MacBook Pro--Glossy or Anti-glare?

Hello forum. I know that this topics has been brought up countless times, however most responses are those of people who are usually close minded, and always support the screen which they own, making lots of information I hear about the displays invalid. I am soon to purchase a MacBook pro 17" and am trying to decide between glossy or anti-glare. I will be using this as a desktop replacement, and will mainly be taking it to school, my backyard/park, and the ocasional trip. I will be mainly using it for school (word processing, presentations, research, etc.), video editing, games, movies, music, and auto-cad. So basically school with multimedia filling in the gaps. At home, I will obviously have a controlled enviroment, but at school I do have a giant window taking up a whole wall, and flouresent lights on the ceiling. which screen would you recomend? I am leaning towards the glossy due to it's sharpness, vibrant colours, look, and the fact that I can save $50. Which screen do you prefer? Do you agree with my choice, or should I change my mind? Please comment.

I personally prefer the glossy screen because like you I think it gives a sharper more colorful display. However, others may disagree stating the anti-glare is better. If your local Apple store has both models in stock, a first hand look would be best in making up your mind.

Regards.

I recommend doing a search of the forums and taking a look at any of the existing threads about this ongoing debate.

I own BOTH. And you actually answered your own question. You state that it will be going portable a lot, which means that the sun will be a factor. The glossy screen in the sun is a PITA, and you'll be fighting with what angle to sit in half the time. When I'm in the sun with the matte screen, this is not an issue. It may be a bit more dim, but then all you have to do is turn up the screen brightness.

I also don't prescribe to the notion that the colors on the matte screen are dull. They're just not as over saturated, such as the colors on the glossy screen. There's a big difference between neutral, and over saturated, and the colors on the glossy screen are indeed far from neutral. Don't get me wrong though, the glossy screen in optimal conditions is really beautiful, I just prefer the matte screen *which I'm using right now* for both reading as well as for photo editing.

And don't forget, you have at least 14 days to make up your mind. So get the glossy first and see if it fits your needs. If not, take it back and get the matte screen instead. Problem solved.

Doug

Best solution is to go into an Apple store or some other store that has both so that you can see the difference yourself. Aside from that I can give you my personal opinion but remember that it is only my opinion. I do own a previous generation matte (anti-glare) Mac laptop and I thought I would try a glossy screen for my current laptop.

The glossy screen is great in a controlled lighting environment and if the light source is coming from mostly one direction. In all other environments it can be a bit annoying at least to me. The thing is a lot of laptop users don't use their computers away from their desks or out of their homes that often so yes it's usually not a huge problem for those people around the house unless you have a lot of large windows in your home.

Also you can tilt the screen or move the laptop to avoid the glare and reflection but with a matte screen you can use the laptop pretty however and wherever you want. For example, with a matte screen I don't have to tilt it to awkward angles to avoid glare/reflections. With a glossy screen I'm always aware of how the placement and where I have my laptop affects glare on the screen. With a matte screen I just use my laptop and worry less about where's the best place to use it. These new glossies are more reflective and mirror like than the previous ones so you really should test them out to get an opinion.

So if you truly use your laptop as a portable most of the time then a matte screen might be the better choice for you. I'm getting a matte screen again the next time I upgrade my computer. The glossy is a very pretty screen to look at but if you can't see it then that kind of defeats the purpose in my opinion. The only way you will know for sure which one you will like is to use it because your preference might be different.