Notes on Apple's Nano Texture

Summary

2024 Nano Texture Macbook Pro on the left; 2021 Glossy Macbook Pro on the right TLDR: the Nano Texture performs wonderfully anywhere where light used to be a factor and used to force me to shade my screen or avoid the place entirely. I’m less concerned with where I sit indoors. Coffee shops / offices with skylights or intense lighting are much more comfortable Coding and working outside is now feasible: browsing the internet, writing in Obsidian; all delightful The screen needs more effort to keep clean than a normal screen and comes with a special wipe that needs to be used instead of microfiber Black text on white background (light mode) is considerably more readable than white text on black background (dark mode) Overall a massive step forward for outdoor computing Big thanks to Julie Kruger for the comparison photos and CJ for draft feedback. sitting outside at North Boulder Park A few months after I got the Daylight Computer (read my thoughts here), two friends sent me this post comparing the old Macbook Pro displays to the new Nano Texture glass ones. That post convinced me to upgrade my computer in short order, to the dismay of my wallet. In the four months I’ve had it I’ve told at least a dozen people about it, and I’m gonna keep telling people. Being able to take my entire computing environment to places without being worried about glare has expanded the range of environments I can create in. It means I get to be in environments that are more interesting, fun, and in tune with my body. What follows are some thoughts about how this display has fit into my day to day life in the couple of months I’ve had it. what is Nano Texture? Typical matt displays have a coating added to their surface that scatters light. However, these coatings lower contrast while producing unwanted haze and sparkle. Etched into the glass at the nanometre level, the nano-texture scatters light to further minimise glare — for outstanding image quality even in challenging lighting conditi...