“There’s a lot of buzz online about the glossy LCD screen on the new generation of iMacs, called the Aluminum iMac. Some people love it and some hate it,” David Morgenstern blogs for ZDNet.
“A matte surface is better for evaluating color in images,” Morgenstern writes. “From Apple’s viewpoint, most of the target market for the iMac doesn’t care whether the screen is glossy or matte. Then again, some customers will prefer the glossy screen… I can imagine that the glossy screen is also easier to clean and that would appeal to education market customers.”
“‘Apple is trying to discourage iMac sales by pros. With the move to Intel [processors], Apple lost a lot of speed and performance issues between the desktop and iMac. The iMac did almost everything. I mean, why isn’t that 24-inch [iMac] a layout machine? It is. So the only way to discourage a designer is to put a shiny screen on it,’ suggests Karl Lang, a color scientist, product developer and a former colleague of mine at Miro Display.
“So, there’s really nothing wrong with a shiny screen on an iMac. It’s okay to love that shiny screen,” Morgenstern writes. “But if color evaluation is important to you, and you want a Mac, then you will have to step up to a pro machine. Or live with the shine.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Among others, Power Support sells Antiglare film which is made from absorbing liquid crystal filter that reduces the glare from fluorescent and sun light to allow easy viewing. The special Antiglare film not only reduces the utlraviolet radiation emitted from the monitor by 70%, reducing the burden on your eyes but controls the deterioration of your liquid crystal monitor by blocking out ultraviolet light and protects it from scratching and dirt. The Antiglare film is made from a material that does not require tape to apply to the monitor so all you need to do is place over your display. Power Support’s website’s iMac section currently says, “Coming Soon.” We imagine that others, too, will soon be providing anti-glare film for Apple’s 20-inch and 24-inch iMacs.
Reportedly, current iMacs employ anti-reflection technology in their glossy screens. For more in the differences between traditional anti-glare LCD screens (matte) and the new high-gloss anti-reflective LCD screens (featured on Apple’s iMac and MacBooks), ScreenTek has an interesting, if somewhat technical, article here.
I returned my 24″ iMac because the glare was too distracting in my office. I guess I’m not alone.
ME.
I like my matte screen imac, never did like glossy screens.
“But if color evaluation is important to you, and you want a Mac, then you will have to step up to a pro machine. Or live with the shine.”
…or plug a Cinema HD into it since you should be using 2 monitors anyway. But given the option, I’d still get a matte.
will not buy a glossy imac. hate reflections. love being first to post.
The iMac has a glass cover over the glossy screen, yes? Of what use will coating the cover do with after-market anti-glare applications?
Ack! What happened? I know I was first. I know it.
I saw the new iMacs at the Apple Store.
I vote for a matte option.
Funny, I’ve been doing production design for 17 years and have yet to own a matte monitor. So WTF is this “matte surface is better for evaluating color in images” BS?
if this helps apple make money then I am all for it
I think there is a lot of crap being talked about the glossy screen. I have had my new 24″ iMac for 2 weeks, and reflections are not an issue. Its only really reflective when turned off!
I found the display to be too bright at times, but a program called Shades fixed that.
I bought a new 24” iMac after it came out and my biggest concern was the screen. I’m a graphic designer so the glare was a huge issue for me until I actually saw it in person. Since I’ve had it at home for about 2 weeks now, I don’t even notice the glare. Instead the colors look amazingly saturated and compared to the Dell screen that I have at work (hooked up to a G5 tower) it shows detail and color accuracy that a cheap Dell could never provide. I’m a happy camper, but I’d imagine that Apple would offer an option for a matte screen sometime in the future.
I don’t care if Apple offers a matte option; if it doesn’t cost them more to have two options, go for it.
I love the glossy screen on my 24″ iMac; I upgraded from a matte notebook, and everything looks so much crisper and shinier now.
Reflections should be solved by having proper lighting and screen position in your room. I see how this is hard to guarantee with a notebook, but the iMac deserves a whole room setup of its own.
People have always got to find something to bitch about….
500 grit sandpaper works great
I do extensive Photoshop work, and am planning to buy a Mac Pro early next year; I’m considering either the 23″ cinema display or Eizo’s 24″ CE240W graphics monitor. The money is not really an issue for me, so I’ve been going back and forth on which monitor to buy. If Apple releases new monitors, and they are all glossy like the iMacs are, my decision will have been made for me – I’ll go with the Eizo.
