MacBook Pro Late 2008: Glass Screen Comparison
It’s no secret that many people are alarmed by Apple’s decision to drop matte screen displays from their lineup of ‘professional’ products. Many say that they won’t upgrade their existing MacBook Pro because of this feature. I can’t speak for everyone, but I find the new glass screen a general improvement over earlier models. Having said that, I realize that this is a highly subjective matter, and I expect there to be a lot of variance in opinion.
To summarize my impressions, I find that the display on the late 2008 MacBook Pro is noticeably brighter, has deeper contrast, produces more vibrant colors, and has much truer whites than previous models. Placing the new MBP alongside two older models, and tweaking each display to match for color and brightness, the new MBP easily steals the show.
Under normal indoor lighting conditions, the glass screen MacBook Pro is a star—the colors have so much more pop and viewing photos, videos or text documents is an absolute joy.
With bright, overcast daylight entering the room through open windows, the late 2008 MBP still outshines the old MBP, due mainly to its superior brightness; however, glare becomes much more noticeable and this is where personal opinions begin to diverge.
In my opinion, even under very bright and high glare situations the new MBP is often easier to view. Under such conditions, the dimmer matte screen of the old MBP’s can get washed out to a point where reading anything off of its display becomes a headache. Thus, I think the only people who should really feel resistant towards the new glass screens are those who find themselves in high glare environments, but where the readability of matte screens are somehow not affected. Fortunately, I don’t live or work in a setting like this, but I understand that some types of lighting can produce this effect.
After reading many threads on the topic of glass vs matte, I’ve concluded that much of the issue lies in an individual’s tolerance for glare. Similarly, back in the CRT days, a lot of people were tormented by flickering monitors, whilst others were not nearly as bothered by this phenomenon. Having used matte screens exclusively over the last five years, I find the glare on the new MacBook Pro visibly apparent, but otherwise quite tolerable.
To sums things up, the new MBP offers a tradeoff that provides better brightness, contrast and color at the expense of glare on the screen. For me, I prefer the glass finish, because I rarely find myself in situations where sunlight or harsh lighting is directly hitting the screen. But others working in less accommodating environments, or those who are much more sensitive to glare, may want to compare the new glass screen to their existing matte display before committing to this pricey upgrade.
