Height Adjustable

[sgw123]

How can Apple keep introducing imacs that are not height adjustable? They keep making out that they care about
users' health but ignore the most basic thing they could do to help users' health.

I have an imac 2019 and a height adjustable desk and it's rubbish - to get the screen to the right place I'd need to be able
to adjust it - because there is a difference between the screen and desk height that always changes depending on where the desk is.

Really curious why apple fans aren't pushing for this most basic of features. The old imacs used to have this - but like target mode - it seems us apple users are just willing to accept whatever degredations in the user experience they give to us.

 

[chabig]

If it's important to you, buy a VESA iMac and an articulating arm.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

How can Apple keep introducing imacs that are not height adjustable? They keep making out that they care about
users' health but ignore the most basic thing they could do to help users' health.

I have an imac 2019 and a height adjustable desk and it's rubbish - to get the screen to the right place I'd need to be able
to adjust it - because there is a difference between the screen and desk height that always changes depending on where the desk is.

Really curious why apple fans aren't pushing for this most basic of features. The old imacs used to have this - but like target mode - it seems us apple users are just willing to accept whatever degredations in the user experience they give to us.

There are always solutions to height adjusting.
Even in PC world, height adjustable monitor are not very common in the popular market.
And 3rd party solution always available at cheap price.

 

[pmiles]

Given that there hasn't been a height-adjustable display on any Mac since the Luxo Jr iMac from 2002... you're complaining about a feature that hasn't existed for decades.

They have an aftermarket for such things and there have been a plethora of solutions for anyone who wanted it.

Google is your friend.

 

[pedregosa]

You may have a point. But that is actually a benefit of the chin -- it raises the viewable area.

 

[jmchicago]

Any recommendations for a nice VESA articulating mount? Preferably one that's white with an "apple" aesthetic

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Given that there hasn't been a height-adjustable display on any Mac since the Luxo Jr iMac from 2002... you're complaining about a feature that hasn't existed for decades.

They have an aftermarket for such things and there have been a plethora of solutions for anyone who wanted it.

Google is your friend.

And the best solution ever, is height adjustable chairs.....

 

[Fishrrman]

OP asked:
"How can Apple keep introducing imacs that are not height adjustable?"

Apple's answer:

 

[4sallypat]

 

[JLOAKS]

Any recommendations for a nice VESA articulating mount? Preferably one that's white with an "apple" aesthetic

Fully's Jarvis monitor arm in white would go well with the new iMacs:
https://www.fully.com/accessories/monitor-arms/jarvis-monitor-arm.html

How can Apple keep introducing imacs that are not height adjustable? They keep making out that they care about
users' health but ignore the most basic thing they could do to help users' health.

Only a small number of users have height adjustable desks (including all employees at Apple Park), where adjustable monitor height really comes into play. For static positions, someone can purchase a monitor riser to their appropriate height and call it a day.

It would have been nice if they created a system where you can swap between a VESA mount and standard desk stand.

 

[sgw123]

For all the 'helpful' replies suggesting a VESA - the iMac is too heavy. I have an Ollin monitor arm for the second monitor and the iMac is too heavy for this and many other arms.

Monitor arms are a very imperfect solution to the problem of adjusting height - even the best ones suffer from 'wobble' which makes the experience of using the computer quite unpleasant.

Anybody suggesting changing the height of the desk and or the chair is in the ballpark but the human body is fixed in dimensions - so to get an ergonomic position - the computer screen needs to be height adjustable. If you move the chair and or desk up/down - the screen goes with it - and the relationship changes.

The floating iMac was a fantastic solution to this - but I guess the market forces aren't asking for it.

 

[sgw123]

I forgot to mention - Apple really makes it difficult for its customers in one respect - when you order an iMac - if you want to mount it on an arm - you need to specify that option as a build to order. It will then not come with a stand and you can't attach one at any point in that computer's life after. That's an aggressively anti- customer move in my view - sitting here typing an a very sub-optimal iMac 27.

 

[4sallypat]

I forgot to mention - Apple really makes it difficult for its customers in one respect - when you order an iMac - if you want to mount it on an arm - you need to specify that option as a build to order. It will then not come with a stand and you can't attach one at any point in that computer's life after. That's an aggressively anti- customer move in my view - sitting here typing an a very sub-optimal iMac 27.

Not correct, past iMacs since 2009 have easily removable stands and easy to install 100mm VESA mounts made by Apple or Bretford.

This new M1 iMac, can't switch between stand and VESA - must choose at time of purchase.

