If you find the display of your new iMac or MacBook display too glossy and reflective, you might consider applying non-glare LCD protective film from Photodon.
Non-glare film eliminates the glossy, reflective surface that many of today’s displays have without noticeable loss of resolution. These films apply over the surface of your existing screen and adhere with a silicone resin over the entire screen surface. The adhesion layer is exposed by removing a protective backing liner. These films do not become a permanent part of the screen and can be removed, if necessary at a later date without damage to your screen, but they are not something you would take on and off on a daily basis. These films protect your original screen surface from damage from ink pens, fingerprints and are a good idea for screens that are in public use such as in schools or libraries. The films can be cleaned with regular screen cleaner products.
The benefits of this type of non-glare LCD film are:
• Silicone resin adhesion – No residue from glue or paste
• No color tint
• Direct impact protection, thicker than most films at up to .009″ / 0.2 mm
• H3 – Hard coat finish does not easily scratch
• Operation temperature: -30°C to 75°C (-22°F to 167°F)
• Good protection from the elements, fingerprints, ink pens, stylus use etc.
iMac films are custom cut to cover the entire screen up to the frame with 1/2″ rounded corners and an opening for the camera lens, top center.
Pricing:
• 13″ MacBook – US$9.95
• 20″ iMac – $28.50
• 24″ iMac – $34.25
(Quantity discounts start with the second item ordered.)
Photodon has most standard sizes precut and will custom cut films up to approximately 42″ diagonal dimension.
More info here.
After worrying about the “glossy screen issue” — I went ahead anyway and bought an iMac 24″ a couple months ago. I love it and have never once even noticed a single reflection of any kind. I just made sure to position it pointing away from windows and lamps. Photos are just stunning, like a large glossy photograph. But this non-glare film looks like a good idea for sketchier locations.
i love the metric system. so precise and not retarded
Very welcoming.
I agree also with dialtone.
Apple glossy screens are nice. Takes getting one to love it.
Jay and my usual useless input
Ok, seriously. I really dont get what the deal with the whole glossy screens is on the Macbooks. I love my screen, a major improvement over the G4 days.
I mean, you can get glare, but you have a different solution…you tilt your screen!
I can see what the fuss is with the iMacs…you cant always just move it….
This is nothing but adver-spam.
CRT screens were reflective for 40 years. The new glossy screens pop far better than matte. I have no issues with glassy screens, and prefer them to the washed-out matte screens (like my last powerbook had).
Each to their own.
People who keep saying they can deal with glossy screens because of CRT screens would accept Apple’s decision to abandon DVD and go back to CD Rom. They’ll say “Floopy disks were used and we could live with it”.
Face it, Apple made a mistake.
Not by offering glossy screens, but by NOT offering matte option.
A very small part (that happens to include myself) of the dislike of the glossy is the color accuracy for photo/video work. Not a huge problem if a second display is available, but not having a choice kinda sucks too.
That being said, I still want one.
I personally despise the glossy screens.
I like glossy,
matte is too mossy,
Bitch all you like,
I don’t give a tossy.
uh …
whah, it’s too SHINY ?!
things were so much better when they were dull
– matte
I prefer the matte screen on my MBP than to glossy. However, my opinion could be in err. I spend 8 hours a day on this thing and have never had a problem with a matte screen. Glossy is too new for me to venture out to. Glossy looks pretty, but also looks pretty annoying if I spent too much time looking at it, IMO. Anyone have experience with this?
Dear Ron,
Thanks for the rhyme; quite improved my morning.
Reflections are a bit of an issue on my MBP, but I still luurve the screen more than the old matte one. What I really want is a glossy screen that doesn’t reflect
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Ron’s rhyme —
I like glossy,
matte is too mossy,
Bitch all you like,
I don’t give a tossy.
have an imac g3 233 rev b, glossy crt, an imac core duo, matte screen, and a macbook core 2 duo, glossy screen, as well as a mac mini intel, with a dell 17″ crt. the dell sucks the worst. i like the imac for WoW, the macbook for surfing, and the imac 233 for photoshop, believe it or not!
So, what happens after this film has been on your mac screen for 6 month to a year?
Are you able to remove the film or do you have to throw your mac away as you cant remove it?
Tell you what, someone buy this film and report back here in 6 months – THEN I will buy this film!
I will let someone else ruin their hardware before I buy this stuff.
If the metric system is so precise, why is it that 1 degree C equals nearly 2 degree Fahrenheit?
Seems rather course and sloppy to me, kinda like using a fat Sharpie on a drafting table.
@@de kölsche jung: that’s because the Celcius and Fahrenheit systems were not intended to be compatible one-to-one. Just the same thing with weight or length – one liter doesn’t equal one gallon, and neither does one meter and one foot. But yes, the metric (or SI) system is more precise and logical.
