GLOSSY vs. ANTI-GLARE

If you search for "glossy" in these discussions you will find lots and lots of information and suggestions about this subject. Ultimately though, it's a matter of choice that's up to you.

I have the 15.4" MBP with glossy screen. I could not go back to anti-glare.

As the last poster said, it's just a matter of preference. There are dozens of arguments for each type of screen. Folks say the glossy screen is bad for designers because it creates "false" vividness that won't be there when you print a document. In other words, it makes things look better than they will on paper. The colors won't match, etc.

I am a designer. I find the "inaccurate color reproduction" issue to be negligible; documents always look different on screen than they do in print — no matter how much calibration you do and what type of screen you have. One's RGB and one's CMYK. There will always be a difference.

The other aspect to the debate is this: glossy seems to be the way of the future. Apple doesn't even offer anti-glare coatings on anything but the MBP and Cinema Displays anymore. Other computer manufacturers are following the same trend.

I have the matte display on my MacBook Pro and must say it rocks! The glossy may not be good for class because you may see the reflections of things going on behind you which can be distracting. I highly recommend going with the matte and promise that it is much better. I notice that the glossy display leaves finger prints more actually. Of course I didn't make this up because I went and checked them both out. I hope you do the same before you finally decide, but you will notice the matte is perfect for a college student. Glossy is good if you are a graphic artist in a not so well lit area or a photographer in a darkroom. Best of luck in the future and post back which you chose.

The other aspect to the debate is this: glossy seems to be the way of the future. Apple doesn't even offer anti-glare coatings on anything but the MBP and Cinema Displays anymore. Other computer manufacturers are following the same trend.

Did you notice that those are the high-end products? Anyone can polish a piece of glass, but manufacturing a good matte optical coating is more expensive and time consuming. So, in order to squeeze the last bit of profit from a shrinking market in recession, all "frills" have to go.

For you since you are not working with pictures, and you are going to work outside, I would suggest the matte anti glare screen.
But ultimately, the choice is yours. 🙂

Hi M. dea,

This is a polarizing question (get it, polarizing, ha ha ha?).... The best thing you can do is look at both in the store (which you indicated you have already done). When I purchased my MBP in March, I looked at both displays in the store, and absolutely love the glossy screen. Colors seem to "pop"-out and everything just seemed more vivid. I have heard the argument about how colors are exaggerated on a glossy screen, but what do you look at most of the time, a paper print out? Not me, most of my time is spent looking at the screen, so since I thought it looked better, I went with it. The best thing you can do is just use your eyes. Since it has been well published that the MBP displays are "only" 6-bit, color accuracy isn't guaranteed even with the matte screen. Good luck!

Rich