 

[SRQrws]

I absolutely agree with the OP. I recently ordered a new 24" iMac with the hope that with the lower height than the 27" model, I will no longer have neck issues. With a "typical" 30" high office desk, I find the 27" iMac is too tall. If I raise my chair height, the arms no longer fit under my desk. If the iMac could be lowered about 1.5" it would be perfect for me. Perhaps people over 6 feet tall don't have this problem, but I certainly would like height adjustability without having to use a VESA mount.

 

[Moonjumper]

If it's important to you, buy a VESA iMac and an articulating arm.

The lack of a basic ergonomic feature is not important to too many people until it is too late and they have health issues.

You may have a point. But that is actually a benefit of the chin -- it raises the viewable area.

It is a problem for people like me where the iMac is too high. For correct ergonomics, the top of the screen should be level with the user's eyes. I'm not particularly short (5' 8" / 172cm, just under average for a male, taller than average female), so there must be a lot of people in the same situation.

I have an adjustable desk just so I can lower it to give just enough clearance for my thighs, and the iMac is still too high. I didn't need an adjustable desk when I wasn't using an iMac.

 

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

The lack of a basic ergonomic feature is not important to too many people until it is too late and they have health issues.


It is a problem for people like me where the iMac is too high. For correct ergonomics, the top of the screen should be level with the user's eyes. I'm not particularly short (5' 8" / 172cm, just under average for a male, taller than average female), so there must be a lot of people in the same situation.

I have an adjustable desk just so I can lower it to give just enough clearance for my thighs, and the iMac is still too high. I didn't need an adjustable desk when I wasn't using an iMac.

can you not sit on a cushion?

 

[svenmany]

I agree with the OP. I'm always careful, when buying a Windows monitor, to get one that is height adjustable; I do adjust the height frequently. Trying to compensate with seat height has caused me problems in the past.

Getting your working ergonomics correct requires a number of degrees of freedom. Fixing the monitor to one height makes this very hard. I remember one of my past companies hiring an ergonomist to work with everyone to get things just right; they required height-adjustable monitors.

I suspect if the iMac height were adjustable, you would find people settling on different heights and having fewer injuries. Asking a user to anticipate this problem and invest in a workaround is most easily explained as a cost saving measure for Apple.

 

[4sallypat]

For my intense gaming platform (Windows Microsoft Flight Simulator), I use a 27" Dell 240Hz Alienware gaming monitor that has adjustable up/down height control:

 

[pmiles]

For all the 'helpful' replies suggesting a VESA - the iMac is too heavy. I have an Ollin monitor arm for the second monitor and the iMac is too heavy for this and many other arms.

Monitor arms are a very imperfect solution to the problem of adjusting height - even the best ones suffer from 'wobble' which makes the experience of using the computer quite unpleasant.

Anybody suggesting changing the height of the desk and or the chair is in the ballpark but the human body is fixed in dimensions - so to get an ergonomic position - the computer screen needs to be height adjustable. If you move the chair and or desk up/down - the screen goes with it - and the relationship changes.

The floating iMac was a fantastic solution to this - but I guess the market forces aren't asking for it.

Actually the human body isn't fixed in dimensions... it changes over time. Older people for example actually lose an inch or two in height.

Do you always sit up straight in the chair, arms not resting on the desk? People tend to slouch in their chairs. So even if you were a fixed height, you change your own height all the time while seated.

Chair have the ability to go up and down? Odds are pretty good, you fiddle with that as your "weight" alters it's height for you.

I remember a post a while ago in which someone had a desk that was completely wrong height for using a computer. He returned a brand new computer because it was too tall. Everyone said, get a normal desk height, problem solved. He said he spent all his money on the computer and couldn't afford a new desk.

Sometimes it's your environment that needs adjusting first... then you get a computer that fits into it, not the other way around.

 

[Moonjumper]

can you not sit on a cushion?

Perhaps you didn't read my post. I said I got an adjustable desk so I could have it lower, so low it only just clears my thighs, there is no room for a cushion. Anyway, a cushion would be absolutely the wrong thing to do, especially as it does not offer the right support, making the ergonomics even worse.

Look at this image, that is terrible ergonomics (eyes should be level with the top of the screen) for everyone in the picture, especially for the small children. There are many people a non-adjustable monitor is bad for, including most children.

Apple used to get it right with the iMac G4. They haven't since on the iMac.

 

[fishkorp]

For all the 'helpful' replies suggesting a VESA - the iMac is too heavy. I have an Ollin monitor arm for the second monitor and the iMac is too heavy for this and many other arms.

Monitor arms are a very imperfect solution to the problem of adjusting height - even the best ones suffer from 'wobble' which makes the experience of using the computer quite unpleasant.