ME! ME! ME!
I want matte!
“if this helps apple make money then I am all for it”
I think they are doing just fine in the money department.
Anyhow, consumer buying will decide if the iMac should have a matte screen. At that time, I am sure they will release one.
If you don’t like your options with the current iMac, get something else. When making an investment as large as a new computer, never simply “settle” – get what you want (or hold out until what you truly want is available).
This is not my post, but is this true?
It’s not the glossy cover thats the problem, it’s the……
low end LCD on the 20-inch model. Go check it out at your local Apple store. The viewing angle is so bad on this screen that it’s dark to light from the top to the bottom of the screen. The colors wash out if your not within six inches of the perfect angle. Changing the gamma only hides the problem. Some have said that Apple is using a cheap TN screen on this model instead of a ISP screen thay have used in the past. The 24-inch model is beautiful and has none of these problems. I was days away from buying one myself until I tried them out at the Apple atore. I personally dont mind the glossy screen, but until they start putting better LCD’s in the 20-inch models, I’m holding off.
Check the thread on Apple forums.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1091939&tstart=0
@ Mark
The Eizo’s are really nice and worth the money if you’ve got it.
Who wants a matte screen option for Apple’s new iMacs?
A Matte screen option FOR ALL MAC’s!!!
Ok this is the problem. Glossy screens produce reflections, which causes the eye to constantly focus between two (or more) images that leads to intensive eyestrain and headaches.
If you pick up a glossy magazine and get some glare on the page, you tilt or move ever so slightly to eliminate the glare and go on reading.
Now how the heck are we supposed to be able to do that with a heavy desktop computer, or a fragile laptop without it sliding off our laps and to the ground?
I used a glossy screen desktop, I was constantly shifting around in the seat to avoid the reflections because the company couldn’t/wouldn’t change the enviroment to make computing eaiser, safer and more productive.
It’s totally unreasonable to ask people or their employers to incure huge costs in changing the enviroment for what is essentially a design flaw.
Now it’s been proven that glare screens are not totally effective because the eye is still trying to focus between multiple images distances. Not to mention destroying the astetics of a nice computer like the iMac with a cheap glare screen.
How about glare screens for laptops? What a hassle!!
Come on Apple, glossy screens and glare screens went out in the 70 or 80’s. This is a dramatic STEP BACKWARDS in computer evolution.
Sure there are the young who think glossy is the new hotness and some professionals who glossy screens are preffered for color. But the majority of us who use the computer for hours on end in the course of our work, and have used glossy screens in the past, overwhelmingly prefer matte screens.
And the polls back up what I say.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061018-8022.html
http://macslash.org/pollBooth.pl?section=&qid=192&aid=-1
http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=527
(the large amount of MacPoll voters from MacRumors are the younger crowd and perhaps haven’t experienced glossy screen eyestrain, to them glossy looks better)
Hmmm….re: MDN “Note”…is MDN trying to tell those that aren’t happy with Apple’s glossy screens that there is a way to get around what Apple wants its customers to do with an iMac?
All things considered, wouldn’t it be best just to accept what it is that Apple wants its customers to do? Obviously, Apple doesn’t want it customers to be using iMacs for “professional” layout purposes, even if they are capable of it. Otherwise Apple would offer matte screens.
People should just stop whining and use “professional” hardware…just like all those whining about iMovie 08 should shut up and use “professional” software like FCE/FC.
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I was considering a new iMac… but I think I’ll hold out with my old one now and wait for Apple to come to its senses on this one.
Apple offered laptops with an option of either a matte screen or a glossy one. My guess is that they analyzed the sales figures and found that it didn’t make business sense to offer matte screens even as a build-to-order option.
Now of course all the people here are going to jump up and down and say they want matte screens, and so do all their friends, but not everyone in the world who owns a Mac posts to web sites. It’s entirely possible that we’re a loud but tiny minority, and that they get more business in offering glossy screens than they lose in not offering matte ones.
Why do you have to be a pro to be concerned about glare, headaches, fatigue and the health of your eyes?
I’m not a pro and I despise glossy screens.