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legareal

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 15, 2016
50
20
Does anyone know if the Pro Display XDR's autorotate (switching MacOS' software rotation) will work with a vesa mounted stand? Or if it is a feature enabled only by the Pro Stand?
 

tommy chen

macrumors 6502a
Oct 1, 2018
907
390
no, you can't rotate it with the vesa mount, if I understand this correctly on the product page
 

legareal

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 15, 2016
50
20
Well it can rotate, that just depends on the mounted stand. For example my arm can rotate. I’m just wondering if it will detect its orientation using some kind of gyroscope and rotate the software. Has anyone tried this?
 
Last edited:

OliZ

macrumors newbie
Jan 5, 2020
9
3
Hi,
I tried this just now. XDR on Humanscale M2 and Autorotate feature work Perfect. If you rotate the screen it will automatically adjust.
 

legareal

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 15, 2016
50
20
Thank you so much! That’s great news, ability to resist ordering the XDR is fading ?
 

goMac

macrumors 604
Apr 15, 2004
7,663
1,694
Yeah, rotation is built into the display using an accelerometer. It’s not a function of the stand.
 

tommy chen

macrumors 6502a
Oct 1, 2018
907
390
Well it can rotate, that just depends on the mounted stand. For example my arm can rotate. I’m just wondering if it will detect its orientation using some kind of gyroscope and rotate the software. Has anyone tried this?

ok, it will rotate if the arm has rotation?
but the mount does it not?
 

s66

Suspended
Dec 12, 2016
472
661
I don't quite get the urge of rotating the XDR. I have a few on their stand, so rotating them is an option: I've only ever rotated one of them, just to figure out how it works, and how risky it is to disconnect them from their stand while doing so (it's the same "button" you need to slide to allow rotating as well as to allow disconnecting from the stand.)
It's a really large monitor and when rotated, it's simply way too tall that way to be usable as a monitor that way IMHO. The need to look up and down will hurt your neck long before the day is over.
 

now i see it

macrumors G4
Jan 2, 2002
11,256
24,283
The vertical orientation is primarily aimed at pro photographers who shoot vertically. Nowadays with pro digital cameras, the photographer can shoot/set up the shot while the client views it on a monitor. The vertical orientation is perfect for this
 

straightMacin

macrumors regular
Dec 6, 2019
109
78
Chicago, IL
I don't quite get the urge of rotating the XDR. I have a few on their stand, so rotating them is an option: I've only ever rotated one of them, just to figure out how it works, and how risky it is to disconnect them from their stand while doing so (it's the same "button" you need to slide to allow rotating as well as to allow disconnecting from the stand.)
It's a really large monitor and when rotated, it's simply way too tall that way to be usable as a monitor that way IMHO. The need to look up and down will hurt your neck long before the day is over.


I LOVE using one of my XDR's in vertical orientation. If on a monitor arm, you can bring the bottom edge all the way down to desk level, which gives it the perfect height for a great full screen view without much need to bend your neck.

I use it for all sorts of tasks ranging from web development, data analysis, and even simple things like email. Having the vertical real estate is absolutely fantastic. I find myself using the vertical one more than the Landscape one!
 

Bradleyone

macrumors regular
Jul 7, 2015
232
262
Sydney, Australia
Is this the same as what has been called "portrait mode" for decades? (As opposed to "landscape mode".)

Absolutely. In fact, in the old times, circa 1989, Apple themselves had the Macintosh Portrait Display, which was similar to the better known Radius Full Page Display released a year earlier.

display_portrait.jpg
 
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elliottcable

macrumors member
Apr 7, 2007
42
8
Chicago, IL
As a programmer: I have two XDRs; both spend most of their time in portrait. Study after study has directly linked programmers' productivity to the amount of source-code they can simultaneously fit on-screen; and (modulo font-size, text columns, etceteras), portrait displays often fit more code from the same file(s).

Relatedly: It helps if you have a dual-level desk, where the front / keyboard portion can be adjusted to be higher than the rear / display portion:

683db204a5ca385a3b4f5dcc798c4cd9.jpg


In my setup, the bottom of the XDRs (when rotated into portrait) are actually slightly *below* the level of my mouse and other desk accessories. Instead of absurd neck-extension to look "up" at the top of the display, I have approximately equal "up" and "down" neck-movements.

As for the OP: yep! autorotation is an absolute beaut. I went to a lot of trouble to set up my arms to provide finger-touch, free rotation and movement for my displays, so that I can apply any of these layouts almost instantly:

Code:
———
—|—
—||
|||

FWIW, if any of you are trying to do this *without* a $6,000 monitor … I use this $1.99, excellent, single-purpose utility for my non-Apple displays: RotateIt, by Borys Pierov.
 
Last edited:

straightMacin

macrumors regular
Dec 6, 2019
109
78
Chicago, IL
As a programmer: I have two XDRs; both spend most of their time in portrait. Study after study has directly linked programmers' productivity to the amount of source-code they can simultaneously fit on-screen; and (modulo font-size, text columns, etceteras), portrait displays often fit more code from the same file(s).

Relatedly: It helps if you have a dual-level desk, where the front / keyboard portion can be adjusted to be higher than the rear / display portion:

View attachment 897314

In my setup, the bottom of the XDRs (when rotated into portrait) are actually slightly *below* the level of my mouse and other desk accessories. Instead of absurd neck-extension to look "up" at the top of the display, I have approximately equal "up" and "down" neck-movements.

As for the OP: yep! autorotation is an absolute beaut. I went to a lot of trouble to set up my arms to provide finger-touch, free rotation and movement for my displays, so that I can apply any of these layouts almost instantly:

Code:
———
—|—
—||
|||

FWIW, if any of you are trying to do this *without* a $6,000 monitor … I use this $1.99, excellent, single-purpose utility for my non-Apple displays: RotateIt, by Borys Pierov.

Most excellent! Any pics of your setup? What desk is that?
 
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