The present technique provides a system and method for automatically switching viewing orientations of a display in response to physical rotation of the display. The display is rotatably coupled to a base structure via a rotatable mechanism, which has one or more angular switches/sensors that sense the physical orientation of the display and trigger a change in the viewing orientation of the display. The display may be a stand-alone flat-panel display or it may be incorporated into a portable electronic/computing devices, such as a tablet computer. Moreover, the base structure may embody a display support, a port replicator, a docking station, or any other suitable structure having a rotational adjustment mechanism.