We'd heard just under a month ago that Apple was
mulling the possibility of adding matte display options to more than just its flagship 17-inch MacBook Pro, and lo and behold, it seems the
anti-glare revolution has begun. Starting now (like,
right now), those in the market for a new unibody
15-inch MacBook Pro can order one directly from Apple with an anti-glare widescreen display, packing 1,440 x 900 pixels and a LED backlight. Sadly, the privilege will run you an extra $50 over the traditional
mirrored glossy panel,
and it will replace that svelte borderless look present on glossy MBPs with a silver frame bezel (
check here to see just what we mean). A brief look around
Apple's international sites also shows it available elsewhere in the world for similar amounts, though we're still curious as to what machine will be next in line for the upgrade, er, "option."
[Thanks, Pascal and Khattab]
posted Aug 11th 2009 5:24AM
Thank the lord.
About time; just in time for back-to-school.
The Lord giveth a matte screen and a Lord taketh away £40. That's $66.60 at today's currency conversion rate. 666... coincidence?
Even taking off the VAT it's £57
That should be $57, not £57
It's $45 with the student discount... I'm not sure it's worth it though. Ahh decisions =(
I personally hate the "borderless" look. I liked my glossy 15" 2.33 C2D MacBook Pro, but I have the new one now and I'd be willing to go matte just to get rid of the black border. Give me back my silver keys too. These black ones blow, and they're already wearing down after 3 months.
All silver unibody is what I want.
Typical Apple.
totally agree with tou!
Apple is getting carried away here. Glossy finishes on monitors have been all the rage, and have been treated as a 'premium' option by those who enjoy shiny things for a few years now. The rest of us who just want to be able to see what's on the screen without swiveling our notebooks around like compasses have enjoyed matte-finish at lower costs, because it's the classic, old-style finish that brought notebooks to the dance.
So why the hell does it now cost more to have the cheaper, older finish? Because fanboys have short memories and the marketing machine never stops. 50 bucks more to downgrade. Ridiculous.
apple thinks a matte display is an upgrade. or maybe apple want their customers to think it is.
Don't worry. In a few months all Apple laptops will have matte display and than Apple will introduce new ClearSuperBright option for another $50.
Glossy screens used to be a premium because matte was the high volume seller. Now, glossy is high volume and matte is the option. This means the OEMs will charge a premium for matte finish. On the Dell Vostro 1220, both the matte and glossy screens are WXGA resolution, but the matte finish is a $109 option! Enough idiots like glossy better that matte has become the expensive option.
I was doing some research on my car before I bought it. In the US, the aluminum dashboard trim is standard & the wood is an upgrade. In Canada, it's the opposite: wood standard, sexy aluminum extra. It's the same german manufacturer in both cases - it's just about meeting local expectations.
@ Quix
Why is it always with you Apple niche guys one way or the other, black or white, Pepsi or Coke. If Dell is doing this @ $109, and Endgadget reported on them, and I read the article, my reaction would be the same. It's a bitch ass move. In the same way I wont buy Apple because of personal preference, I wont buy Dell because of reasons outside of the scope of the article.
Let me put it to you like this, and try to get through the RDF clouding your judgment. If Apple killed 1 person, and Dell killed 2.045 people, it doesn't make Apple any less wrong for killing the one person. $50 for charging for a simple downgrade because of manufacturing and production costs. How long ago exactly was Apple offering Matte for free? Last generation? Correct me if I'm wrong, cause I don't know, but this sounds a hell of alot like planned obsoleteness to me...
Do you own any Sony products? LG products? Samsung products? Do you always rush to the rescue to their stupid corporate moves?
Have any posts on Engadget were you exhibit the same zeal in squashing any difference of opinion?
Care to Share them?
You're a fanboy, and as you're reading this, you know it deep down inside. It's not some of us are Apple Haters; you just love Apple way too much to not being paid for it.
um, on the Vostro, the extra $109 antiglare screen is LED, while the regular one is CCFL. I just checked. Anyways, it's the principle. Why should I pay $50 more for something that was free a year ago? I'm sure most people can afford $50 extra, but why should consumers be nickel and dimed so much?
i dunno i actually kinda like glossy displays. and yes, i have used both extensively (not for media editing, obviously).
Apple Tax is increased - Recession is over!
Seriously?
How about extending the option for iMacs? Really, I used to like glossy, but after seeing myself on my iMac on dark backgrounds (especially when watching movies) a lot, it's getting annoying, and it's not like I can just move around my iMac like a laptop.
I have the same problem but on my TV as well as my iMac. But now I have moved the computer desk to another part of the room where I only see the reflections in the morning, while I'm usually out anyway.
