[sammelmike]

Chalk me up as one more Mac fan who definitely will not be buying a new MacBook Pro as long as the glossy screen is my only option. There are enough distractions in the day. I don't need visual distractions bouncing back at me from my computer screen.

[albertw]

Although, as noted somewhere above, I prefer the matte screen there is not a chance in h-e-double toothpicks that I would switch to a PC laptop. Thus far all my Apple laptops have been like those old Timex ads - It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. Those things aren't just nice looking, they're also surprisingly tough. And they always get the job done. So, I guess I'll just be investing in a lot of anti-glare screen protectors. Maybe MacWorld should do a good round-up of what what's available and how well they work.

[Mac212]

I thought that Apple was clever to cover the iMac screens with glare prone glass. It forced the pro market to purchase the more expensive Mac Pro and Cinema Display. It made sense. Most professional users had the extra money to spend.
I was floored this afternoon when I found out the new MBP and Cinema Display would follow suit. I'm a professional photographer. I simply can not use these machines. It's ironic because the reason I switched to Mac five years ago was because it was (is) the creative industry standard. Clearly Apple has lost sight of this. Visit any pro photography forum to see the overwhelming disappointment. To those who say, "What's the big deal? CRT monitors were glass." Nobody was trying to use CRT monitors in all different locations and lighting conditions. I could understand if it was just for the Macbooks, whose primary function will be viewing websites, iTunes, & checking email. Are the MBP's really targeted at consumers? They're too expensive for my parents.
Considering they put glass over the new Cinema Display as well, I think it's safe to say that glass is here to stay, at least for now.
It's a sad day for Mac using creatives.

[lwdesign]

Oh Apple! The new MacBook and MBPro look quite amazing, and the new technologies are truly stunning--but why the glossy screen!!!! I bought an older iMac for my wife recently to avoid the new glossy screen iMacs, and paid an extra $100 for it, but it has the matte screen. Now the MacBooks have gone glossy and I'm in despair.
My original 17" MBPro Core Duo is still cranking along just fine, so I'll keep it for another year or so. Hopefully when Apple comes out with a complete refresh of the nes 17" MBPro, it will offer a matte option for professional photographers and for anyone who doesn't want a computer that looks like a mirror.
I know Apple is selling tons of laptops, but the vast majority of them had matte screens. I'm wondering if there's a technological reason that prevents the glass from being micro-etched, thus producing a matte finish. I'm not a consumer looking for overly saturated colors. I want what I've been used to: matte finish that's not distracting or annoying that I can color calibrate and work on professionally.

[mlennig]

May have been mentioned, but right now Apple in their clearance section is selling matte screen macbook pros for 1399 with education discount. My girlfriend literally picked one up this evening online after evaluating the new models. I had to buy one as a replacement less than one month ago (horrible luck on timing) and she just paid 400 dollars less than I did less that a month ago for the same computer. She is ecstatic to say the least.

[Morrick]

I'm with you, Rob. Matte is important to me as well. Matte lets me work in whatever light condition. In my opinion, even things related to entertainment are better with a matte screen -- like watching a DVD without having to pull down the blinds, draw curtains, etc.
The new MacBooks and MB Pro are tempting, damn them -- I can't use my PowerBook G4 12-inch forever :)
Cheers
Rick

[mowrah]

As a professional photographer I require a screen that is calibratable, when I heard that the new Macbook Pros would only have Glossy screens my first reaction was what are you thinking Apple?

As far as I am concerned Apple you just guaranteed that there is no way I will be purchasing the new Macbook Pro and considering that I am currently in the market for a new Laptop, you just screwed up massively.

That being said my plan is to purchase the Old Macbook Pro with a Matte Screen.

For me the things that are deal busters for the new Macbook Pro are as follows:
1.) the Glossy Screen
2.) lack of Firewire 400
3.) raising the Education price
4.) lack of a processor upgrade

As I said before I am still intending to buy the old version of the Macbook Pro considering I should be able to score a great deal because of the update but I am really disappointed in you and I am sincerely asking that you give us a choice of Matte & Glossy, reinstall firewire 400 and lower the education price back to $1799.00.

As I said before calibratability is not only an affectation it is a requirement for me, as a professional photographer I NEED the capability to be able to calibrate and with 3 of my 4 hard drives and peripherals using firewire 400 that is a requirement as well.

Please address these issues soon otherwise my next purchase may not be an Apple Computer.

Sincerely Yours,
Scott Batchelar

[peetz]

When Jobs says the "vast majority" prefer matte -- that is a clear case of spin.

Here are some facts:

1 - at macpolls.com - 44% prefer matte

2 - the local Apple Store said it was roughly 50/50 for matte vs gloss on the MBP.

