David Emery Online

Reflections on the new MacBook Pro

19 October 2008

I love almost everything about the new MacBook Pros. The new “unibody” case, carved out of a single piece of aluminum, is a stunning achievement, making the device feel both light and solid. The new “no button” trackpad is brilliant. Use it once and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. The machine, from top to bottom, is the most elegant, powerful, perfect laptop I’ve ever touched.

And then they ruined the whole thing by hiding the display behind a mirror.

People seem to be up in arms* about the lack of a matte display option on the new MacBooks (which look great, in my opinion), citing all sorts of things like ‘colour reproduction’ and reflections meaning you couldn’t ever possibly use these computers for professional work. (As an aside, this is a commendable debating tactic: “Oh, you don’t mind the new displays? You obviously aren’t as professional and skilled as me, then”.)

How, then, did we survive all those years using CRT displays – which I’m still told are better for colour reproduction – which are all glossy? We didn’t seem to have a problem with it then…

* As in ‘people on the internet’, which means about 10 people in reality…