Wish they would send one of those my way, strictly for testing of course.
Dang, the auto-fill password plugin automatically re-published that older post. Oh well, funny, but true, as I could always use a newer MacBook. The faster processor and GPU would certainly speed up my video editing. This thing can probably render film in half the time my 2007 15-inch MBP can. And when Snow Leopard gets here, I can only imagine the performance gain, with all the new Intel-optimized software. Ridiculous that the matte option is $50. I bet they save money taking that glossy panel off... But hey, higher profit margins right? Woo-hoo. Glossy displays are nice for media viewing and whatnot, but my iMac G4 and my 17-inch HP 1740 seem to have some great matte displays, and they're definitely easy on the eyes. Easier to clean too. Too bad you can't just switch between them depending on what you're doing. Of course, I've never had to deal with the ridiculous glare that the new Macs suffer from. Nothing some good lighting can't deal with though. Just blanket the room and you'll never notice a thing.
-MD33
Do you use 1pasword? The thing did the same to me and posted a saved message in a completely different post.
Guess this can't be retrofitted, shame. =/
Just splash out on another one then; cuz money grows on trees, shame Apples don't.
how bout this: http://techrestore.com/xcart/product.php?productid=18467&cat=0&page=1 but you have to pay even more for not holding out.
You have to wonder what's the next thing apple will think of charging for.
--maybe a keyboard that doesn't feel like used bubble gum?
Their keyboard feels like Bubble Gum?
I use one with my hackintosh,
my windows box,
and my mom uses one with her windows computer too.
The keyboard are amazing, I cannot find one that I like near as much.
Yeah I agree. Apple's new keyboards feel really good. Those mice on the other hand...
I am truly in awe of Apples ability to charge for what should be standard options.
Standard? The standard with most consumer laptops out there is glossy. Dell/HP don't even have an option anymore other than glossy on most of their consumer laptop models.
@pika2000: Why should I buy a consumer laptop anyway? Business models offer better build quality, better warranty, better customer support, matte displays...
But yeah, finally Apple offers it again. Now the 13" please...
They charge for something as basic as the Mini-DisplayPort to DVI or VGA adapters, which you automatically need if you want to use any sort of secondary display; that's how they roll.
@s.e.j.ramsay
You are indeed correct. Since I switched to the Mac about 7-years ago I have noticed that Apple is increasingly charging for things that used to come in the box and that you don't get a whole lot for what is essentially a premium price. This does indeed suck.
Not being an apple fanboy here, but how many people NEED an adapter because they have a secondary display. While it might be a large % of engadget users, the rest of the world isn't like us and that screen is all they need. Every adapter Apple thre in for someone that didn't need them would be costing apple money that they don't have to throw away.
Kelmon has always been a voice of reason within our Apple brethen on this site, along with iKurt and the like. He's a perfect example of someone who can like a product, promote the product they use, without trying to bash the skull in of the person he's discussing gadgets with.
My PB G4 came with an S-video to Composite adapter and a DVI to VGA adapter... why the F did they stop coming with adapters?!
Man, if they extended this to the 13", I might actually mull over getting a MBP, since Dell seems they wanna start overcharging for thier shit too; it might not be bad for a Windows-exclusive machine.
You'll get sick of that single mouse button pretty quickly if you plan on mostly running Windows. Anyhow, if you're just going to put Windows on it and not use OS X, why pay the price premium for a Mac?
@shifuimam:
The single button is not a problem at all. Simply place two fingers on the pad and click to 'right click'. Plus you simply have to drag two fingers along the pad to scroll, as opposed to trying to find the tiny strip (if there is one) that functions as a scroll wheel. Besides, if you are going to be doing anything more than light browsing, you should have an external mouse (I use the Logitech VX Revolution). I bought a Macbook Pro mainly so that I could have experience with the variants of Unix (including Mac OS X) and still be able to play games. Compared to other gaming laptops at the time (3 years ago) there really wasn't a premium, all were around $2500. Now, I am having a hard time justifying spending $2500 for a laptop that is comparable in specs to another at $1500 with the only added functionality being the 'legal' ability to run Mac OS X. I just don't see OS X being worth $1000.
(Slight rant...okay a big rant: Why the hell would you prevent the customer from easily removing the battery? I don't care if the purported run time is over 4 hours, I should be able to take the battery out and put in a fresh one with only a short down time. Also, what if I wanted to store the laptop for a month? I should be able to remove the battery to prevent it from decaying the lifespan. I used to love Apple's dedication to providing quality products that included almost everything you would need bundled in the box. If I remember right, there were only a few options when ordering: matte/glossy screen, 1GB/2GB/3GB RAM, 120GB/240GB/??? HDD, specialty adapters, and additional software. They included the remote and a Dual Link DVI to VGA adapter which would be around $150 in extras now, oh plus the $50 matte screen. Sorry Apple, you won't get return business from me until you focus on the consumer again. Thank you for the quality product back in 2006, it's still running strong...under Vista mostly, but the hardware has been wonderful.)
