Which is the better display for macbook pro: matte or glossy?

I prefer the matte display on MacBook Pro. Will I be happy with the Retina Display?

• Answer:

  TL,DR: Yes... maybe. I'm currently typing this answer on a Retina Macbook Pro connected to a 27" Thunderbolt Apple Cinema Display. Also, for reference, here are my last few setups in reverse chronological order: Late 2011 13" Macbook Pro (glossy screen), mid-2011 11" Macbook Air (glossy screen), Lenovo X220 w/ matte IPS screen connected to a Dell U3011 (matte 30" IPS), Late 2011 15" Macbook Pro with high res matte screen. I'm somewhat of a stickler on my displays and I would say that overall the Retina Macbook Pro is the nicest computer display I've ever used (including old stalwarts I've used but didn't mention above like the HP ZR30w, Dell Ultrasharp 2406/7/8WFP, T60p 15" IPS flexview and SGI 1600SW). The color reproduction is very good, viewing angles are amazing, and everything is completely sharp when rendered with retina display compatible programs (e.g. Safari). The one downside is the reflections when you're working with a light source behind you. Here's the bad news: yes, you will be able to see reflections on the display. As I type this the sun is streaming in from behind me and I can see myself even with the screen at full brightness. The contrast ratio is quite good though, so you can still read black on white text and use general UI just fine. As a comparison, I can also see a reflection of myself on the Thunderbolt Cinema Display and it is slightly worse (technically, this is because the retina display has one less glass layer than the cinema display). However, having used plenty of high quality matte displays (and I should note here that I do not consider the matte Macbook Pro display you're comparing against a particularly nice matte display - it is a TN panel and is generally mediocre), I would say that the other factors outweigh the glossy-ness. I would pick the Retina Macbook Pro display over the matte Macbook Pro display any day. I have become used to the glossy display and can mentally look past the reflections and use the computer. Note: I originally did not think I'd be able to do this, but after a while you stop noticing the reflections.