How A Notebook Computer Is Like A Print: Glossy Or Matte? - 8/17/07

As I write this, I’m sitting on my porch swing in the warm night air working on my old iBook with a tolerable amount of processing power but a woefully exhausted battery. Consequently, I’m saving my nickels and dimes in hopes of acquiring a new MacBook Pro in the not-too-distant future. As I’ve been window-shopping, I’ve noticed a new choice that didn’t exist when I bought this antique machine: glossy or matte displays. The official Apple Website suggests, “Choose the glossy widescreen display to make your graphics, photos and videos appear with richer color and deeper blacks,” but that if you’d prefer glare-free viewing in a variety of lighting conditions you should choose the standard matte-finish display. The Genius at the Apple Store echoed that opinion, but implied that, as a photographer, I should have my hand slapped if I chose anything other than the glossy option. I tested them out for myself, and while it’s true the glossy version showed richer color and deeper blacks, it also reflected every light within shouting distance of the store. So I can’t decide: do I go for a better viewing experience part of the time, or a fine, old, vanilla viewing experience all of the time? At least out here on the porch in the dark, this old screen works fine. http://store.apple.com