I like how they make it sound special by wording it as "AntiGlare screen" XD
Do you know that it's not an anti-glare screen?
There are all sorts of highly advanced and expensive optical films that you can use to reduce reflections by getting the light waves to actually go in anti-phase and cancel out.
A simple matt finish just spreads the light in different directions which means that your contrast ratio is badly reduced compared to a glossy screen when you get high levels of ambient light - your blacks become less black.
I'm not saying that Apple are definitely using the more advanced films, but don't rule it out as this is a high end product and they're charging extra for it.
Even if it's the simpler matt coat, then the fact that it adds a whole extra set of models to their stock that only a small minority of people will buy will add costs to them which, as a business, it's their duty to pass on to you if you desperately want that feature.
@Fnuky:
A small minority of people? Have you not been paying attention? The matte screen was the choice option on the early Intel Macbooks. Just because the less technically inclined gravitate toward anything that looks good on the surface does not mean that the majority will only want mirrored screens when presented with the option of a much more viewable screen.
Yessssss!
Only 1440x900 on a 15"? Tsk tsk.
well it used to be 1280x800 i'm pretty sure
1680x1050 is just about perfect on a 15" laptop. There really should be an option, it's standard on the Thinkpad W500.
@ Maccadude33
O Backlit Keyboard (Western Spanish) / User's Guide
O Backlit Keyboard (French) / User's Guide
O Backlit Keyboard (Japanese) & User's Guide
O Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide [Add $25.00]
The best thing about this option is that improves the look of the computer massively. Who knows what they were thinking when they made the rim of the display black on the other models - they're so ugly.
Previous generation MacBook Pro ftw!
My new MacBook Pro has only just been delived, damn you Apple.
You can simply return it and request a new one with the anti-glare display, no questions asked.
ARRRRGH I just got my MBP YESTERDAY akslg;jfasdljfsa
sike na im fine with the glossy screen, I'd just hate a glossy desktop monitor
I actually quite liked the look of my Inspiron 1525.
http://chazclout.co.uk/1525.jpg
You should see the Dell Inspiron 1545. Now there's ugly. It's black all over (unless you change the lid color). Besides the Macbook uses a satin white finish so it looks attractive.
Black is beautiful. Think of all the brilliant looking ThinkPads...
Maybe you should take into consideration the Dell Inspiron you're talking about starts at $379, the MacBook with the "satin white" finish starts at $999.
Great news! Finally! Buying a replacement for my old MBP (late 2006) finally becomes an option with this step! Thanks a lot, Apple! If you really release the iTablet in October and do a good job there, as well, it will be a f***g expensive holiday season for me this year.
I wish they would still have a black bezel with the matte screen. I think black is always better than silver because it makes color stand out more.
This is utter thievery.
It's so crook.
Have they fixed the hinge yet or is it still loose and floppy? It's impossible to use this mbp in any odd angles on the couch or in bed. See fixthehinge.com
The AntiSnap Hinge costs an extra 50 bucks too.
Excellent news. I had been considering downgrading from my current 17" MBP to a 15" for various reasons but the thing that was preventing that was the glossy display. Now that this barrier has been removed I simply need to wait for the new processors and enough cash to actually buy one. Sounds like another trip to the post office with a sawn-off...
I Don't know about all you lot, but I actually really like my glossy display - and no I'm not just trying to convince myself, it actually isn't all that bad. I was initially skeptical as well, especially when I read just how much of a bid deal Engadget were making it out to be during their reviews, but to be honest, when put head to head with the older Macbook Pro matte screens, the Glossy screen seemed to me the clear winner. It's far brighter at the highest brigthness settings, and movies on this panel look absolutely gorgeous.
If you've had a proper play around with the glossy screens, then fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion just as much as I am. But i've been using this screen since January, and I have never complained. In a weird way, the slight reflection actually gives it a nice effect.
Anybody who says the Macbook Pro keyboard is shit, is clearly retarded.
And no, I'm not a mac fanboy by any degree.. I've never owned a mac before.. So responders, think of something more witting when bashing.. thanks ;)
I agree. I was apprehensive when I got my mac, but I haven't had a single issue with it. Any time I have noticed the glare I just turn up the brightness and it's fine.
