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Once desktop touchscreens explode in popularity--which will probably happen after Apple releases their rumored touchscreen iMac later this year--PC manufacturers will have to incorporate some serious industrial design to enable screens to travel from viewing height to touch-friendly distance. The standard cheapie monitor stand, which typically looks like an afterthought, just ain't gonna cut it.
A multinational company called Colebrook Bosson Saunders, which made the first monitor arms back in the '80s, isn't sitting around waiting for the touchscreen revolution to happen; they've already got a full line of monitor arms (above) designed for a variety of situations, ranging from bare-bones simple to precision-adjustment to heavy-duty to height-adjusting. They can be mounted to posts, clamped to desks, and even hung from slatwalls. Check out their lineup here.
Comments
will these products work with tablet/ touchscreen computers?
From a functional perspective: these "monitor arms" as they are currently designed are sufficiently rigid (barely) for supporting a monitor, however they will be far to bouncy to use as a touch screen support. If you tried to press on the screen, it would move around under the pressure.
A new format monitor arm specifically designed for tablet / touch screen use would be required to be a useful product.
also, btw: interesting/annoying thing about mac monitors and ipads: they don't have the standard VESA mounting holes that are required for using these types of monitor supports... that makes it impossible to use these products together. I guess it's the mac way of differentiation and control over design...
HumanScale has a pretty nice lineup as well, though it seems that their prices are a fair bit higher. Check it out here:
http://www.humanscale.com/products/category_detail.cfm?category=monitor_arms
I'm sitting in front of a 23" widescreen monitor hanging on a CBS DaisyOne monitor arm. It's sturdy enough to withstand the constant touching & pressing that a touchscreen monitor would require. Yes it will wobble a little, but it's a stiff enough arm that each time I touch the monitor, it's not going to move away from me. So I think certain monitor arms will suffice.
Hafele's Ellipta arm, on the other hand, would struggle with a touchscreen, as it can be adjust very easily and would move with only the lightest touch.