3 - http://arstechnica.c...61018-8022.html this poll said 86% prefer matte.

So, whichever poll you take, it is not the VAST MAJORITY in favour of gloss.

Steve's comment is just spin, justifying their manufacturing economy of scale decision to just jerk their thumb at a substantial percentage of people who want matte.

And people don't give us more comments like "Oh, I prefer gloss". Great. I prefer matte, and we should have a choice.

[hanineal]

No need to buy now peripherals. All you need is a FW800 to FW400 cable and all your FireWire 400 accessories will work just fine.

[PetitPaul]

My 2 year old 17" MBP screen isn't exactly millions of colors. This is quite obvious when you have shaded pictures (like the opening stellar space Leopard screen) side by side with a true millions of colors 23" Apple Cinema Display connected. You can easily see the gradation stops on the MBP. This has been reported before, I believe.

How does the new 15" MBP compare in that respect? Is it true millions of colors? I believe this point should be crucial to video or photo pros. Perhaps even more than glossy versus matte, although I need to check this to make my own opinion. Still, having the choice would certainly be far better.

This being said, the new 17" MBP is now 1920x1200 and has a matte screen and has LED and has a NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 512MB. If it's now a true millions of colors screen, wouldn't it be perfect for video and image pros? I know at 17", it's a big big portable, but when screen size matters, it's really great. I think I would go for a new 17" MBP...

[experimental]

VERY IMPORTANT LINK BELOW

It has been mentioned previously, & thanks to all who did ....



www.apple.com/feedback/

Say it here loud and clear over there please. All of you! (as well as on this fine discussion too of course) ;

[MrYmath]

I've had my Macbook for the past 18 months and have yet to be bothered by glare. But then I've never used the computer outdoors.

[ebspoony]

I find it phenomenally misguided on The Steve's part to manufacture a series of "pro" line devices with no matte options. As a designer, I need incredibly accurate color. As a user with glasses (which are glare free--Earth to Apple: Carl Zeiss can produce my optical glass glare free for less than a 15% increase in cost to me) and vision problems, I'm right there with you Rob. I can't f*ng see the glossy screens. I bought one last year (glossy iMac) and wanted to love it. I tried to love it. I sold it to some friends after 8 months and stuck with my old trusty 12" PBG4. I was DYING for this announcement today--I need to have a portable, dockable, power-machine. But I'm not paying for an ultra-portable with a glossy screen, and I'm NEVER, EVER going to pay for a monitor on my desk with gloss either! Apple, please make us all feel sheepish at Macworld in January: make this option available! Even if we're a niche, we need you.

[icerabbit]

I totally agree with Rob, and others.

Glossy or glass-only absolutely means no future Apple product for me.

I will get by with what I have and purchase elsewhere. I hoped the cinema display line would have been updated last year already as I really would like a bigger screen, but didn't want to invest in old technology or get caught before a product change. Without an LED backlight update to the Cinema Displays and price adjustment, we now have Steve's Jobs word that Apple is going all glass ... I just shake my head. Same thing actually with the phase out of firewire ... what are they thinking? So many firewire cameras, drives, iPods cannot be used with the new MB. Sorry to take it of topic.

Matte is the single most important factor for me in any type of display. Glossy is OK for brief periods of time, or if you use it in a dark environment only, just to browse the web or send a few quick emails. 3 seasons out of 4 I try to get as much sunlight in the house as possible, which is no problem for a matte display like my 20" Cinema Display (which I think cost $1500). I can comfortably work in any light. The opposite is true with the glossy screens on the MacBook, HP, Toshiba, ... notebooks and standalone displays. I can see birds flying by, check out what the cat is doing behind me on the chair, etc. A family member uses my old 12" and even though it isn't the brightest nor most powerful system, you can comfortably use it with bright light around you, to the point that I would downgrade in power to get a matte screen.

Ideally a display should also come with a matte bezel. I can wave at myself in the piano black bezel of our HDTV (with matte screen) and check the surroundings in the glossy bezel of the HP monitor. The HP notebook & MacBook are basically unusable in the car as it picks up everything.

To me the arguments about turning up the brightness and being able to move a notebook, don't hold water.

When you turn up the brightness it causes eye strain and washes out subtle nuances. I try to set any display to a brightness and contrast so that they show a proper greyscale and then see if other adjustments are needed. It is a combination of the settings that gives you a comfortable and realistic view.

When you are sitting at your desk, at the table in your garden patio, in the car, on the plane, at a conference etc there is very limited mobility to move your laptop around. It generally angles up where the light is coming from and you are stuck with it unless you are going for a really non-ergonomic posture and/or poor viewing angle outside of the comfort zone, and still you find yourself looking at the print on your shirt.