3M Privacy Filter for Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina display (PFMR15)

The biggest reason you buy a MacBook Pro with the Retina display is for the amazing display quality - and now you want to cover up the display with a privacy screen, eh? If you haven't used a privacy screen before, you should look at one first, because they cut brightness and add a little fuzziness. I've used them for quite a while because I work on pre-release software and private client data, and I don't want folks peeking over my shoulder at conferences and on planes. Before my Retina, I didn't mind the fuzziness of privacy screens at all, and I left the privacy screen on my laptop at all times.For my Retina, I bought the glossy/matte 3M filter (not the gold model - and gold refers to the color, not the quality). This model is *really* effective if you turn the brightness down, but with brightness up to full, it's not really effective at all. Someone sitting on either side of you in an airplane will be able to read everything on half of the screen. You'll just need to know to turn down brightness when you need to turn up the security, and you'll definitely need to remember this because the filter cuts brightness by a lot. When you're not in a security-conscious area, you're going to have the brightness turned all the way up to compensate for the filter.Other 3M filters get around this problem by using a slide-in-slide-out attachment method that lets you remove the filter whenever you don't need it. The Retina model, on the other hand, is attached with what amounts to kinda-sorta-sticky double-sided tape, and they include five sets of it. The directions say you can take it on and off "hundreds of times" if you keep it clean, and the package includes a plastic folder for storing the privacy screen when it's not in use.This is a problem if you do a lot of presentations, and you want to use the laptop as either a secondary presenter display or actually show it to the room. I like wandering around the room and glancing back at my laptop to see what slide is coming next, but I can't do that when the filter is on. Therefore, I'm going to be constantly pulling this filter on and off when I'm traveling (I do a couple presentations per day), and I'm going to be going through these stickies pretty quickly.The filter covers the entire black glass area except for the webcam. You'd never know there was a privacy filter attached - that part is way better than the sliding filters. The privacy filter looks great.Overall it's not bad - but I'd get the gold model because it's so much more effective when brightness is up.

Getting a privacy filter was never something I had thought of until we were required to get one for school for online testing. I wanted one that fit my MacBook Pro 13-inch perfectly so I didn't have to cut anything and mess it up. This fit absolutely perfect and has several sticky stripes to get it to fit to the monitor. I am afraid though that taking them on and off will wear out the stickiness since we don't have tests every day. I've started just using Scotch tap as an alternative to stick it to my computer. Originally I tried to leave it on all the time (no one can see my computer screen) but it gives me a headache. When you move your head the black filter starts to move so you can't see the screen as well. I do like that it had a glossy and more what do you call it matte sides to it so one has a better filter and one has better picture resolution. The only problem with privacy filters (all of them in our class not just this one) is the ability for the people behind you to perfectly see your screen, and if the person next to you is sitting just right so can they. I do love how well it fits the screen. It just gives me a headache when I use it for prolonged periods of time (days) between tests. If you have a 13-inch MacBook Pro this is the privacy filter for you. Some you have to trim yourself but this fits the screen perfectly and does just as much as every other privacy filter out there only with no hassle for you.

Just as others had said when I was the one reading reviews. Works great when brightness is turned down a bit. If you operate at full brightness it will decrease the amount of privacy you have...something you have to see to understand. However if you can work with the brightness turned down a bit the privacy is great. As i write this I am sitting at a busy bar at a local restaurant with my buddy and with him sitting next to me he says he cannot see anything.There are two sides of the screen one is matte and one is glossy. The glossy side offers more privacy and the matte side cuts out more glare. I prefer the glossy side just my opinion. If you are using the adhesive strips make sure you first put the filter on the screen and view both sides before deciding which side you will use most. Then apply the adhesive strips.One other thing I wanted to mention is that the filter in general does cut down on the retinas brightness by about 10-20%. When I am at home I just take it off, as it is re-stickable and put it on when I go out. 3M offers replacement adhesive strips you can request at the 3M website for free and they are shipped to your house, I highly recommend doing this so you have extra.I ordered this next day delivery because I hate waiting and it was here Saturday morning at 10am. I ordered it Friday around noon.If you work with sensitive material or simply just do not others looking at your screen this is a great product for the 13'' MBPr. At $30 its not a big deal even if you don't like it.Cheers