Matt screens on iMacs?

[pixelatedscraps]

Ive never met a Graphic Designer that works on a PC in the UK.

I started out in analog print house, worked in packaging, then later on music recording and associated multimedia like video editing and still photography, so I have used and seen many many different combinations of tools, each with its own optimization and even more so its own compromises.

Ha! Almost the exact same as my background. Magazines, newspapers and journalism, audio engineering studio, creative then digital agency, now a photographer working with all the aforementioned as clients now. I find myself marvelling at just how old some of the hardware and software these big brands are still working with, though the software side is completely relatable because of compatibility issues.
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Ive never met a Graphic Designer that works on a PC in the UK.

Pretty much all the architects, CAD designers, 3D designers, game designers, motion graphics and video editors I personally know almost all of them use PCs. It's not so much a matter of budget, aesthetics or usability for them, they look for the utmost in CPU / GPU processing power for rendering as this cuts significantly into their productivity.

I don't know if its a huge number but if it is extrapolated in any degree to other cities around the world (I'm in Hong Kong working with US / EU based clients right now) Apple must have taken note of the number of pros who have switched back (reluctantly no doubt) to Windows because quite frankly, with no ambiguity, Apple have dropped the ******* ball for professionals.

 

[paulryp]

You are correct for all of those other disciplines. But core graphic design aka, packaging, through the line, advertising, DM and most print media is all done on Apple hardware with Adobe software. . Obviously digital and 3D and video swap over to PC workstation.

 

[Chancha]

The departure from Macs is real across multiple disciplines. I am witnessing 1st hand in music production, video, and photography where the ease of use / hardware-software integration alone is not justifying the loss in performance, or even just the ability to use industry hardware. The last Mac that had internal PCI slots was 2012. The last stable Mac OS was 10.6.8, almost 10 years old.

And in an attempt to sway back the discussion: the fact that iMac, MBP, and Thunderbolt Display or the recent LG commissioned 5K are all glossy coated without matte option, must tell us something about where Apple is headed.

 

[pixelatedscraps]

The departure from Macs is real across multiple disciplines. I am witnessing 1st hand in music production, video, and photography where the ease of use / hardware-software integration alone is not justifying the loss in performance, or even just the ability to use industry hardware. The last Mac that had internal PCI slots was 2012. The last stable Mac OS was 10.6.8, almost 10 years old.

And in an attempt to sway back the discussion: the fact that iMac, MBP, and Thunderbolt Display or the recent LG commissioned 5K are all glossy coated without matte option, must tell us something about where Apple is headed.

Well put.

 

[paulryp]

yeah those Matt screens come in handy for Music production. Im out!

 

[fig]

I don't know any graphic design pros who DON'T use an iMac or a MacBook Pro. And I've worked for a lot of agencies, design firms and whole bunch of companies on a freelance basis. I've never seen a MacPro in any of the offices... only iMacs and laptops.

Very much my experience as well, largely MacBook Pro these days actually.

I remember Mac towers early in my career when that was the only option we had

 

[paulryp]

Bring back the Power Tower Pro clones.

 

[baypharm]

In my opinion nothing beats the anti-glare matte screen that Apple used to market. I remember looking at Apple's 30 inch monitor when it came out and just fell in happy love. Creating graphics and editing on that monitor was play - not work.

 

[zorinlynx]

The AR coating on the new iMacs is actually really damn good. I no longer miss matte screens. Keep in mind that matte screens aren't really possible on high-DPI displays because they blur the image slightly. The pixel resolution is so high now that matte will make the image look worse.

I was the biggest complainer when Apple discontinued matte screens, but the AR coatings are finally good enough that I no longer mind. Give it a try.

 

[Chancha]

The AR coating on the new iMacs is actually really damn good. I no longer miss matte screens. Keep in mind that matte screens aren't really possible on high-DPI displays because they blur the image slightly. The pixel resolution is so high now that matte will make the image look worse.

I was the biggest complainer when Apple discontinued matte screens, but the AR coatings are finally good enough that I no longer mind. Give it a try.

Eizo has no issue applying a matte coating over its CG248-4K and CG318-4K models, both are HiDPI close to retina density, which must be difficult and/or expensive to achieve judging by the rarity of it across other manufacturers. I do agree that the current iMac AR is already one of the best I have seen on a glossy screen, but the question is which position to take while making a product.

 

[iMacMarc]

I would get an iMac if they had a Matte option.
I have two very bright on-the-water residences.
Right now I consider them the most expensive mirrors on the market.
Even worse if you wear glasses.
Now have an AIO HP 34" curved, and a 17" gaming machine driving Dell 23" alongside.
All three Matte screens.

 

[Coheebuzz]

Define 'design work' first, a good designer will beat the crap out of a bad one using a Mac from 95 running Freehand and Quark when it comes to generic design work because communication through visuals doesn't need to be over-elaborate but the contrary, but if you plan on doing heavy animated 3D rendering, 4k post production and such then you might want to look into more specialised hardware, or at least get something expandable and with good heat dissipation so you can always adapt to the requirements of your task as long as it makes financial sense to do so.

As for the gloss VS matte debate, you have varying control over reflections but zero control over the matte, so you kinda need to look at your own circumstances here rather than following generic market trends, if you are in a controlled studio environment then the glossy screen comes out ahead in my opinion as it will make any matte display of any quality feel bad, if you aren't then matte is more versatile and you'll get more from it.

 

[Phil77354]

I would get an iMac if they had a Matte option. . .

?? You do realize that the current 27" iMac does have the option of "Nano-Texture Glass" (a $500 option, but this is what I will probably get if and when I upgrade my own iMac . . . )

 

[retta283]

Is Multimedia posting again?

The coating on Apple's screens is pretty good in the majority of situations as in I can't see my facial details in my screen when it's off anymore. I did end up getting used to the glossy on my 2008 and 2010 iMacs but I always did appreciate the matte for the simple reason of less mirrorlikek reflections.

It's a lot worse on the laptops where you have to fight with the Sun when outdoors. Also the coating is more likely to "stain" if just due to more fingerprints = more intensive cleaning. I have had no issues with streaking or staining on my iMacs because I clean them carefully and only once the dust is noticeable.

Speaking of which, a cleaning is due.