I’m not right here to promote you the concept of laptop computer stands—see that story right here—however should you’re going to drop a small fortune on an iOS gadget, it deserves a pedestal that enhances its sculptural craftsmanship. Apple has surpassed 2.2 billion lively gadgets as of February 2024, so odds are you personal not less than one. And if Apple made laptop computer stands, they’d seem like Rain Design’s.
Apple gadgets are identified for his or her elegant simplicity, and Rain Design simply will get it. All of its stands disappear behind the gadget that they’re meant to help and don’t drown your office in visible muddle. Most of its merchandise hover between $25 and $65 (excluding the $319 iGo monitor stand) and have iOS-esque finishes—silver, gold, house grey, black, midnight blue, and starlight (that champagne hue)—and most are designed with a cable outlet.
Apple carries Twelve South stands, however I want Rain Design’s. They barely cheaper, with a greater diversity of kinds and colours. They usually’re sturdy, in order that they’ll nonetheless be holding robust even after you’ve changed your MacBook with its shinier successor.
Stability You Can Rely On
The mStand is my favourite of the bunch. It’s rock-solid, solid from a stable aluminum plate, and designed with a large base (7.5 x 10 inches) that makes it probably the most secure stands I’ve examined. I very a lot respect the slot beneath to tuck my exterior keyboard and mouse when not in use. If you happen to collaborate in-person usually, the mStand360 mannequin provides a swivel base. Rain Design makes mStand variations for iPhones and iPads, too.
{Photograph}: Rain Design
If you happen to want a bit extra flexibility, the iLevel2 ($65) enables you to dial the peak from 5.4 to 7.9 inches with a easy entrance slider. The mTower ($50) is a vertical stand that lets you stow your Macbook upright, liberating up invaluable desk house—preferrred should you use an exterior monitor. And should you’re somebody who supposed to work at your desk however someway ended up on the sofa after lunch, the iLap ($45)—with its removable entrance cushion—is without doubt one of the few lap desks which can be simply as secure for desk work. (The iRest does the identical for tablets; all three cushions are detachable to fold down and pack.)
Prepared for Motion
The mBar Professional+ is the most effective moveable stand. The 5.5-inch elevation feels good for comfy viewing and typing. Once I’m not toting this to a espresso store, it stays stationed on my already cluttered desk, prepared for after I want a second display.
You probably have a pill, mBar Professional+, which works with most MacBooks, can also be appropriate with the 9.7-inch iPad, 10.5-inch, and 12.5-inch iPad Professional in horizontal mode. It folds down to only 9.5 x 6 inches and weighs lower than a pound; it is compact sufficient to throw into any tote bag, together with my Lululemon Boxy Mini Tote. Plus, it comes with a svelte pouch, like all the firm’s moveable merchandise. If you happen to want decrease laptop computer stands, the foldable mBar professional ($55) and the mBar mounted stand ($25) each elevate your MacBook by three inches.
Rain Design isn’t out right here making an attempt to reinvent the wheel with flashy options. The corporate has taken the basics and made them higher, providing an assortment of stands that—on the very least—do not buckle underneath stress. Primarily, Rain Design delivers what all of us want: unwavering stability, real thoughtfulness, and sturdiness that’ll outlive your Apple gadget.