But to stay on-topic: for some reason (tradition), TV and computer screens, glossy and matte alike, are measured in inches everywhere in the world.
I love glossy, and would never put a dull-ifying non-glare film on my MacBook’s screen.
g…l…a…m…o…r…o…u…s…….., glossy is glamorous…, glamorous, glamorous, g, g, g, glamorous, oh the glossy, glossy!
sorry, had to do it
Just a quick note on the realities of mass-producing a product. Apple would love to give EVERYONE choices of matte or glossy on their iMacs, but it just isn’t cost effective. First of all the screen on the iMac is GLASSS which means they would have had to use a special coated glass to make it non-reflective and that would require two separate lines to produce. They can do it on the laptops because the components were probably available already(as Windows laptops have been shiny for years).
2nd they would have tested the largest part of the market segment for the iMac, the home user. Their market research would show that they don’t mind the glare, and they like the shiny screens and the “richness” in color that it brings. So they went with the majority. And for most of them the shiny screen will be fine.
Now if you just don’t like the look of a glossy screen, I can’t argue that. Apple made a decision and it doesn’t work for you. I don’t care for SUVs so I don’t own one.
But for all of you bitching about professional photography and graphic design uses, and accurate color etc etc etc. Well you are full of crap on at least 3 levels. The most important of which is if you really care about color and if it is really critical you should be working on a highly specialized highly accurate monitor. Something like a LaCie, NEC, Samsung, etc. something produced by a company who isn’t having to sell that same product to Soccer moms, accountants, and gamers.
And you wouldn’t have glare issues anyways because you would be working in controlled lighting, glare is an issue even on “matte” screens. Also a monitor will lose it ability to accurately reproduce color after a certain amount of time. I normally find that the longest I can push one is 3 years, and then no matter how much tweaking I do, its just too pooped. I don’t want to have to replace a perfectly functional production machine because the monitor is hinky. So an all in one is not a smart investment for a pro. Professionals have very specific needs, and Apple cannot hope to be successful having to build one machine that will please pros and consumers. It would be madness.
@ No choice for a reason.
I totally agree.
The other thing to consider is that the iMac has not been designed by Apple for professional use.
It’s a consumer all-in-one mac, who’s core target audience are home users – NOT professional designers or people in any of the creative industries that rely on accurate on-screen colour or image representation.
If you are a professional creative user and use an iMac then you have made a bad choice, because you have brought the wrong machine for the job. You should have bought a MacPro with a separate large monitor of a MacBook Pro.
Why do you think Apple has introduced the ‘Pro’ at th end of its professional product ranges??
No, this is not adver-spam. THIS is a solution to your problem. Now if you hate glossy screens as much as you say you do, then you’d be jumping at this opportunity to fix it. Instead what do we hear? No, this will ruin my hardware. No, you first. No, it’s the scary unknown. My gosh, here is a solution to your problem! Don’t you want to fix your problem? No? You mean you’d rather complain and whine and get into fights with other people? Oh, I see.
Alright. Now all you anti-glossy ranters can go SHADDUP!
Get your car keys and get going to the store to buy this.
“Face it, Apple made a mistake.”
OOOOH the definitive answer. Face it everyone!!! go ahead… face it!!!!!. All of you who love your glossy screens are WRONG!!!!!
WRONG!! so FACE IT everyone.
yeah whatever Dolita. Get over yourself.
Bogus: wrong, practically all CRTs have a subtle yet very effective anti-glare coating. Especially the pre-trinitron monitors with their curved surfaces would have been unusable without this, because they would be mirrorballs that reflect anything bright in the room no matter how you position them. I don’t understand why this kind of coating isn’t used on TFTs, because it has almost no noticeable effect on colors yet eliminates reflections almost entirely.
For me, having to tilt my screen to some uncomfortable angle or sit in that particular corner of my house where there’s nothing bright behind me, is not a solution. I want to sit with my laptop where I want, not where my glossy screen dictates me to. I’m pretty sure the glossy hype will eventually fade away and all screens within 7 years will again have anti-glare coatings, except a few to cater for the die-hard fans.
The rich blacks, that everyone claims see on a glossy, come at a price… shadow detail.
For critical video and photographic work, it important to see the shadows in dark areas. They just aren’t there on a glossy screen.
It’s true that the glare may not be an issue in a dim editing suite, but but the loss of shadow detail would be.
Of course it’s also true that someone doing professional work is not going to buy a home computer that has a glossy screen, but the choice would be nice.
MW: toward – I look forward toward the day when we have a choice.
I had planned on replacing all the PCs in my business office with iMacs — but everyone is in their 50s here and the glossy is way too much. We have one PowerPC G5 for publishing and everyone loves Macs — but the glossy is the deal breaker. And frankly the stick on screen seems like a silly solution. Steve Jobs: Can’t you offer a matte screen for us older folks? C,mon man!