8 Comments

Apples new displays might have the ability to rotate

June 8, 2006 by in Apple,Tech with 8 Comments

I found this little nugget on the internet today.

I attached my Dell 1703FP to my new MacBook (1.83GHz) via mini-DVI to DVI, and noticed a new option in the Displays System Preferences panel: Rotate. I tested it, and it works as expected.[...]

Is this a hint that Apple’s new displays may have the ability to rotate? I would think so. My question is why build that feature into the OS, if you have NO intentions on using it? And the other question is how long has it been there? Previously we knew early about the video iPod, because of hidden resources in iTunes, so could this be another instance of Apples own software prematurely hinting at unannounced new products?


  • http://www.ear-fung.us Mark

    I do believe this is a feature intorduced in tiger (10.4.0)… in case i ever want to suspend my LCD from the top of my desk’s hutch i can rotate it 180 degrees ;)

  • Adam

    I agree with Mark, I think this is something introduced in 10.4, depending on what video card or monitor you’re using.

    When I upgraded my PowerMac G4 MDD w/Radeon 9000 to 10.4, I was able to rotate my Dell 20″ display, just like I can now on my new MacBook Pro.

  • Larry

    Or, perhaps, Apple knows that people use other LCD screens with their computers, and wanted to accomodate those users in providing full functionalty for those LCDs. Not everything is a conspiracy.

  • http://blog.blankbaby.com/ Scott McNulty

    Yeah, this has been around for awhile, mostly to support non-Apple displays. You can even do it on laptops if you launch System prefs with a certain key combo, that I fail to remember.

  • http://ikonq.com ikonQ

    I believe this is also for the people who use VESA mounts with their iMac/ACD…. That way they can chose how it’s mounted.

  • http://www.ronaldpoi.com/ Ronald Poi

    Please, post a screenshot of the display preferences!

  • http://sleepingthroughreality.blogspot.com/ Tom

    This is also for the use in proofing fr the press. There is word of screens the full dimension of a page in a standard news paper that will be available for printers to proof the page in full size prior to printing, screen rotation is needed to put it portrait instead of landscape orientation.

  • Hitsuji

    This feature has been part of almost all graphics cards for the past several years, it’s pretty strange that you only just came across it now. I wouldnt t hink anything big of it.

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