Oh, I got the the humor once I realized what you were talking about. Just my weird brain got sidetracked for a moment…
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I was intent last year on switching from a 27" 4k monitor to a UW monitor but what made me decide against it was that, while it would be awesome for work, it would be terrible for when I’m not working and just browsing the web or watching youtube (black bars/letterboxing). I wound up getting a 32" LG 4k which I like a lot. I am one to maximize windows and I make use of virtual desktops. First thing I do when starting work is launch Safari on one desktop, then MS Edge on a 2nd desktop, Teams on a 3rd, and my note taking app (Craft at the moment) and Reminders on the 4th desktop. I switch between them quickly via keyboard shortcut.
It’s funny, to me at least, but I have had an UW 34” monitor on my desktop PC for 5 years. I never liked it much, it’s handy at times, but like I said upthread, I find the height to be too short for my general use. But I have been using it a lot more in the past week and really enjoying it. It’s still too short, and too low of a resolution (3440 x 1440), but I have been enjoying having so much space for windows lately. With Windows 11 Power Tools, the window management is quite easy to use to quickly get things set up. I have been using my oldest, slowest computer more this week just because of that monitor.
One thing that made a huge difference for me is putting it on an arm. The stand for mine was huge and it meant the monitor was taking a ton of desk space and was way too close. On the arm, I have been able to free up a ton of desk space and angle it so it is easier to use.
Now I kind of want to get a newer, higher resolution one (not going to since I just bought an AVP, of course).
This is a long shot, but does anyone know if there is a similar Windows 11 window management app for Mac? Does Moom work similarly?
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I really enjoy Magnet, but I think there are several “snapping” apps that all work in a similar way.
Interesting productivity monitor from Dell, that would also work for gaming. 40", 5k @120Hz. $1920.
Dave Plummer did a video on it today (the first half is just him talking about monitors). He’s a retired Microsoft programmer who created the Task Manager in Windows. He is also a Mac user. Now he’s a YouTuber. Not a review or anything, just him talking about monitors and he seems to like this one.
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This is a loose definition of 5k. In the Mac world (it should be all worlds!) 5k refers to Apples classic 5120x2880, usually although not exclusively at 27”.
This particular monitor is 5k2k aka wide 4k. 5120x2160 at 40” is roughly a 32” 4k 16:9 monitor with bits tacked on the sides to make it 21:9. Sure, it’s an upgrade from 32” 4k if you want more width, but it’s not the nice crispy pixel density that is usually being referred to by 5k.
*turns out it’s not quite 21:9. Ever so slightly off. They just advertise it as 21:9 and think nobody will check. They’re probably right, but of course I checked…
I thought that it was obvious that we weren’t talking about 5k in the sense that it is used for standard monitors.
The way I think of it as someone who knows very little about this stuff is that 27" at 5k is nice. But as soon as you go bigger it’s going to start suffering, hence why the XDR is 6k at 32". So whenever I am looking at regular monitors, I use that as my starting point to make comparisons.
But everything goes out the window when I start looking at these wide monitors. I would not compare them to a standard Studio Display because it is going to have tradeoffs with these screens. It’s not going to be at the same pixel density as Apple’s stuff. For me, it gets into “Good enough” territory just to have a nice ultrawide monitor. The bar seems kind of low for a lot these, so this one looked like it might be a nicer version that isn’t all fancy lights and stands.
Of course the “Best Monitor in the World” title is silly, but YouTube.
I was working out aspect ratios recently for some reason, and that seemed true of all the ultrawides. They round it off to match the closest standard.
Well providence stepped in (actually, it was CNET Cheapskate) to alert me to a sale on this 3440x1440 34" ultrawide monitor. It came in a week after Valentine’s Day, so I was able to sneak it in as a “late submission” gift 
and I ended up getting full credit for it. Either she is not as fussy as many in our tech geek circles, or this was a legit improvement over her previous monitor set-up for office apps. She says it has improved her work day, although it’s a more qualitative feeling rather than a quantitative list. The older portrait-mount monitor (the “best” of the previous 3) is still required for a document viewer, but everything else now fits on the 34", with the option to go real wide with big spreadsheets.
I’ll chalk that up as a win for hubby over here. And I know, it still needs my involvement re: cable management. My “workstation OCD” is triggered every time I walk by.
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Well done! ‘Improving’ the tech life of a significant other is a risky venture. It’s a very nice set up.
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