Looking for feedback on MacBook Pro 17'' High Resolution

Well, there was this short thread:
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=75295

If there is an Apple Store near you I would definitely go check them out. I did and ended up ordering one (should arrive Monday). My experience was that the color and brightness seemed very similar to the previous generation; not as bright as the 15" LED beside it (although not a huge difference). My main concern was that the interface would be too small. Actually the opposite was true. I had no problem switching to the high resolution display (except that I needed to turn up the mouse tracking speed; at the default it was painful move over all those pixels). However, after using the high resolution model for a while, when I switched to the regular display everything felt really big like they were wasting incredable amounts of real estate on menu bars and the like.

I love my new High Def display. Period.

I got to play with a high resolution display 17"er today at the Northpark Apple store. I absolutely LOVED it!! You can have two web pages opened side by side and nearly see all of both of them left to right. Lacks about an inch.


If they had the LED high resolution model, I'd probably have come home with it.

Joe

i went to my local shopping centre (mall) to have a look at/play around on one, and both the apple shop and the department store that stocks macs didn't have any new MBPs on display. i would really like to see how FCP looks on this screen... screenshots anyone?

They didn't have a high res glossy when I went. Comparing the regular glossy to the high res matte, it looked like there was the usual tradeoff. The glossy looks more contrasty, but reflects more of whatever is in the room.

i purchased a 17" hi-res from one of the apple stores nearby last week. there was a problem with it however. it sat on my desk like a teeter totter. otherwise, it worked great. i tried to live with it for a couple of days but then fed myself a dose of reality; i just spent $3000 on this thing and i need to be happy with it.

i went back to the apple store on saturday morning. the store was nuts because of the iphone. it took me about 10 minutes just to find somebody i could talk to. i found one of the managers and expressed my frustration with the computer i just purchased days ago. he wanted me to fill out a form on the internet to speak with one of the genuises at the bar. i'm thinking, "this is not going to do any good."

i fill out the form and he asks me to wait at the bar. its 11:15 and the genuis guy is working on a powerbook g4 that has a power failure problem. at about 11:30, i'm starting to get antsy. a customer walks up and asks the genuis guy, "hey, i made an appointment last night for 11:30. are we still on?" the genuis guy looks at his watch and says, "yes, i'll be with you in just a moment. i have to run to the back real quick." now i'm getting pissed. i go and find the other manager and start getting upset. i tell her i just spent $3000 on one of their products and i am not happy. she asks in a sarcastic tone if i want to be pushed to the front of the line. i turn and shake my head in disgust. i then say, "look. i just want a resolution to this issue. my laptop is obviously defective and i want a replacement. i spent a lot of money and i don't feel like i am getting the satisfaction that i deserve." she changed her tone abruptly and asked one of the nearby workers to look at my laptop. voila!

she pulls the laptop out and sets it on the table. i show the example of the teeter totter effect. she has a weird look on her face when i ask her, "is it supposed to do that?" lol. she pulls the battery out and tries again but it still pivots. i showed her a couple of other issues with it such as the case making a creaking sound and also the top bezel making a popping noise when you put a slight amount of pressure on it. she asked how long i have had it and i told her since wednesday. she says, "ok, i'll be right back. hang tight." she comes back out with another mbp of the same exact config. the manager lady comes over to approve the exchange. afterwards, i ask if i can open it there and make sure everything is ok. they agree. open my new mbp up and luckily, no issues at all. sits flat, lid is perfectly flush when closed (the previous one had a huge gap between on the left side compared to the right side which was perfectly flush. it looked funky), no dead pixels, evenly lit screen. i think i scored a winner!

so yeah, sorry for going off about the whole experience. bottom line is, this 17" mbp i have now is perfect and it kicks ass! the hi-res screen is amazing. i sold my dell 2405fpw because i'm now using the 17" on my desk as its replacement. love it!

If you can't get to an Apple Store, wouldn't any PC store do in seeing how matte vs glossy laptops look?

