The major selling point on the glossy for me is the added (feeling of) durability thanks to the glass.

Also, the glass is much easier to clean.

I have a glossy screen and matte screen, and I've got to say that the colours are much much more vibrant on the glossy screen. The only downside is that I cannot sit with my back to a window, as the OP has demonstrated.

However, I honestly do not find this to be a regular problem. When I take my MBP to the coffee shop, I just choose the seat facing the window.

For a more unbiased comparison maybe it would be worth doing exactly the same but positioning them without a glaring window behind the seating position.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why glossy screens are the standard on laptops and matte screens are the standard for desktop monitors. To me, it should be exactly the opposite - mobile computers are much more likely to encounter bad light environments, whereas desktop monitors are typically used indoors with low, controlled light.

edit: I really think it's just because people subconsciously like things shiny, and manufacturers are forced to make their laptops just as shiny as the others lest they be looked over on the showroom. If I recall correctly, apple was one of the last manufacturers to adopt glossy screens as standard.

On the other hand, laptops are easy to adjust away from the sun.

IIRC, the glossy display has better color and light projection, because the matte screen filters out some light.

The glossy has better perceived contrast and the colors tend to "pop" more. But obviously, the matte is better if you have lighting issues.

At least for colorblind people like me. I definetly get the color 'pop' from glossy screens and wouldn't have it any other way. It's nice to know that red can be bright like everyone says it is.

This. I had one of the older macbooks for a few years, matte screen; colours were very dull even after modifying the display settings. This MBP has a glossy screen and, even though glare can be an issue sometimes, I'd rather deal with that because the colours are so much deeper and more vivid on this.

I daily use my MBP which has a glossy screen, and to me, this is rarely a problem. I can imagine though that if I had a MBP with a matte screen, I would be more mobile. For example I could sit on the balcony and work, whereas this would be next to impossible with a glossy screen. Knowing it would be difficult with the glossy screen I have, I haven't even tried it, so therefore it's not really a problem.

What's always bothered me with the matte version though, is that I think it looks so much worse without the black bezel around the screen that the glossy version has. Does anyone else feel this way?