You can tell as soon as you open its box that the Padacs Ergonomic iPad Stand is much more of a luxurious high-end piece of kit than your common-or-garden stand, and not just because of the $62.95 price tag! Nope, it’s because this stand actually comes in its own neoprene material bag, so that it’s well-protected if you want to carry it around in your briefcase or purse, and it’s actually very light too, made of aluminium, which adds to its portability.
When it comes to assembling the stand, Padacs has supplied a handy operation guide that shows you exactly which bits to pull out and which bits to slide into place and what goes where. It’s good for both portrait and landscape positions (change to landscape by pulling out the sides), and it has six angle adjustments enabling you to find the best position from which to view your iPad without straining your back and neck. Once set up, it certainly seems pretty stable and steady, with the little ledge that your iPad rests on even being covered with ridged rubber which gives it a little extra purchase. It’s not clipped in place or anything though, unlike with some other stands you can buy, the iPad simply rests on the ledge.
Generally speaking, I would say that the stand works best on a desk, or table, not on a lap, but I think that most people buying it would realise that. You definitely feel that everything has been thought of with this stand, and that the user’s wants and needs have been very well considered in the design. The only tiny quibble I have is that I wish it had a 7th position that raised the iPad up just a little bit higher than the current top position. Maybe that’s something that Padacs can sort out for their Ergonomic Stand 2.0!
You can visit the Padacs website to check out the stand and all their other products.