By Jason Snell

March 19, 2022 10:19 AM PT

An update about Studio Display rotation

Note: This story has not been updated since 2022.

In our YouTube video on Thursday, Dan relayed a question from a listener asking if the Studio Display supported automatic rotation. I grabbed the screen and twisted — and nothing happened. Oh well! Maybe it’s a VESA mount thing.

But, being right-hand dominant, I had chosen to lift with my right hand and rotate with my left—moving the display counterclockwise, placing it on what was the left edge. This morning, after receiving a report from Six Colors member Kyle, I went against every instinct and rotated the display clockwise, placing what was the right edge on my desk.

Yep. Automatic rotation engaged immediately! That is a… very tall display.

And yes, the Studio Display’s built-in webcam also did the right thing and rotated accordingly, though of course it’s now positioned much lower, halfway up the right side of the display.

I’m looking forward to receiving my VESA-mount version of the Studio Display next month and trying this out, though I’m not sure there’s any scenario in which I’d use vertical orientation on a 27-inch display. (I love it for writing on my iPad Pro, but in that orientation a 12.9-inch iPad is 11 inches tall, while the Studio display is 24.5 inches tall.)

[Update on the Update: Yes, Center Stage works in vertical orientation. And the speakers don’t seem to change their behavior at all—sound was coming out of the left side of the display, with the “left” audio at the top and the “right’ audio on the bottom.]

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