they jump on the band-wagon and produce their 'top-quality' crystal layered protectors for the new MacBook's in both matte and glossy versions. The link for their current iPhone's quality protector follows (had trouble picking it u form the US website at this moment, most pictures seem off-line in this category, they must be running maintenance, therefore link is Apple UK):-

http://store.apple.c...&mco=MTQ2ODA3Nw

Lastly, of course you are all right in stating that it's all about choice, and Apple SHOULD really offer that choice to people if they must have an important feature such as this... I must admit I was totally 'amazed beyond belief' when I saw the lack of Firewire 800 on the new MacBook, what are they thinking. Firewire 800 is infinitely more superior than the inferior USB2 interface, in more ways than one, above all Firewire 400 & 800 is 'full duplex' whereas USB2 is merely 'half duplex'.. Fatal Flaw!

[DIESEL_X]

Of course you are all right in stating that it's all about choice, Apple SHOULD really listen and offer that choice to people if they must have an important feature such as this...

I personally 'really do' see a huge improvement with the glossy display using the ultra-white LED backlighting giving better coloring, improved contrast ratio and whiter whites, and I would not say this if I did not experience this, trust me, I'm the first to moan about something if it's not right.. but that's just my own personal experience and everyone is different and Apple really should give the flexibility of choice..

I too wished for the same thing for many years (but on the other hand) that Apple had offered choice 'years ago' for having a glossy screen option so that I could have made the jump away from the then laptops supporting glossy screens but fatally flawed with the dreaded painful windows operating system 'only'.. so for years I couldn't own a MacBook Pro because they only catered for matte screen user's, until now of course.

[Don69]

Thank you so much for bringing up this very important issue. Please print it in MacWorld too.
I find it unreal that Apple seem to be going the way of glossy only. I am deeply concerned, both as a fanatic Mac user but also as a shareholder. For professional work and/or long hours, imo, you HAVE to have a matte display.
I have lots of cash to burn and usually upgrade my Macs on a yearly basis. However, I will never again buy a computer with a glossy screen. I recently bought a new iMac, but have since sold it as I couldn't stand the reflections from the glossy screen.
If they decide to make the 17" MBP and coming Cinema Displays glossy only as well, I'll have to look into other options besides Apple. That would certainly be a shame. Both for me and for Apple.
To everyone reading; please send Apple feedback about this at www.apple.com/feedback

[Wind4Waves]

Rob,
could you review the antiglare films from www.powersupportusa.com and www.buyviewguard.com on the MB/MBP for Macworld? That would be great! W4W

[pleasenogloss]

I'm really challenged by these glossy screens too! Its like a nightmare when you're confronted with these sleek, fast, refined machines that seem perfect in every way except for one innexscusable thing - that stupid screen. I dont see how you could profess to be marketing a laptop to creative professionals and include a glossy screen in your design. It makes no sense. We need to look through the window. derr.
I'm really praying that this belated 17 inch unibody MBP comes out with at least the option for Matte. I need a 17 inch and those stupid glossy screens are at their most annoying at that size.
(sigh) So close and yet so far. All that glitters is not gold, Apple.

[Starfall]

There are several common arguments that I've consistently seen offered in defense of Apple's apparent glossy-only policy:



1. "I thought I preferred matte, but it turns out I really like the glossy screen on the MacBook Air (or previous MacBook or MacBook Pro) - it's been great!"

That may be true, but the new MacBook and MacBook Pro screens are really glossy - much more so than the MacBook Air or previous MacBooks.

See here - That's the old glossy MBP on the left (not even matte!), and the new one on the right:

(from this page: http://www.anandtech...spx?i=3435&p=5)





2. "With a glossy display, the colors and contrast really pop off the screen!"

Again, that may be true, but if I go into the control settings of my TV and move the sliders all the way to the right, the colors also "pop" off of the screen and the picture looks really high contrast. Do I watch it that way? No, a supersaturated, ultra-high contrast image is not the final measure of a good image or screen for many people even though it may look great in the showroom.



3. "Neither matte screens nor glossy screens offer truly accurate color, so matte is no better than glossy. What's the big deal?"

That may be true with respect to color accuracy, but for many of us, the real issue with glossy screens is the problem of reflections. Would you read a book if it were printed on high gloss acetate? Even glossy magazines won't show an actual reflection. See the images above and below.

Think of it this way: When are reflections on a computer screen ever a good thing? They're almost always a bad thing, so I'm willing to sacrifice a little color accuracy or "pop" to make them go away.



4. "But with the new LED screens, you can crank up the brightness to overpower any reflections!"

That may work if the software you use has a user interface that is lighter in color, which is probably common with web-browsing and email. But with darker interfaces (common in certain 3D programs, digital photographs of darker scenes, and even many websites) cranking up the brightness won't help much.

From Engadget's review:


http://www.engadget....ok-pro-review/2




5. "Well, glossy just looks better - I don't really get why anyone would prefer matte!"

That's fine, and hardly anyone wants to take away your option for a glossy screen. However, many of us just want to have a matte screen option so that we can love our displays as much as you love your glossy one.

[ToddBradley]

Starfall nailed it on the head with that last comment.