The $0.69 iPad Stand
Bought a wireless keyboard today to eventually replace the iPad Keyboard Dock I ordered online with my iPad. One really should try out a product before buying peripherals. But what I was really looking for was a stand that kept my iPad upright in either landscape or portrait. Neither the Keyboard Dock nor the iDock does this… granted, those do charge the iPad while docked. And I saw Griffin’s A-Frame: Tabletop Stand for iPad in stock at the Apple Store. But at $49… it’s ridiculously expensive.
Then I went to Office Depot and found this: Business Card Holder for $0.69.
Of course, this isn’t made for the iPad. So don’t expect the stability you’d want from rough handling or turbulence on a flight. And when used in tilt mode for on-screen keyboard typing, the curved top and smooth surface don’t really give enough traction to prevent from the occasional slippage. I ended up putting some gaffers tape to improve the friction.
But it’s less than a buck. And it keeps my iPad screen tilted enough for easy viewing. That’s what I need while writing on a wireless keyboard. Oh… a mouse would be nice. But more on that later.
BTW, I twittered last week that I found another device that can tilt the iPad for easy typing: my iPhone.
UPDATE (4/19): An eBay seller sold at least 30 of these “holders” for $6 using my photos. Hilarious.
REPOST BY OTHERS:
- The Cheapest iPad Holder Yet (Gizmodo)
- Seven DIY iPad Stands for Six Bucks or Less (Lifehacker)
- The $0.69 iPad Stand (Apartment Therapy Unplggd)
- The Cheapest iPad Holder Yet (Gizmodo Australia)
- $0.69 Business Card Holder Makes Ideal iPad Stand (Cult of Mac)
- The $0.69 iPad stand from Office Depot (Geek.com)
- iPad Stand Without the Apple Tax (TechCat Retrieving Technology, Freebytes.eu, marthees.com)
