Great portable stand. In my opinion, the item description nails it. It is very portable when folded up; can be easily tossed in a drawer or bag. It held my iPad perfectly while in its case and is sturdy enough to operate. It didn't slide around the counter tops and is adjustable for different viewing angles. It pretty much suits all of my requirements. However, my one minor complaint is that when the iPad is sitting vertically in the mount and the charging cable is plugged in, the cable interferes with the stability of the iPad. In other words, if the mount held the iPad maybe just a half-inch higher off the surface, the plug wouldn't be a problem. Horizontally is of course no problem. I personally don't find this to be an issue as I seldom have it plugged in when I'm using it anyway. Arkon Portable Fold-Up Stand for Apple iPad, Galaxy Tab, BlackBerry Play Book
This stand is great. I take it with me everywhere my iPad goes. The stand is very compact and portable. When folded, it is small enough to fit with my iPad in a 10.2" net book sleeve. The stand adjusts to every angle you could want for both portrait and landscape use. It's great when resting it on a pillow while lying in bed or for placing on a lap desk. At night, I use this on my night stand to charge the iPad while it displays my night stand app and plays my audiobook. When reading, I put the iPad in this stand and sit and read in landscape mode. When I want to lie down and read, I lock the iPad in portrait mode, put it horizontally in this stand and lie down one my side to read the book 'sideways'. In the kitchen, it it my iPad cookbook stand. I am very happy I bought this. The iPad is stable and safe in the stand. It fits great, even with a clear protective case on the iPad. The only issue I have is that the charger will not fit with this in portrait mode. The stand is too low to the ground. However, this can be remedied by turning the iPad so the charger is on top. Very happy with my purchase. Would buy again!
Pros:
1. Folds down to a size akin to that of an eyeglasses case - an ideal size for carrying and travel.
2. Very light - perfect for carrying and travel.
3. Very sturdy when used (with iPad) on a clean, hard surface. The grips on the feet of this stand keep it stationary, and the stand does not move when I poke my iPad. I also own a leatherette iPad case/stand (it holds an iPad horizontally at adjustable angles), and it tends to move a lot when I use it as a stand on a hard surface and poke my iPad. The Arkon stand doesn't move at all.
4. Elegant design suitable for casual and professional use/occasions.
5. Practical design: The screws and nuts that hold the moving parts together are user-accessible (i.e., a user could tighten if necessary), and adjustments in angle are made via a kind of ratchet system (albeit plastic). I'd expected an adjustment system dependent on friction, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the Arkon stand uses what I'm describing as a ratchet-type system, because I would expect a system that depends on friction to loosen over time much faster than I think the ratchet-type system the Arkon stand actually uses will.
Cons:
1. As other reviewers have noted, when using the stand with an iPad, if you want to position the iPad vertically with the iPad's home button on the bottom, you will not be able to have the charger cord that comes with the iPad plugged in. This is hardly a deal-breaker, as you can always have the home button/charger port at the top if you must have the iPad charger cord plugged in (for use with the A/C adapter or with USB), and if you use the stand to hold an iPad horizontally, having the charger cord plugged in will be no problem. However, if you use the stand to hold an iPad vertically with the home button on top so you can use the charging port, you will not be able to use the audio out jack, because that will be on the bottom.
There are rubbery pads on the feet of the stand, and on the parts of the stand that touch the face of the iPad or whatever unit you use the stand to hold. I assume they are held in place with glue and may eventually come loose, but I expect that should that happen, it will easy to re-glue them.
The price of this unit has been fluctuating since I discovered it in Amazon's listings (visit camelcamelcamel and enter a product name or ASIN, etc., to see a chart of the item's price history at Amazon and by third-party sellers), but even at full list price it is a fair deal considering how overpriced so many (I'd say most) accessories for the iPad (and similar products) tend to be.
If you need an iPad stand - for use at home (dining table, nightstand, coffee table, etc.), at a cafe, on a desktop at work or in a school, etc. - you can pay more than you'll pay for the Arkon, but I doubt you'll find a better combination of form and function.
Highly recommended.'
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