Most of the people bitching are the same mac haters boo-hooing because they can't afford it.
While I'm not an MS, or Linux fanboy, this is exactly why I dont use Apple products. If i need something, it has to come from up on high, delivered by Mose...er Jobs, and it is usually at his discretion alone:
Want a two button mouse? Use a third party one and wait for Apple to finally release there "me-too" two button mouse(nods to Jubei).
If I want copy-paste on my Ipod Touch, well I have to wait until after its released in the IPhones third iteration, and then I have to pay for it.
If I want a standard numpad on my keyboard like 99.9% of all other keyboards out there, It's offered as an Option....
Apple may be fine for people who arent as technically involved with there hardware as I am, but today I plan to switch my Intel Core Duo, to Quad on my W7 rig, for about $260. Is this even a possibilty in the limited line of Macs?
Also, I forgot to add, if you notice all the Mac users who are happy about having this option now, its a little funny: Being thankful for a option release.
Amun - Thank the lord.
Kelmon - Excellent news... I had been considering downgrading from my current 17" MBP to a 15" for various reasons but the thing that was preventing that was the glossy display.
David - Great news! Finally! Thanks a lot, Apple!
I can't speak for the Mouse thing because I was a MS user until about a year ago, and have always had a Mighty Mouse, but most Mac users I know who have always had them have the two-button mode turned off and use keyboard shortcuts instead.
Copy/Paste on the iPhone, I can't understand why everyone moaned about it. I have never used copy/paste on a phone. Ever. Mind, I'm also still using a Samsung D500. (https://www.samstores.com/_images/products/SAMSUNGd500_00.jpg)
you know what i find funny? older laptops came with matte type screen as the default option...
What is wrong with you guys??
People whined for months about this, they finally get it, ad barely a comment on the screen itself, instead 500 comments accusing Apple of thievery!!
Don't you know anything about manufacturing? Any deviation from the stock adds additional costs. It isn't the same as when they were selling both matte and glossy.
They were 2 SKU's each coming off their own lines...
But hey, the in's and out's of production are kind of mundane, and it's much more fun to accuse Apple of being heartless thieving bastards!!
:-)
they did the same thing with iphone os 3.0, everyone bitched for months about no copy/paste, no mms, etc etc, it finally gets it and they still complain
apple switched to glossy to appeal to the mass market, they get discounts in bulk purchasing, the minority that will want/need matte screens doesn't justify the same bulk orders, thus cost per unit is higher along with possibly different manufacturing processes, they just passed that incremental cost along to the end user, not difficult to understand
@ Josh
Are you joking about the minority? I suggest you go use the search function on Apple Insiders, Apples Forums, or MacNN and see how many ppl wanted. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid, dawg.
listen "dawg" you are an idiot if you believe that...being generous, all of those sites combined have probably around 1-2M non-duplicated users, apples sells like 10M computers/year, even if every single forum user wanted a matte screen (and they don't), that's still only 10-20%, not even remotely close to a majority. apple switched to glossy screens because it added to demand and lowered their costs, the majority of the users wanted the "prettier" screen...plain and simple
Wow, kinda glad I didn't order on sunday. But I'm gonna have to play with a display version first. I really like the look of the black bezel and I've honestly really never had much of a problem out of my MB's glossy screen, granted I don't normally use it in high light area's. Do they even have a antiglare on display at the stores? I never look at the 17s, just always lust after my 15s, very soon though.
Also the dvi, vga adapters are like $29, could be worse. And i've hardly ever used my remote on the MB, with the iphone its alot better.
Wow. All the complaining over 50 dollars. You guys complain when there is no matte option, and then complain when there is a matte
option. For your information the glass in the glossy MacBook Pro is part of the screen assembly and design. Therefore Apple had to machine a whole new lid for the matte display. Which in turn explains the 50 dollar charge.
Can you Paypal me $50 then if it isn't an issue?
iloveappleyesido@mac.com
Kthxbai!