I have one being delivered on Wednesday. I opted for the glossy also. I have used an apple matte display for many years and on another Macbook Pro.

I have not seen the display in stores either. I'm assuming, not many if none of the Apple stores have the actual 17" hi-res in stores yet as it is a CTO and rather new.

It took Apple a long time to put the glossy screens for the Macbook Pro into the stores when released.

I haven't looked in the stores, but it's possible they are there.

I bought the notebook based on what I was waiting Apple to do for over a year and it was a blind buy to an extent.

I will post a definite conclusion based on my home Apple display, the matte 15" non led, and the hi res 17".
There was no denying the glossy. I had done the research since the release from Apple and it was obvious to me and my situation what screen to choose.

I've had my glossy 17'' hidef display now since a week from when it was released. The best decision I've ever made. I had the same screen on my Dell XPS G2 a couple years ago and while Windows had some issues at that res (it was somewhat hard to read), OS X looks and works very very nicely on it.

I'll keep it short.

I had my new notebook since Monday. I tried posting a semi full review yesterday, but was bumped due to my skills on keeping it simple.

The computer is awesome all around. I have no problems with aything. I mean anything. Everything from the keys to the case warping is great.

The reviews are right. Text is smaller as is everything. We asked Apple and we got it.

The 15" Macook pro non glossy non led pales in comparison. My Apple display, while not fair being ancient, is no where in the same ball park.

Glossy Hi- Res is the way to go on the 17". There is no denying that fact.

I was in Graphic Design and now transitioning to the Medical Field.

I have to bump this up.

This is for the glossy vs matte users. My girl uses the 15" matte rev A Macbook pro.
She uses that computer exclusively as did I with my G5.
She has told me many times after using my notebook that she can't tell a difference regarding the "screen". This is good.

Those early and later "grain" Macbook Pros are terrible compared to the glossy and Hi-Res.

The viewing angle is a hell of a lot better and I mean a hell of a lot, no grain, and I can't seem to fathom on the poor illumination problems or gradient problems.


I have no glare problems ( my girls's thoughts of high gloss). Colors seem as accurate as before. The matte is a waste pretty much.

I would not want to upset anyone making a living off a laptop/notebook and accurate color calibration for whatever, but if you are; look into another profession.

No offense to my good friend, the movie maker, that worked exclusively from a 12" for years.

He got payed by the hour also and had monitors galore.

Hi!

I'm absolutely dying to get a new MBP, but I haven't been able to actually purchase my saved cart on the Apple site. I have some questions for the experienced ones.

I'm trying to decide between the glossy or matte, first. The main room of my house is VERY bright & sunny (as much as it can be in the Pacific Northwest, anyway!). I have a window directly behind where I usually work & a wall of south-facing windows to my right. My current Dell matte screen is really hard to read at many times of the day. Does this mean that my conditions are more like outside & the glossy screen would be good?

Other considerations: I have a toddler, so would the glossy be easier to clean (a little glass cleaner)? We often watch home movies or view photos on the computer together, so which would be easier to see from different viewing angles?

I'm also trying to decide if the 17" is really necessary. I would definitely prefer an LED (from an energy standpoint & a toxics standpoint at the end of its life) if the 15" is really big enough. Does anyone who has the 17" find that the screen is really bigger than necessary. It seems pretty huge. I was only considering it because I prefer to do the occasional yoga video or let my son view the occasional video on my laptop instead of my husband's gigantic TV.

I was also considering the high res screen. Do you have the ability to post photos of a high res screen next to a normal screen of the same size? Getting to a store is next to impossible for me, so if I could see the difference that would be an enormous help.

I guess that's it. Sorry for the long-winded post. I would greatly appreciate any help, as I have to make this decision without seeing my options in person.

Thanks so much,
Laurel

I have the older 17" glossy and I would recommend either the 15" LED or the 17" high res over the non-high res.

I lean toward the 15" LED due to the fact that the 17" has been a bit of a pain on travel. It's a bit large for the airplane and too large to fit in the hotel room safe by half an inch or so.

VInea