MatteBook
July 7, 2006
I love Apple’s new MacBooks and would be selling my PowerBook right now in order to help cover the cost of a new portable, but I simply can’t get over the glossy screens Apple chose to install. The MacBook Pro line at least has the built-to-order option of a matte screen, but the “consumer” level MacBook has none. As the glossy LCD is really the only factor stopping me from shelling out for a new notebook this very second, I think it may be time to take matters into my own hands.
After doing some searching, I discovered that LG-Philips manufactures the glossy MacBook LCDs. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as Apple uses LG and/or LG-Philips LCD panels in most, if not all of their computer products. The particular model used in the MacBook is LP133WXT, which appears to be a very new model, as a Google search turns up only the page linked to above.
The hack comes into play here, if you search for the first part of the LCD model, LP133, on eBay. To get better results, search for LP133*, where * is a wildcard. This search turns up a number of matte 13.3” LG-Philips LCDs for auction, mostly from PC notebooks. As the glossy and matte versions are both manufactured by the same company, are the same size, and (more than likely) take the same power, I’m betting that the LCDs would be swapped with no ill effects.
I’ll keep my eyes open for more information as I save up some extra cash for a MacBook. Maybe if I wait, Apple will add the matte option in the near future…