now how long do we need to wait for the 13" to get this option........ trying to get a new notebook before school is the hardest thing I've ever had to do
Apple has always chosen form over function...and it has always came at a ridiculous price. I have a MBP 13, the design are really nice. I am not a big fan of the nvidia chipset choice. It has problems and runs extremely hot!! In both Mac and Windows! In bootcamp it gets extremely hot and it has massive driver issue all of which apple still to this day blames on Microsoft even though they provide bootcamp and write their own drivers. Their tech support is expensive, offers no accidental damage protection, no next day on site service, their call centers are contracted (not apple owned or trained), and they are not even 24x7x365. I also found the support smug and lackluster. Spoke with 3 separate techs and they all didnt know how to browse a workgroup from within the macos. Seriously...the iCult recruited me and I feel swindled! If you are considering buying a macbook or a mac in general for boot camp I seriously would talk you out of it. Reconsider something else!!! The touchpad is over sensitivity for the drivers are written horribly along with the wireless and dont get me started on the audio. Dont believe me go to discussions.apple.com there is one post alone that is 21 pages deep and has been viewed over 30,000 times. You think there might be a problem? This is one of many related to hardware problems. All the other post are generally related to people just not knowing what they are doing when it comes to windows. But the hardware related one are massive!! This is a problem apple has taken no effort to fix. I am a computer and network tech and I am yet to deal with any company that offer an option...such as bootcamp, includes it on their dvd, write the driver for it but then denies supporting it furthermore blames Microsoft for all the problems experienced with the hardware not working properly because of poorly written driver that havent been update in several months. Buyer beware!!! If you are going to use the mac as a mac you are fine...for boot camp steer far away. Remember there is more to this then just drivers. The Macbooks lack a true right click the two finger right click isnt fully functional. There is no "delete" key...the delete key on the mac acts as a backspace key in bootcamp...you need to hold the fn+delete to actually make it delete. No home, end, page up/down...once again use the fn key plus another key to use them. The sad thing about this is the pc community envies the hardware...it is beautiful!! But beauty is skin when it comes to bootcamp. Oh and no Hard drive lock in the bios...if you can even find the bios, no fingerprint scanner for security, Battery life in bootcamp is weak, and no HDD light to see if the hard drive is even doing anything. Simple easy things to implement to make this a stellar product but the smug factor continues to hold it back from being more than just the best of both worlds! Apple makes more money on the hardware then they do on the software...why the hell not market it better towards your pc counterparts...if they did it right they could sell a ton of these laptops! With Windows 7 coming apple needs to step it up...yes it is that good. We have tested it seen we received the first dev kit...and it is that much improved!! Till then let a mac be a mac...its no more than an overpriced windows wanna be using bootcamp!
**ignores wall of text**
Paragraphs, mothafucka, do you speak them!!!!!?
So you basically bought a mac for windows? Why? There are alot cheaper options to run windows. I have a Early 08 MB with 2Ghz C2D and 4GB of ram. I run bootcamp occasionally to run engineering programs such as Solid Modeling programs and run FEA. I have the crap Intel graphics and it does okay with intel driver updates. I don't monitor the temp on windows side but encoding HD programs from my DVR my CPU will run 200F for an hour or more. Yes I hate doing it, but this was my secondary computer that got thrust to my primary.
So thats why i'll be upgrading to a 15" MBP with dual graphics, hopefully less heat and more horsepower for engineering work. Also apples tech support has been nothing but good for me. My MB was 6 months out of warranty and they fixed my cracked palm rest free of charge.
If mac is so great how come your return key is bust.
this is amazing news. matte should always remain an option with mbp's. period.
I am an Apple fan but they should not be charging for this option.You should have the choice as in
pictures glossy or matte end of story Apple stop being so GREEDY
i really love the glossy screen. it always depends on where you use it. i mostly use my book in my flat.
you are talking about a $1700 laptop (minimum), $50 is 3% premium, get over yourselves, sales tax is more than that, yet half of you probably wouldn't think twice about buying it in a store
does anyone know the old sony vaios with the glossy screens? the screen glass was a little bit blue and non-reflecting. why can´t apple invent displays like non-reflecting eyeglasses?
Man, if they extended this to the 13", I'd be a bit sad. Why?
Because I bought a 13" MBP as a hold-over while my matte-finished 15" early 2008 was in for warranty service. If waiting a couple of months could have landed me *two* matte-finished screens, I'd be quite pleased.
This glossy screen (typing on the 13" right now) is friggin' awful.
Oh, and $50 is *just fine* for this. It's a non-standard finish, and I've said before that I would have shelled out $150 on this 13" for it. $50 to correct a stupid design choice is fine.
Might I add, that $50 to correct a stupid design choice (I call it oversight to be fair to Apple) that you didnt make isnt all that fair.
it's ONLY $45 dollars with your educational discount :-P
Literally just bought the glossy version. Can it be swapped?
No 13" Macbook Pro love? Damn.
Yes. Great news.
So much for Apple's sense of style.
So, how long until the 13" Macbook Pro gets the Matte display option? I've been waiting until Snow Leopard came out to get my Macbook but by the time that happens, it most likely wont be long until another refresh with better specs and graphics comes along... Must take the plunge sometime.. but when?! And then there will probably be iLife '10 in Jan so another couple months wait...