Comments on: Matte vs. Glossy Debate Heats Up: Are Glossy Displays a Health Hazard?

By: Ken Hampshire

Ken Hampshire — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:27:22 +0000

Damn you Apple for forcing these “mirror” screens on us. The machines are great, the screens are awful. How sad.

By: Silvia

Silvia — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:25:36 +0000

After buying a new lap with a glossy screen just a week ago, I’m desperate! I love the computer in every other way (Asus) but after 30 minutes on it, I get migraines, nausea and eye pains which I never got on the Matte LCD’s even after 5-6 hours!!! I was worried about reflections but now I’m desperate b/c I feel physically bad using it.

I’m searching for another lap right now with Matte screen.
It’s a disgrace that manufacturers don’t offer the LCD option even for an additional 50$ or so.

By: Vivek

Vivek — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:38:50 +0000

Hi, Every one do not have the Same Eyes to feel the Stress, If a very Healthy person Sits before a PC even for 24 hours – he obviously do not feel any Eye strain.

But if a Care free persons like us, who dont care to consume food on Time and just extend our Time on PC, postponing other Health related stuff, then the Kind of Screens will come into Consideration.

Anti-glare Screens like MATTE are far more better for people who are Computer geeks, who take less care of their health. So Matte screens will reduce the Eye stain and other Body movements.

I am a person who takes less care to Timing and consume Healthy food, I many times skip the actually Food time sitting on the PC. So i actually wear Cooling Glasses to Sit every time before my Glossy Screen. All my Friends laugh at me when they see me on the CAM.

But i dont care. And I advice you to If you wanna protect your eyes, you Prefer MATTE, or use Anti Glare Products or Just have Cooling Glasses on your Eyes every time, like ME :)

Regarding the Movies, I dont buy even a single Video DVD to watch movies, I am watching each and every Movie online, through billion of websites. WE KNOW THEY ARE OF LESS QUALITY ONLINE. Who the hell will care – if those less Quality movies are good to watch on Glossy or Matte Screen.

I just want to protect my Eyes, and so you do..!

By: TN

TN — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:26:43 +0000

I’m staring at a matte NEC PA271W and and a glossy iMac trying to decide if I send the expensive NEC back. One of the considerations is the matte/glossy issue. I’m in a reasonably dark room with one door to the outside. The iMac faces the door. I have identical images up on the two screens to compare colour/greyscale/image sharpness etc. I don’t really have to think too much about the matte/glossy issue as half the screen on the iMac is covered in refection and I can’t see a lot of the image without moving my head, trying to see around/under the reflection. Sorry glossy screen, you are no good.

One thing I did notice in the “cheap” glossy screen (I could by a brand new iMac 27″ for the price of the NEC) is that at 100% I can see the compression artefacts of the greyscale image, where as on the matte NEC I can’t see the artefacts because the anti-glare or matte coating “disguises” them -they just seem to blend in with the dusty/sparkly effect of the matte. Nonetheless the glare/reflection is worse.

By: Marco Bianchi

Marco Bianchi — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:36:34 +0000

I’m ready to switch to Mac and I’m totally in love for Imac but I will never buy it because the glossy screen.
I really don’t understand why Apple doesn’t give the choice (like they do now with the MBP) to buy a matte screen; I would pay the extra money with great pleausure.
With glossy your brian is focused on the text, web etc, but your eyes feels the fatigue caused by the reflexes.
I have an Eizo monitor and it’s a joy for my eyes and the images are fantastic.
Eizo is one of the best monitor manufacturer and they have no (zero) glossy display.

As someone wrote before, mac pros are too expensive, mac mini are not powerful enough; Imac are perfecy, except for the screen.

I would like to have the chance to buy an Imac now

PS. I’m Italian, excuse my poor english

By: Reader

Reader — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:35:07 +0000

So, it comes down to this:

“”Consider consultation with a building lighting engineer to determine if overhead lighting can be modified, such as by removing fluorescent tubes”"

Didn’t occur to computer engineers to design screens for humans working in the office?

Didn’t occur to computer engineers that a lot of people use laptops to read substantial amount of text?

Perhaps computers are now designed by marketeers rather than engineers, and that explains a lot.

By: bob

bob — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:50:07 +0000

1) CRT’s main issue was with scan rates

2) “eye strain” is typically dry-eye caused by concentrating on something for too long. our blink rate slows dramatically and our tear film dries out. no matter what we are looking at, this can be a problem – the road, a tv, a computer, a book. what we need to do is step back and take a break.

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:31:29 +0000

I’m not a pro, I don’t care about who is “right” in terms of the argument, and I hate gloss. I found out when my brother gave me his laptop, and I was having a lot of problems with it – glare, dust, fingerprints. I didn’t even know there was a gloss/matte dialogue. When I finally figured out what the problem was, I took my “side.” I understand why Apple uses gloss. I just hate it, and will never buy another computer that has it.

By: Paul Freedman

Paul Freedman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:08:13 +0000

I have a 30 inch Sony flat screen CRT HD TV with a glass fronted “glossy” reflective surface–I hate to use it in the day time–not only because Ma always told us we should be outside or reading if the sun was out, but because it is darn distracting to contend with reflections of me and my living room bouncing back to me from the screen. My 24 inch Cinema HD matte display is an alternate to watch DVDs on because I only see the DVD, not everything else in the vicinity. I was personally surprised that the distracting glare and reflections from the new iMac glossy screens is as bad as what bugged me originally about my TV. I would definitely check one of these out in a retail store before buying online. When I check them out in stores I see the store looking back at me from the screen.

