When Apple announced the revamped MacBook Pro line in the fall, arguably the biggest issues people complained about was the glossy display.
Apple argues that many users prefer glossy – for good reasons. The colors are richer, the blacks are darker, and the screen looks sharper.
But as will all good debates, the other side – the matte camp – has some very good points as well. Matte displays show colors closer to how they are in real life. The also look cleaner, since there’s no glass to smudge. Then of course, there’s the age-old issue of glare* – glossy displays have a nasty habit of showing awful reflections.
Personally, I’m on the fence. My MacBook Pro (Early 2008 – the last one before they got all shiny) is matte, but my iMac at home is glossy. I like both. I guess I’m not really forced to make a choice like some people as I am doing very little actual, physical output – meaning that the colors on my iMac aren’t really an issue, as I’m not printing anything important.
For people who purchase a new 15-inch MacBook Pro, the glossy screen is the only option. But a company named TechRestore is offering a $200 service to convert a new MacBook Pro’s glossy display to a matte one. Macworld takes a look:
If you saw the stock and modified unibody machines sitting side-by-side from anywhere more than a foot or so away, it’d be difficult to tell them apart.
[…]
It’s not until you get really close that you can see evidence of the actual screen replacement process. Replacing the screen in a MacBook Pro isn’t a trivial exercise, and our test unit has some very minor damage on the bezel and the interior of the screen frame.
[…]
If you’ve seen an older matte-screen MacBook Pro, you’ve got a rough idea of what you’ll get in a TechRestore-modified unibody MacBook Pro. However, when you place those two models side-by-side, using the same color-calibration and brightness settings, the TechRestore screen is notably brighter. In short, the screen is wonderful; the increased brightness is really noticeable and makes anything with a white background look much better.
The service shows that there’s a number of people who want the matte option on the 15-inch machine, but I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable having that type of major surgery done on a brand new machine. The biggest question that comes to mind is: Does this void my AppleCare? TechRestore’s FAQ page doesn’t really answer the question well:
We provide a 1-year warranty on your new screen. Our technicians have performed tens of thousands of repairs on in-warranty laptops since 1994 and we have never had a warranty declined by the manufacturer due to our service. Of course, the manufacturer will not cover any parts we install on your laptop, we take care of that for you. In the unlikely event that you have a problem getting warranty service on your laptop after we perform any repair or upgrade, simply give us a call so we can provide you with assistance. We are here to help.
*One thing Apple has done (perhaps accidently) is overcome most of the glare issue by switching to LED backlights in their notebooks. With LEDs, the screen can get so bright that any reflections get lost in the bath of light.
Update: Macworld has posted a video of the “MatteBook Pro.”