Which monitor could be more expensive than Apple’s Pro Display XDR? What about two of them? According to an Apple patent watchdog, Apple has invented a dual display stand with the ability to perfectly balance two Pro Display XDR screens without getting in the way.
Patently Apple discovered that patent 11371644 was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent reveals a stand with two legs, a rotating shaft on the top that can hang two Pro Display XDR monitors, and a rotating shaft with rack and pinion to keep both monitors perfectly aligned.
Most people use individual standards for their installation with two monitors, and these stands can get in the way. Then there’s the matter of aligning the monitors just right, a frustrating task for professionals. Apple’s new patent aims to solve these problems with the dual-display stand.
“Computer equipment designers often want to control the positioning of a computer monitor or similar display at whatever height and orientation best suits the user’s needs,” Apple wrote in the patent background. “While several existing display stands allow for tilt, rotation and vertical height adjustment of monitors, these features often come at the cost of being convenient and natural to use.”
The dual display keeps its two legs tucked behind the screens, while the connecting axis keeps both monitors at the same height and tilt. There are rollers that ride on rails in the shaft to maintain a perfect distance between the monitors.
Another interesting addition to the stand is a universal joint that synchronizes the rotation of both segments of the main shaft. This allows the user to invert the stand into a V shape without interfering with the alignment of the monitors at either end of the shaft.
Finally, the kickstand includes a friction motor, suggesting that the entire device is motorized and can potentially be controlled directly from a Mac.
Apple’s current Pro Display XDR stand costs over $1,000. While it balances perfectly with the big screen, most of the cost is aesthetic. We don’t know what Apple will charge for a dual-screen XDR stand, but we’re confident it will be prohibitively expensive.
Of course, the XDR line is not made for ordinary consumers. Professionals, studios and design agencies are the users of an XDR dual-display stand. With powerful new MacBook Pros launching later this year, it looks like Apple has professionals in mind.
Editor’s Recommendations