Anyone vertically stack their displays?

Question

Anyone vertically stack their displays?

I have two displays and am possibly getting a third soon. I really don't think all three side by side will work well, since it would require me to scan back and forth a pretty wide range as well as take up a lot of desk space that I would prefer to clutter with loose papers, burned dvds and random paper clips. Thinking of doing a vertical mount with something like these:

Dual mount LX (vertical position though)
http://tinyurl.com/bozt79

Other Dual Mount
http://tinyurl.com/dhzkbj

Does anyone else orient their screens like this? I would have the third on the desk off to the side, but I think if I stack them vertically and put the bottom one bottom edge flush against the desk it might work well - feedback very welcome.

-i

2x2.0 gHz G5, Mac OS X (10.5.6), 20 Cinema, 23 Cinema, Apple T.V., iPhone, iPod, Nano, MacBook

Posted on Mar 4, 2009 6:17 AM

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Answer 1

Network 23

Level 6

12,351 points

Mar 4, 2009 10:12 PM in response to iPhotoStuff 2

Mac OS X doesn't care how you arrange them. Vertically is fine. If you have more than one monitor connected, when you open your Displays preference you will see icons representing however many monitors you have connected. All you do is move those little icons around until they match the way you have them arranged in the real world. That way, when you move the mouse up, it will know to pass through the top edge of the bottom monitor and enter the bottom edge of the top monitor.

Multiple monitors have worked this way on the Mac for over 20 years. 10 years ago I used a vertical arrangement when I had a PowerBook on my desk, and an external monitor plugged in which sat on a shelf above the PowerBook.

In a Mac Pro, you can keep adding more video cards and plugging in more monitors and the mouse will go between all of them as if they were one huge screen as long as you have told the Displays preference how you arranged them.

Al Gore uses three Apple monitors. Horizontally though. His solution for desk clutter? Put it under the monitors 🙂

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Answer 2

Mar 5, 2009 5:19 AM in response to Network 23

Thanks for the history lesson 🙂

I have been using two monitors for about ten years now, so I actually wasn't inquiring about the technical ability to execute vertical monitors, but thoroughness in a forum response is always welcome.

I am actually asking actual users if anyone vertically stacks their displays and how it fits into their work flow and/or ergonomically. Do you find it hard looking up and down etc.

-i

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Answer 3

Network 23

Level 6

12,351 points

Mar 5, 2009 9:26 AM in response to iPhotoStuff 2

One tricky thing is that the menu bar really should be on the top monitor. Otherwise, the menus become hard to hit because the mouse isn't stopped by the top edge if another monitor is above the menu bar. I got used to a two-monitor vertical arrangement, but with three I'm not sure I'd like it because human eyes and heads have more flexibility horizontally than vertically. You may want to test it by mounting readable pieces of paper at the proposed monitor positions.

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