Oct 21

It may seem that bigger is better...or perhaps it's just me....but super large monitors (or all in one computers like the iMac) offer diminishing returns with ever increasing size.

 

First let me state, I'm a fan of using multiple monitors....I work on two monitors at my office. But as displays get larger and larger, such as with the new 27" iMac or Apple's 30" display - larger displays offer more issues than they solve. Let me explain: with two monitors...I can open items on one monitor and move it to the other. Or I can arrange windows or directories and such to open on various screens. This is useful as it keeps things organized and easy to monitor (no pun intended).

 

But with one large screen...you can't be as organized. They're not quite large enough to hold all the items you need...nor do they fit it neatly and nicely together. Inevitably, you end up with windows on top of windows and screen clutter returns. Couple this with the excessive scrolling or mouse movement that's need to "scroll" across the entire screen dimension. I've worked on a 30" Apple Display and it's a chore to scroll something from the lower left corner to the upper right. Now to be fair...the same problem exists with multiple monitors...moving an item from one to the other can be problematic...but once moved...then I'm only moving it around the "new monitor".

 

Then there's the issue of space. Sitting behind the 30" monitor...well it's friggin' huge....it takes up so much desk real estate. Sure, so does two or three monitors....so that's a personal complaint....but one big monitor just seems more cumbersome.

 

I'm sure someday big monitors will get smaller and thinner (with less edging) so they're less obtrusive. But until they're thinner and maybe someday when they're transparent....or better yet are actually your wall or project in the air (like in Total Recall or Minority Report respectively) I'll stick with my two 20" monitors.