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MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

mantia.me

21–30 of 158 posts

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#21
I am anxious to see a class action lawsuit against hardware manufacturers claiming "millions of colors" on 6-bit panels. One doesn't need to be a designer/photographer to tell two screens apart: a true 8-bit panel with 16.7M output and dithered 6-bit junk. And don't get me started on lack of standardization for contrast ratios and viewing angles.

Once consumers will see real "262K colors" stickers on their laptops, who knows maybe we'll get back our FlexView screens on Thinkpads.

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#23
Wait a second this guy is an icon/ui designer .... Which means he works on computer design so to be realistic most of his customers do not have "millions of colors".

He has a 30 inch cinema display that he can now use for designing and checking colors with the replacement cable but he still would rather rant and rave and call support hours on end rather than just replace the laptop.

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#24
post #6

Surprising hardware spec choice given the the market penetration Apple has in the design profession.

Indeed. A 6 bit display in 2009 is inexcusible; I had to check the date of the article because I wasn't sure it had been written this millenium

If you've been paying attention you would have noticed that the tech goes backwards in the world of LCDs: as time goes on, high-quality LCDs are being displaced by 6-bit junk-panels not only in laptops (there isn't a single one 8-bit LCD laptop available in US right now) but even in desktops as well: 20" iMacs are 6-bit too.

Viewing angles and contrast ratios are shrinking as well, hence the disgusting proliferation of contrast-enhancing glass/film panel covers: it's like forcing every customer to wear permanent sunglasses: just because your panel is junk.

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#25
post #8

Alternate headline choice: Man with ability to research decides not to and is disappointed in purchase but offered full refund

That's not entirely fair. The specific information he was looking for is not made available to the public by Apple. He was only able to find the information after getting the model number for the display and checking with the vendor.

There was no way of knowing exactly which display was used without access to a MacBook Pro because that's not information made public by Apple, either. It's an awfully roundabout way of finding out how many colors can be displayed.

In hindsight it's easy to say he could have done the research ahead of time, but think about this: 1) It's called a MacBook Pro and is marketed at more demanding users, i.e. professionals, 2) Apple advertises it as being able to display millions of colors despite the fact that it really only displays 262,144. Under those circumstances, it's probably easy to take a look at the specs on the Apple site and feel confident that it's the right product.

There's still the matter of Apple refusing to disclose which of its products do, in fact, display millions of colors as advertised. At least they offered him a refund in the end, but in my opinion the whole thing sucks. I don't have a problem paying more and getting my money's worth, but they're clearly skimping on parts for products directly targeting the most demanding users.

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. A 6 bit display in 2009 is inexcusible; I had to check the date of the article because I wasn't sure it had been written this millenium

If you've been paying attention you would have noticed that the tech goes backwards in the world of LCDs: as time goes on, high-quality LCDs are being displaced by 6-bit junk-panels not only in laptops (there isn't a single one 8-bit LCD laptop available in US right now) but even in desktops as well: 20" iMacs are 6-bit too. Viewing angles and contrast ratios are shrinking as well, hence the disgusting proliferation…

I miss a good CRT screen.

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#27
post #3

I'm not sure what this guy is looking for. Regardless of whether the display is 6-bit, or just 8-bit that looks crap, you're still going to have a problem. Unless you're harboring a fantasy that Apple will give you a MacBook with a custom screen as way of an apology. They've offered you a refund. Take the money and use it to buy the 15" MacBook with a better screen. And this time try checking out the product to make…

I think the point he is making is that if someone were to check the only information available, "millions of colors" on apple's website, is false. EDIT: and as a side quest, he is trying to get them to admit that their pro product doesn't have pro specs.

Define pro.

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#28
Maybe I didn't read the article correctly, but if this guy is outputting to another screen, isn't it the video card that's not outputting the colors/resolution correctly, and that has nothing to do with whether the laptop screen is 6bit or 8bit?

Re: MacBook Pro, Thousands of Colors

#29
post #23

Wait a second this guy is an icon/ui designer .... Which means he works on computer design so to be realistic most of his customers do not have "millions of colors". He has a 30 inch cinema display that he can now use for designing and checking colors with the replacement cable but he still would rather rant and rave and call support hours on end rather than just replace the laptop.

Professionals in any creative industry need to be able to see or hear exactly what they are actually creating. This is why audio monitors for recording studios cost a lot, and don't "sound as good" to the untrained ear. Accuracy is what you are paying for. If it is inaccurate in any one direction, the potential for problems during reproduction on client machines (which could be inaccurate in the other direction; doubling the magnitude of the problem) is much higher.

Cheap monitors are bad in many different ways. One cannot predict exactly how it will diverge from what it ought to look like. So, if your source has been designed on a device that is accurate and balanced, you have a dramatically higher chance of it looking or sounding good on the majority of devices.

I think it's a valid criticism of Apple. It is information that is valuable to consumers who work in the design field, and it's information that I would expect to find on the "Tech Specs" section of their site. The fact that they don't provide that information, for quite pricey machines intended for "professional" users, makes me very much less likely to buy their products. But, then again, I'm generally surprised that anyone puts up with the abuse that Apple inflicts on their customers.

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