The following is an open letter to Steve Jobs reguarding the glossy screens on the new Mac Book Pros.  It was written by Benek Lisefski. But i think it sums up the way alot of designers feel.

What do you think?

Leave a comment below and let me know!

Dear Mr. Steve Jobs,

I’m a web designer. I stare at a computer screens all day.

I’m a long-time PC user. I’ve never considered an Apple computer until recently the thought popped into my mind. I’m seriously considering getting a new Macbook Pro as my next primary machine simply because I have no inspiration whatsoever to buy a new PC with Vista on it.

Now let me get right to the point: For the love of god and everything that’s good and holy in this world why the hell did you make all of the new MBP screens ultra-glossy!?

My current Dell laptop has a glossy screen. I can’t even pretend to use it on my couch because there’s a window behind it. In fact, I can hardly use it anywhere during the day unless it’s a closed, dark room. I hate it. As a designer who’s livelihood depends on things looking good on screen this issue is huge for me. With the new MBP it’s a deal breaker. However we’ve always got the option of hooking up our Macbooks to an external monitor right?

Wrong. Even more alarming than the lack of a matte, anti-glare screen option on the MBP, is the fact that the new Apple Cinema displays are going all-gloss too! Once the rest of the cinema line is updated by Apple there will be NO OPTIONS from Apple for a display that’s not super-reflective an unusable. The market for refurbished MBPs and Apple displays with matte screens will go crazy. The Dell LCD monitors and many others are already beating you on specs and price, and now they win on screen glare too. Congratulations on killing your high-end LCD display market.

In a lame attempt to attract the masses to shiny objects, you’ve alienated the one core group of user who’ve kept Apple alive for the last 20 years. The designers. Now you’re throwing them out in the cold. Shame on you. Stupid business move. I hope Apple sales dive enough for this that you realize your mistake and add a matte screen option. Old glass CTR monitors all had nice anti-glare finishes. There’s no reason the new glass MBP can’t have the same.

But don’t take my word for it. See what other respected designers have to say about it, or read some official reviews about how it’s such a brilliant machine apart from the horrid mirror monitor.

I really wanted to love the new MBP. I wanted an excuse to ditch Bill Gate’s and his operating system that hasn’t really improved for 10 years. But I just can’t. I can’t live each minute of the day trying to see through the nasty reflections on my screen to the actual content below. I see myself enough in the mirror each day. I don’t need to see my reflection in my notebook computer too.

Thanks Steve for the major f*ck up. Not everyone loves everything glossy. Best of luck to you.

Posted in All Things Apple, Graphic Design, Web 2.OH, design, design ethics, technology