Apple Macbook Pro 15" Antiglare vs. Glossy screen

[Guest]

Greetings @ all.

I was wondering which is better - the Apple Macbook Pro with the Antiglare or Glossy screen. My search on the Net seems to yield the following results:

> The Glossy screen has richer, more vibrant colours - deeper blacks and whiter whites. (Truth or tale?)
> The Antiglare screen has 'truer' colours - the Glossy type over-saturates some of the colours to achieve its 'larger-than-life' effect. (No clue.)

> The Glossy screen is a pain to use outdoors, especially in the sunlight. (Seems accurate.)
> The Antiglare screen is also a pain to use in direct sunlight, but doesn't suck as much as the Glossy one.

> The reflections with the Glossy screen can be very distracting, but some people seem to swear by theirs.
> The Antiglare screen is perhaps a little easier on the eyes. (?)

> Some people think that the Glossy screen completes the look of the MBP - that and its black bezel. (IMHO, it does.)
> The Antiglare variant of the MBP is apparently ~0.5 lbs lighter than the Glossy kind because of the absence of the glass screen. (I could live with that!)

For what it's worth, I'm leaning towards Antiglare one.

Now, here's the deal:

I don't live too close to an Apple Store, and I've only seen the Glossy version of the MBP. Checking out the Antiglare variant of the MBP at an Apple Store isn't really an option, I'm afraid, and I'm quite sure the Apple 'Specialists' won't allow me to carry a sample out to the parking lot to test it in direct sunlight, even if I do. (Maybe use a D-cell flashlight at close range as a reasonable facsimile of the solar orb?) So I shall have to rely on your generosity, grace and willingness to enlighten me with your thoughts and opinions before I take the plunge.

I shall be purchasing the MBP 15" (all specs maxed except the SSD option) for a kid. She is an amateur artist of sorts (the pencil and paper kind), so I thought maybe introducing her to the next level (Photoshop, Illustrator, maybe even Maya later on) would be a good idea. I felt an Apple product would appeal to her aesthetic sense, hence my choice of an MBP (the MBA is just doesn't cut it in my book [pardon the pun], and the iPad is not really meant for DCC and serious work). She'll be using the laptop for school stuff, movies, music and just about everything else a pre-teen uses a computer for. She's a a very 'on-the-go' type of kid, and often takes her pad and pencil outside so she can sketch in the sun.

So what do you suggest? I'd prefer answers from Mac users, or those who have worked on at-least one of the MBP variants at some time, but feel free to weigh in if you think you have something to contribute to the discussion!

Thanks a ton. Kudos to you folks who help out ditherers like me.

 

[simplyderp]

You summed up all the differences pretty well. I think one advantage of a glass screen is that it's harder to damage and easier to clean (wiping a matte screen with the wrong material will scratch it). It is really just a personal preference though. Most kids and college students would prefer the elegant glass screen and black bezel because it appeals to their aesthetic sense. Colors may look more vibrant on a glass screen but the vibrancy would be analogous to seeing grass that was closer to neon green than the actual color. Once again, some may prefer the grass color to be neon green (and most do). Take a look at the difference in reflection in an environment with uncontrolled lighting and note the difference in the bezels:

IMO, the glass screen is still going to be a better choice in general.



EDIT: Voted "Hated the Glossy MBP; loved the Antiglare one. Recommended! ". Still recommend the Glossy MBP though.

 

[c0oim4n]

Wait, so is the anti-glare screen basically the same, but with no glass? Because I've been contemplating whether or not I do or do not want the anti-glare display because I've read a few other forums where people say it looks like crap, colours are too easily washed out... But should the only difference be the glossiness in the end?