These Laptop Stands Run My Household, and Life Is Better for It

I’m not present to merchantability you the thought of laptop stands—see that communicative here—but if you’re going to driblet a tiny luck connected an iOS device, it deserves a pedestal that complements its sculptural craftsmanship. Apple has surpassed 2.2 cardinal progressive devices arsenic of February 2024, truthful likelihood are you ain astatine slightest one. And if Apple made laptop stands, they would look similar Rain Design’s.

Apple devices are known for their elegant simplicity, and Rain Design conscionable gets it. All of its stands vanish down the instrumentality that they’re meant to enactment and don’t drown your workplace successful ocular clutter. Most of its products hover betwixt $25 and $65 (excluding the $319 iGo show stand) and person iOS-esque finishes—silver, gold, abstraction gray, black, midnight blue, and starlight (that champagne hue)—and astir are designed with a cablegram outlet.

Apple carries Twelve South stands, but I similar Rain Design’s. They somewhat little expensive, with a wider assortment of styles and colors. And they’re sturdy, truthful they'll inactive beryllium holding beardown adjacent aft you’ve replaced your MacBook with its shinier successor.

Stability You Can Rely On

The mStand is my favourite of the bunch. It’s rock-solid, forged from a coagulated aluminum plate, and designed with a wide basal (7.5 x 10 inches) that makes it 1 of the astir unchangeable stands I’ve tested. I precise overmuch admit the slot underneath to tuck my outer keyboard and rodent erstwhile not successful use. If you collaborate in-person often, the mStand360 exemplary adds a swivel base. Rain Design makes mStand variations for iPhones and iPads, too.

If you similar a small much flexibility, the iLevel2 ($65) lets you dial the tallness from 5.4 to 7.9 inches with a elemental beforehand slider. The mTower ($50) is simply a vertical basal that enables you to stow your Macbook upright, freeing up invaluable table space—ideal if you usage an outer monitor. And if you’re idiosyncratic who intended to enactment astatine your table but someway ended up connected the sofa aft lunch, the iLap ($45)—with its detachable beforehand cushion—is 1 of the fewer thigh desks that are conscionable arsenic unchangeable for table work. (The iRest does the aforesaid for tablets; each 3 cushions are removable to fold down and pack.)

Ready for Action

The mBar Pro+ is the champion portable stand. The 5.5-inch elevation feels conscionable close for comfy viewing and typing. When I'm not toting this to a java shop, it stays stationed connected my already cluttered desk, acceptable for erstwhile I request a 2nd screen.

If you person a tablet, mBar Pro+, which works with astir MacBooks, is besides compatible with the 9.7-inch iPad, 10.5-inch, and 12.5-inch iPad Pro successful horizontal mode. It folds down to conscionable 9.5 x 6 inches and weighs little than a pound; it's compact capable to propulsion into immoderate tote bag, including my Lululemon Boxy Mini Tote. Plus, it comes with a svelte pouch, similar each of the company's portable products. If you similar little laptop stands, the foldable mBar pro ($55) and the mBar fixed basal ($25) some rise your MacBook by 3 inches.

Rain Design isn’t retired present trying to reinvent the instrumentality with flashy features. The institution has taken the fundamentals and made them better, offering an assortment of stands that—at the precise least—don't buckle nether pressure. Essentially, Rain Design delivers what we each desire: unwavering stability, genuine thoughtfulness, and durability that'll outlive your Apple device.