Anybody suggesting changing the height of the desk and or the chair is in the ballpark but the human body is fixed in dimensions - so to get an ergonomic position - the computer screen needs to be height adjustable. If you move the chair and or desk up/down - the screen goes with it - and the relationship changes.

The floating iMac was a fantastic solution to this - but I guess the market forces aren't asking for it.

A quick Google for the Ollin arm shows a weight of 20lbs. The new iMac is less than 10lbs. The 27” comes in at just under 20lbs. Both of those weights with stand. Either would work. No arm on the market today will only accept monitors less than 10lbs. That’s a ridiculous statement. And just about every arm on the market can accommodate the 27” iMac as well, even cheaper ones.

 

[svenmany]

Actually the human body isn't fixed in dimensions... it changes over time. Older people for example actually lose an inch or two in height.

Do you always sit up straight in the chair, arms not resting on the desk? People tend to slouch in their chairs. So even if you were a fixed height, you change your own height all the time while seated.

Chair have the ability to go up and down? Odds are pretty good, you fiddle with that as your "weight" alters it's height for you.

I remember a post a while ago in which someone had a desk that was completely wrong height for using a computer. He returned a brand new computer because it was too tall. Everyone said, get a normal desk height, problem solved. He said he spent all his money on the computer and couldn't afford a new desk.

Sometimes it's your environment that needs adjusting first... then you get a computer that fits into it, not the other way around.

The height of your monitor is just as much a part of your environment as is the height of your chair, the height of a footrest, the height of your desktop, and the height of your keyboard. The iMac height should be just as flexible as other heights in your environment.

Your post seems to suggest that once you've completely perfected your environment, you might conclude that you shouldn't use an iMac since it doesn't fit into the environment. Of course that's not what happens. People either put up with the discomfort or invest in a mounting solution.

There are hundreds of unadjustable monitors on the market. They're usually quite cheap. We really don't hold them to high standards with respect to our health and safety. But Apple does position itself as a company who cares more than most about those standards and sells products at a premium. I would expect more from them.

 

[CWallace]

It would have been nice if they created a system where you can swap between a VESA mount and standard desk stand.

Evidently the 24" iMac can be swapped between VESA and Stand at an Apple Genius Bar for a price. The hardware is integrated into the back case and they just swap em out.

For all the 'helpful' replies suggesting a VESA - the iMac is too heavy.

There are "heavy-duty" VESA arms that can accommodate the weight of the iMac. Ergotron makes monitor arms rated for displays between 20 and 40 pounds and can therefore support the 21.5", 24" and 27" iMac. Of course, they are fairly expensive as arms go, but then so are the iMacs that attach to them.

 

[Maconplasma]

But Apple does position itself as a company who cares more than most about those standards and sells products at a premium. I would expect more from them.

Apple never stated that they care about the consumer's health in regards to how they build their computers. The only health thing they've discussed is a function from the Apple Watch. To expect them to make a computer to satisfy everyone is flat out ludicrous. I've been on Macs exclusively for over 25 years and the iMac G4 with the swinging screen got tons of flack for not being "perfect" for everyone's height. Forums complaining that the only optimal way to use the iMac was when the screen hinge was standing erect and pivoting it was just never ideal. And yes I had one so I know first hand.

Absolutely ridiculous to hold a company to higher standards when they never stated anything about health when it comes to how their computers are built.

 

[svenmany]

Apple never stated that they care about the consumer's health in regards to how they build their computers. The only health thing they've discussed is a function from the Apple Watch. To expect them to make a computer to satisfy everyone is flat out ludicrous. I've been on Macs exclusively for over 25 years and the iMac G4 with the swinging screen got tons of flack for not being "perfect" for everyone's height. Forums complaining that the only optimal way to use the iMac was when the screen hinge was standing erect and pivoting it was just never ideal. And yes I had one so I know first hand.

Absolutely ridiculous to hold a company to higher standards when they never stated anything about health when it comes to how their computers are built.

Respectfully disagree. But, I don't consider your opinion to be as ridiculous as you do mine. I personally have not reviewed their official stance on consumer safety, but I'm sure it's available somewhere. I suspect it wouldn't be limited to the functionality of the Apple Watch.

Nothing written in stone here. Just what we each expect and hope for from the companies we choose to buy from. Your expectations from Apple are less than mine in this regard.

Screen height is very important to me and most people with an interest in ergonomics. I spent quite a bit of time 30 years ago recovering from working with a monitor that was at the wrong height. My company handled it as a workers comp claim. It took months to recover. So, this particular topic is near and dear to me.