Due to the recent departure from my company of the only other Mac user, I have acquired a new MacBook Pro 15″, and begun to use it. For two years I’ve used my own personal laptop for work matters, so I figured it was time to use a company computer once again. I even have one of the new chicklet keyboards.
The only difference, other than being a bit faster, and various other things you’d expect from a more modern laptop, is that it has a glossy screen rather than a matte screen. Every machine and LCD display I’ve had up until now has been matte. I’m not sure how I feel about glossy. On the one hand, the glossy display is pretty clearly more crisp and true, but I can also see myself in it, which I find annoying. But I love the clarity and sharp contrast of the display.
One of my other pet peeves about monitors is fingerprints. I hate them. I have long loathed people coming into my office and putting their booger hooks all over my display. With matte displays, I’ve found some measure of relief from my obsession with clean glass, but now the obsession is back with the glossy display. I actually had to get a matte screen filter for my iPhone, because I couldn’t deal with the fingerprints.
Sebastian,
I’ve never been a fan of glossy screens either. If you can’t handle it, for a minimal cost you can buy a matte screen file for the 15″ MBPs. This is one of the more commonly known and referred ones:
http://www.powersupportusa.com/product/show/anti-glare-film-for-macbook-pro-15
Hope it helps,
CR
There are also screen films available for the screens; though they aren’t perfect.
I really loathe the glossy laptop screens. I don’t mind it on my iphone, but on a laptop it’s intolerable. Unfortunately, almost no laptops today are coming with matte screens, because the glossies make the colors look brighter in stores, giving them a marketing advantage.
Ugh, hate the chiclets. I even stocked up on the old white keyboards. Though I’m not such a fan of the old IBM keyboards, I miss my old NeXT keyboard….
I’m so glad to know I’m not alone in the fingerprint issue. I have physically removed booger hooks from my screen and then made the offender clean my screen.
IIRC apple’s glossy screens are a bit less color correct than the matte ones. in fact, i think i had to pay a premium for the matte screen on my MBP17.
“I actually had to get a matte screen filter for my iPhone”
I had no idea these even existed. I’m right with you about fingerprints on my screen, so I am perpetually wiping my ipod touch off while using it.
I just got a laptop with a glossy screen. It annoys the heck out of me. It’s not too bad right now because there isn’t any light behind me, so there isn’t much of a reflection, but when there is its damn near headache inducing.
I think I’m going to have to look into getting one of those matte screens….
The screen protector I have on my PDA is matte – PPCTechs.com supplied it and I’m quite happy with it. Dunno if they have an iPhone version, as my PPC works by pressure and so I can use a stylus on it.
I picked up a tablet HP a little while back (actually a convertible – so I have a KB as well as the touchscreen) – the screen is touch-sensitive so I threaten to break fingers if they come too close. The store-display models have a glossy screen, but the direct-from-HP ones have a somewhat blurry matte screen (which I fid better to use the included RF stylus on – YMMV).