The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Unimpressed with MB and MBP Pro graphics

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by hendra, Dec 17, 2007.

  1. hendra

    hendra Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    157
    Messages:
    2,020
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    56
    I am thinking of may be getting my first Mac, so I went to a store and took a look at 3 Apple Notebook laptops. MB 13" and MBP 15 and 17". Right away, I noticed that there is something I don't like about the graphics.

    The text is a bit blurry or not uniformly black. In Windows, every text is sharp and uniformly black. Every single letter has the same thickness and every pixel in the letter is truly black. In Mac, there is a little bit of bleeding or ghosting. Some of the letters are truly black, while the others are more like gray and some others are black with gray ghosting effect. Are all Apple notebooks like this or am I missing something here?
     
    hendra, Dec 17, 2007
    #1
  2. Arquis

    Arquis Kojima Worshiper

    Reputations:
    844
    Messages:
    1,688
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Uh, I didn't notice anything like that on mine.
     
    Arquis, Dec 17, 2007
    #2
  3. Redline

    Redline Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,213
    Messages:
    4,482
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    I have never noticed anything like that on any of the dozen odd MBs and MBPs I've used, and definitely not on my iMac.
     
    Redline, Dec 17, 2007
    #3
  4. Arquis

    Arquis Kojima Worshiper

    Reputations:
    844
    Messages:
    1,688
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Ok, just left my Vista partition to check, and with my face up against the screen I do see they added what seems to be AA to the letters.
     
    Arquis, Dec 17, 2007
    #4
  5. system_159

    system_159 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    363
    Messages:
    794
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    That's because Apple(and therefore OS X) stay true to the font face. In OS X the type is truer, regardless of what that does to readability. Windows takes the approach that the font should be modified to maximize readability, which lowers font quality.

    Read this
     
    system_159, Dec 17, 2007
    #5
  6. thnksfrthmmrs

    thnksfrthmmrs Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    294
    Messages:
    644
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    It's just a matter of preference. After you use the MB or MBP for a couple of days you'll get used to it.
     
    thnksfrthmmrs, Dec 17, 2007
    #6
  7. stealthsniper96

    stealthsniper96 What Was I Thinkin'?

    Reputations:
    207
    Messages:
    1,398
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    looks fine to me....
     
    stealthsniper96, Dec 17, 2007
    #7
  8. armen

    armen Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    It's probably due to the fact, ClearType is an option you have to choose in Windows preferences. Apple has ClearType (or Apple equivalent) by default.

    On a side note, I HATE the fact that people use their computers without ClearType. It makes my websites look ugly!
     
    armen, Dec 17, 2007
    #8
  9. thekaz

    thekaz Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    19
    Messages:
    114
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Different settings will make exactly the same hardware look different....
    Go in there and play with the settings then compare or decide "yes or no"
     
    thekaz, Dec 17, 2007
    #9
  10. tianh

    tianh Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    215
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Use some common sense, those laptops have been sitting out in the stores where anyone is free to use and tamper with it. The text on a MBP is way better than anything so obviously someone turned off clear type or messed with the settings.
     
    tianh, Dec 17, 2007
    #10
  11. Sam

    Sam Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    3,661
    Messages:
    9,249
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Yeah, its really a matter of preference. I don't find it annoying on my MacBook.

    And once again, it comes down to the whole point of switching...if you want everything to be exactly as it is in Windows, you're not really switching, are you?
     
    Sam, Dec 17, 2007
    #11
  12. Redline

    Redline Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,213
    Messages:
    4,482
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Hmm, I never noticed that, but now that I look at it closely, I do see a bit of a difference. It doesn't bug me though.
     
    Redline, Dec 17, 2007
    #12
  13. SGT Lindy

    SGT Lindy Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    17
    Messages:
    195
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    This is one of my biggest complaints as a switcher. You do get used to it, until you open say IE and see the same page on the same hardware.

    Its really noticeable with IE side by side Safari using Unity. On this page compare the "latest laptop discussion" at the top left of this forum. Under IE its much clearer. Doing this with Unity shows you that its not the hardware, nor the age of it sitting in a store, its the way OS X renders fonts. Try to defend it as the "true font" is fanboy BS. If this was a TV you would return it to get the one with the sharper picture.

    I so rarely print, I cant tell you if there is a difference with truetype fonts or not on printed paper.
     
    SGT Lindy, Dec 21, 2007
    #13
  14. cdnalsi

    cdnalsi Food for the funky people

    Reputations:
    433
    Messages:
    1,605
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I think it's just fine...
     
    cdnalsi, Dec 21, 2007
    #14
  15. punkerz123

    punkerz123 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    26
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    It's only annoying at first... but I got used to it
     
    punkerz123, Dec 21, 2007
    #15
  16. Sahin

    Sahin ---------------

    Reputations:
    156
    Messages:
    1,578
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    This is the only thing you found? I can find way more on any other laptop. Nothing is perfect.
     
    Sahin, Dec 22, 2007
    #16
  17. Lysander

    Lysander AFK, raid time.

    Reputations:
    1,553
    Messages:
    2,722
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Hehe, its all preference, the smoother looking fonts is one of the reasons I kept OS X.
     
    Lysander, Dec 22, 2007
    #17
  18. Sam

    Sam Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    3,661
    Messages:
    9,249
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Its preference if you ask me. I don't really mind either, I adapt easily :p.
     
    Sam, Dec 22, 2007
    #18
  19. system_159

    system_159 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    363
    Messages:
    794
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I guess it's preference. Being a software engineer and graphic designer I see a lot of text. I much prefer the OS X way, it's much truer to the actual type face.
     
    system_159, Dec 22, 2007
    #19
  20. Zedr0n

    Zedr0n Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    21
    Messages:
    148
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I dunno, I like ClearType better on osX too ;) It's just a matter of preference really
     
    Zedr0n, Dec 22, 2007
    #20
  21. cashmonee

    cashmonee Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    787
    Messages:
    2,859
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Give it some time and your mind will change. The problem is most people don't like what they are used to. Going back to Windows, things look too sharp. Before i preferred Windows. It is like having the close window button on the left instead of right.
     
    cashmonee, Dec 23, 2007
    #21
  22. Sam

    Sam Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    3,661
    Messages:
    9,249
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    I agree. I mean, it all goes down to the point of switching...you want change, don't you? You are switching because you want a change from Windows...so if you expect everything to be as it was in Windows, then you haven't really switched, now have you?
     
    Sam, Dec 23, 2007
    #22