From our front-page news:
Although I appreciate a quality display when I see one, I'm far from being a guru on the subject, so I'm absolutely stumped regarding recent news that the MacBook Pro 13" model can't display millions of colors as promised, but rather only a few hundred thousand. In a blog post made by icon designer Louie Mantia, he claims that though he believed the 13" MacBook Pro would feature an 8-bit panel like the larger models, it in fact comes equipped with only a 6-bit panel.
Louie sold his 17" last-gen MacBook Pro for something a little more portable, but was burned with this realization. After putting in some extensive effort to get a response from Apple, it couldn't be done, so whether or not he found a dud, or if all such notebooks include a 6-bit panel, is unknown. To cloud the situation even further, professional photographer Rob Galbraith recently posted an article praising the new MacBook Pro line-up's incredible panel quality, including the 13" variant.
So what is it? Do all 13" MacBook Pro's include a 6-bit panel? And for that matter, do most notebook displays include 6-bit panels? Do even the larger MacBook Pro's include 8-bit panels? The situation seems so utterly confusing, and in looking around the web, everyone's opinion on the matter seems to conflict with one another. It's not helping that Apple's keeping so tight-lipped either, but it's no real surprise.
Perhaps the most mind-boggling question would have to be... who on earth would want to do design work on a 13" monitor?! Either way, if you're in the market for a new notebook, especially the 13" MacBook Pro, be sure to do some extensive research before a purchase to make sure you are getting what you're expecting.
A few days later, I get a phone call from Apple, letting me know that Apple Engineering has declined to disclose this information. Excuse me? Declined? I just purchased your product and all I want is for you to verify the specs that you advertise. It should not be that difficult to do. But apparently, it is. A few years ago, a few individuals started a class-action lawsuit against Apple for advertising millions of colors with their 6bit displays. Unfortunately, they needed a “class” for a class-action lawsuit, and not enough people cared/noticed. The matter was settled out of court.
Louie sold his 17" last-gen MacBook Pro for something a little more portable, but was burned with this realization. After putting in some extensive effort to get a response from Apple, it couldn't be done, so whether or not he found a dud, or if all such notebooks include a 6-bit panel, is unknown. To cloud the situation even further, professional photographer Rob Galbraith recently posted an article praising the new MacBook Pro line-up's incredible panel quality, including the 13" variant.
So what is it? Do all 13" MacBook Pro's include a 6-bit panel? And for that matter, do most notebook displays include 6-bit panels? Do even the larger MacBook Pro's include 8-bit panels? The situation seems so utterly confusing, and in looking around the web, everyone's opinion on the matter seems to conflict with one another. It's not helping that Apple's keeping so tight-lipped either, but it's no real surprise.
Perhaps the most mind-boggling question would have to be... who on earth would want to do design work on a 13" monitor?! Either way, if you're in the market for a new notebook, especially the 13" MacBook Pro, be sure to do some extensive research before a purchase to make sure you are getting what you're expecting.
A few days later, I get a phone call from Apple, letting me know that Apple Engineering has declined to disclose this information. Excuse me? Declined? I just purchased your product and all I want is for you to verify the specs that you advertise. It should not be that difficult to do. But apparently, it is. A few years ago, a few individuals started a class-action lawsuit against Apple for advertising millions of colors with their 6bit displays. Unfortunately, they needed a “class” for a class-action lawsuit, and not enough people cared/noticed. The matter was settled out of court.