Most computer monitors are too low. Almost everybody, at least once in their lives, has put a pack of printing paper, a cardboard box, or something else under their monitors stand to bring it to an acceptable height.
Why is the default height for computer monitor stands so low?
Because you can always put some additional stand, but it might be really hard to "cut" the default one :) Low fixed stand seems to be universal and pretty cheap solution.
Usually, better stand is a good motivation to pay more.
Most often they are actually not too low. According to widely accepted ergonomics guidelines, your eyes should be inline with the top of the monitor.
Looking downwards to it is at worst against your preference, looking up to it by even a small amount is really bad for your back and neck. So it is much better to err on the side of it being too low.
Speculation.
Monitors used to look like this:
you put the big computer on your desk, and the tiny monitor sat on top of it - at the correct height. As we tried to make the desk "cleaner", the box went on the ground (or inside the monitor). And so your problem was born.
The fact is that the people who care or are aware about the posture and really follow the guidelines are the minority. Also despite the knowledge people can have about posture, it doesn't imply at all that the will apply it (or do it correctly).
Taking a standard office chair, desk and monitor, adult population average height and following the sitting guidelines, the top of the monitor is almost always at least below and possible way below "the eyes line".
Particularly talking about monitor height, if you follow the rule of "the eyes in the same line as the top of the monitor" but you are sitting like this, the rule is meaningless:
So as a monitor building company, why would you bother in adding costs and making your product more complex and expensive if the majority of potential buyers is not going to appreciate that feature or if that feature is easily replaceable? I'm not saying that there are no reasons to do it, I'm saying that it seems that for most companies there are not enough strong reasons to include a good high adjustment feature as a default.
The issue with ergonomic guidelines similar to that shown on the Apple website is that virtually no one sits like that (contrary to what our school teachers have tried to make us do). Almost everyone likes to lean back a bit, and most office chairs allow for this. In fact, it is NOT good for you to sit straight up as a college design professor discovered.
With all that in mind, the reason why the monitor seems too low is that once you lean back even a little bit, your gaze tends to go up, and therefore the monitor no longer is at the right height. For myself, I like to have my chair tilted back, with a bit of a footrest, and the monitor tilting slightly down.
This is a great example of why designers are starting to look less at ergonomics or best practices and more at behavior and context of use.
I'm not sure if I missed an answer, but all of the answers seem to be missing a key point: it is significantly easier to make a monitor taller rather than shorter. Stacking your monitor on stacks of paper or boxes may seem like an inconvenience, but imagine what would happen if monitors were made taller. I'm nearly certain there would exists some desks in which the previous size monitor was the proper size. Now, the monitor is too high for the set up, which is not easy to remedy. Getting a new desk or chair are the only viable options beside cutting a trench into your desk to hold the monitor.
From a UX perspective, you should always err on the side of the easy to remedy extreme. I've honestly never seen a monitor issue that was not easy to remedy. Being able to simply fix a problem is quality of good UX when large amounts of variability are too be expected.
Who says they are "neck height" by default?
What source do you have that supports this claim?
You aren't taking into account any of the following:
If you take into the account all of the above, nearly every person will have a "different default".
That's why you customize everything to ergonomically fit your specific dimensions.
Nothing else needs to be said.
I've been using computers for about 30 years and have rarely found any position comforable for prolonged use. I've recently (about 4 months ago) changed to using a standing desk. The monitors are now at the right height, my back and shoulders dont ache and I burn more calories standing than sitting down. Its also nicer when people walk up to my desk and I dont have to look up to them as I am already at their level.
Learn to touch type - it will be more comforatble if you are working standing up or sitting down.
I have full freedom in where I place my monitors.
The one closest to my keyboard, I want to be close to my keyboard. So it is below eye level, the bottom only barely over my hands. This is convenient so I can move my eyes from screen to keyboard easily.
The other I have with about 10% of the screen above my eyes - I can see the screen content without craning my neck up, and everything comfortably in me view when looking straight forwards.
For people with a single monitor, proximity to the keyboard would seem a good driving reason to make the screen lower.
[Edit:
Hrm - someone downvoted? Do they disbelieve that proximity to the keyboard matters from a UX point of view? I am forced to disagree, it matters significantly to me. Perhaps for formally-trained touch-typists who're only ever typing and not regularly moving hands from mouse to keyboard and back, it might not be - the keyboard can even be hidden! But for what I'd argue is the overwhelming majority, the keyboard and mouse are focal parts of the work area, need to be visible, and hence need to be close to the screen.
Even for those with hidden keyboards, I'd argue that the workplace focus should never be directly ahead. Workbenches have never worked like this, neither have drafting tables, nor easels, nor any line of work I can think of. The focal point is usually down from the eyes, somewhere around or just above the hands, since that's what we are used to looking at, and working with.
So for even my highest monitor, the midpoint is about 15 degrees down from eye-level.]
We use monitors all day without having to look at match paper on our desks.
A lot of people used to (and still do) have to keep moving their eyes from the monitor to paper on the desk.
Also a lot of people are not touch typists, so have to move their eye to the keyboard often.
If a monitor is two low, someone can put it on books, if it is too height all they can do is return it for a refund.
Monitors with adjustable stands cost more.....
