[KPGv2]

> Always thought round LCDs (and rounded corners on displays and now GUI windows) were stupid

If you've ever used a Nest thermostat before, you'd understand why a square display would be stupider.

It would either:

1. force a larger interface so the square display could have its diagonal fully enclosed by the diameter of the radial control (i.e., oafishly large thermostat too big for a human hand to easily manipulate)

2. force a smaller LCD to fit inside a normal hand-sized radial control, making it less readable to all but the spriteliest of youths

3. make a radial control that is a spinning rhombus, which is pretty ugly

Or we could just do what the Nest does and the only person who "suffers" is the original designer, one time, when they write the code

[Karliss]

But Nest is using a square display. They are just hiding the corners behind plastic with round hole, which according to you would mean either 1 or 2.

[two_handfuls]

The article says the display is physically round.

[userbinator]

The pictures tell a different story.

[paco3346]

The display itself is round, although the module is a square with trapezoidal corners.

This is odd because you get the intended shape but not the benefit of the shape. There are plenty of displays that are actually round, such as for smart watches.

I'm curious if Google did this for cost and had decided on a larger bezel from the start.

[nom]

My guess: it's much easier to cut straight lines. If you don't need it, why go through the more complicated step to cut it circularly.