By: torked

torked — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:17:55 +0000

So – we’ve made our voice heard here, but I haven’t seen any comments from Apple. You’d also think that HP, Toshiba, Asus, Gateway, Sony and other execs looking to expand their sales just might have something to say…….. HELLO? Mr Jobs? Mr Wasniak? Your customer has spoken – are you listening?

By: mv

mv — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:40:20 +0000

I bought the new 27″ imac and i worried about the glossy screen but it doesn’t really affect looking at the screen especially if you have it to full brightness

By: at

at — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:14:58 +0000

As a professional who uses Autocad for a living I jumped into the Mac wagon once the intel chips were introduced into the Mac family.
I purchased a MBP matte screen with the 30″ CD to beta test the windows based ACAD program. I was so pleased with the product that after a year I purchased the Mc Pro and I’m now considering changing to Mac produts altogether. My decision hinges on the display options I have at this point. My associates need to spend 8 hrs a day in front of a screen an I’m not sure if providing them with a glossy screen will prove detrimental to their health. I’m considering other 30″ CD but then the cost for several systems becomes astronomical once the computers required are factored in. I know the imacs 27″ would be ideal for our use but the glossy screens are not an option.
I’d like to have better options from Apple. By the way their service has been superb at the store and the one on one training is very affordable.

By: MacTripper

MacTripper — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:28:28 +0000

Customers come in to a Apple Store looks at the computer screens and has one of two reactions. “Oh shiny or “Oh, I can’t seen the screen” Some leave, some buy. The older folks looking for a safe, easy and reliable computer to use usually walk out, the less experienced younger ones with good eyes and buy the shiny screens to show off to their friends. The younger folks are hard up for work due to the economy, short on spending cash, the older folks are set for life and just want to kill time on the internet instead of fighting Windows malware. The US population is going to experience a unusually high number of retiring post baby boom generation. Now what should Apple REALLY do? They should have matte film applied Mac’s for sale right next to the glossy ones. When a customer wants matte, just apply the film in the back house to a glossy machine before giving it to the customer. Problem solved, lost sales solved, everyone is happy. It’s the LCD makers colluding that are not wanting to put the matte film on anymore. Apple is held hostage, but if we keep on screaming!!

By: RK

RK — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:07:44 +0000

I just went to the Apple Store to see the new iMacs, hoping that they’d used some sort of anti-reflective coating, but they’re just as reflective as always. I was so disappointed.

My daughter has a 24″ glossy iMac that I put in my studio to try out, and the reflections made it very irritating to work (I’m a graphic artist/illustrator). Certainly, a lot of people aren’t bothered by it or can adjust their environment to compensate for the reflections (easier to do with a laptop). My situation is a studio with a lot of built-ins that was created with natural lighting in mind, and I’m not about to close all my blinds so I can use the computer–I use the computer for work for a great part of each day. I can’t completely rearrange my studio to reduce the reflections.

The iMac is really a perfect balance of price, performance and size for a small graphics studio. It’s too bad that Apple doesn’t appreciate that segment of the market, aiming iMacs only at consumers. A Mac Pro is really overkill for someone who uses mostly Photoshop- and Illustrator-like programs. iMacs are plenty powerful. I suppose if I had to, I’d get a Mac Pro and a 30″ CD. It would be nice, however, if they would update those so those of us who would buy the high end equipment wouldn’t have to give up features like the iSight camera, LED backlight. It’s amazing how much warmer (temp) the 30″ CD is compared to the new LED 27″ iMac.

I really liked the new mouse.

By: MacJukie

MacJukie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:50:13 +0000

It’s matte screen for me all the way. Yes I had a glossy MacBook, it was intolerable. I got in touch with the big Stevie and he rolled out the 15″ matte MacBook Pro right off, but he is held hostage by the LCD industry and the broader PC market. You can blame glossy screens directly on HP, who bought
Compaq and did a survey of ignorant computer fools who thought the glossy looked better. (it was glass covered matte screens then) Leveno was smarter, they polled existing their existing business base and 86% of them choose matte. LCD glossy screens are cheaper to make as they don’t have to apply a matte film, just spray a so called “anti-reflective” coating which doesn’t do squat naturally. Google macmatte.

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:35:11 +0000

Some thoughts on the new imac. I really like the idea of cinematic screens, but not on a computer! Why, because real estate is lost. The 24 inch screens had more vertical space to work with. Not all bad, as the Apple TV can work well with the new models. One solution is for the imac to take on the iphones technology using sensors for vertical and horizontal views. I realize that the imac can’t achieve this as is with the size of the screens. But, why can’t Apple make a screen that turns horizontal and vertical – I have seen it done on other brand name monitors. I guess it might be problematic for the cords running into the computer (but were talking about Apple). If you remove the icons of the dash board you can get another inch or so of real estate.
The glossy reflections still bother me big-time! If your a photographer, artist, graphic designer or someone who works with color editing this can be a problem. If they can have matte screens for Macbook pros, why not imac’s? I still love the matte screen on my imac 2006 17in) late edition model. The colors are still great and no reflections of any kind. Apple just seems to be uninterested in those who need or wish for matte screens.
Even if we have to pay more, I want that option. I do like the new computers, but will not be upgrading just because of that problem. This leaves me in a quandary as to where to go from here. The mac mini? No! Not enough power(graphics card). The Macbook pro? No, to expensive for my taste.
One last beef. Why can’t apple make the calibration of the monitor easier than it is. On the third party monitors there is a much more professional options for getting the monitor calibrated at it’s peak level of capability.
Don’t wish this to sound like a rant, it’s just that we can and do expect the most from Apple!
Checked out the new imac mouse; just love it. Simple but a bit small for bigger hands. Give us two sizes please.