Hey I have the glossy 17inch macbook pro and the resolution is screaming hot. It is very very beautiful. I purchased the high res glossy display because I enjoy the thrill of the colors and the glass like appearance. I like the brightness that the screen offers in comparison to matte and the richness of the color. It really is just eye candy and makes images look prettier, as for color correction - probably not the most accurate.

That’s All I Got,
4four1ones

Thank you for the comment 4four1ones. Aren’t the 17inch MBP LCD while the 15inch MBP are LED? Also, what do you use your MBP for?

LCD refers to the type of panel inside the screen (that displays the information), LED refers to the new type of backlighting that these LCDs have in the current 15.4″ MacBook Pro (and now MacBook Air).
I purchased a 15.4″ MacBook Pro with a glossy display recently.
I was upgrading from a revision C (I think) model bought back in July 2006 which had a matte display and, of course, the old type of backlighting (CCFL). After around a year and half’s use, the CCFL has faded miserably to less than half its original brightness.
LEDs don’t suffer the same fading problem that CCFLs do, they have no warm-up time and they save roughly 30% more power (very important for a portable, obviously). They also contain no mercury, a seriously harmful ingredient in CCFLs that’s bad for the environment.
The glossy finish on the new screen is fantastic, and a superb compliment to the new LED lighting (which has purer whites, darker blacks and better colour overall).
I use my MacBook Pro mainly for work and casual use (e.g. films, the occasional game, photos, music recording and editing etc.) and the glossy screen is perfect for all of these because it produces deeper, brighter colours and doesn’t have the grainy image that matte screens do. Only get the matte screen if you’re going to be using your Mac in bright environments with pin-point light sources, such as lamps, or you’re doing accurate colour work which requires accurate rendering of photos (not that glossy isn’t that accurate, mind). Glossy displays suffer from reflection (although not anywhere near as bad as glass, for instance) and slight discolouration when you move to the sides (reduced viewing angle), but these drawbacks are far less marked on Apple computers than most.

I expect since you posted so long ago you’ve already made a decision, but I hope this was helpful anyway!

Thank you for you comment on this topic. I still haven’t purchased my MacBook Pro yet because I am waiting for the upgrades to be announced. I know that Mac Rumors and Apple Insider are speculating that it will be upgraded before the end of the month. I am completely aware that once you buy a piece of technology that it is already outdated but I don’t want to buy one and then find out a week later that it is being updated. I’m not in any major rush.

I am probably going to purchase the glossy 15″ model because it is going to be connected to an Acer 19″ LCD screen that I bought in the fall at Best Buy for $140. Since the Acer screen is matte, when I am using the dual-monitor setup, I can put things that require colors to be more accurate on the external screen.

In your experience, how does the glossy screen do in sunlight? I have an outdoor patio and probably once a week, when the weather is good, I like to go outside and do my stuff. I’ve heard on various forums that the glossy screens do okay as long as the sun isn’t behind the screen.

Yes, it would be wise to wait a while because the current revision has been out since June, and as you say, those websites are advising against buying now. Although there won’t be a huge difference when the new revision comes along, the MacBook Pro is certainly a major investment, so getting the newest version possible would be a good thing indeed. I just wonder whether they’ll include the new MacBook Air-type trackpad or not. It’s hard so say with Apple, because that comment to T3 said it’s ‘unique to the MBA’, but this could just mean right now.
To be honest, I don’t use my MacBook Pro outdoors very much, but living mostly in Jersey (British Channel Isles) means it’s very tempting to do so. All my experiences with sunlight have been very good. There’s surprisingly little reflection, or at least you don’t really notice it unless the screen is showing very dark images (the LED backlight is so bright that it makes the screen very visible in bright environments).
You’ll probably only find trouble with direct reflection of the Sun itself, as it might have said in those forums you visited.
Although Apple never talk about this sort of thing, I’m sure (in a manner similar to Sony) they manufacture the glossy displays with several layers, including a special anti-reflective top-coat, and it certainly seems to do the trick.
With all things considered, I’d definitely say that the benefits to be had from a glossy display greatly outweigh the (tiny) inconveniences you might get. Just putting my newer one next to the old one makes me laugh! :) The old screen is so fuzzy and dull in comparison.

I take it this will be your first new Mac since your PowerBook? If so, I can guarantee you’re making a very good buy. The build quality of the old revisions (like my old one) of the MBP was AWFUL - warping, excessive heat production, noise and hissing and a floppy lid that kept falling down (still does)! Also the old models had strange screen frame designs where the top part of the frame was much thicker than the bottom. With mine the frame stuck out and touched the body when you closed the lid, so these horrible scratch marks developed in front of the trackpad.

This new model is 100% better, with none of the problems the old one suffered. The new display frame (or bezel, if you like) is balanced all the way round, and it makes a subtle but good improvement to the overall look of the machine. Even the aluminium body itself is a purer silver colour (the old one having a strange yellow tint). Having done numerous comparisons before replacing my old MacBook Pro (I nearly switched back to Windows due to the problems it had!), I can confidently say the MacBook Pro is the best laptop on the market.

Having regrets choosing matte myself - go for the glossy. It looks wonderful, especially on the new Macbook Air’s.

Hi Oingo. On release/update day, I did purchase the entry-level MacBook Pro with a glossy screen from my local Apple Store. I obviously love this machine. Currently running 10.5.3 (obviously), iWork 08, Final Cut Express, Office 2008, VMware (with Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3) and Boot Camp (with Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 1).

The only problem I had with this machine is that I have one dead pixel. Check out the blog post below explaining the ordeal.

http://www.lockergnome.com/dabrace1984/2008/03/09/apple-lcd-display-pixel-anomalies/