What is the Best MacBook Stand?

Even though the MacBook has been discontinued for over a few months now, the MacBook tradition still continues in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in 2012 and as these notebooks become more and more popular over time, one area I have paid more attention to in recent times is to make sure I  have the most ergonomic and comfortable desktop or workspace I can, and one way to do this is to prop up your MacBook with a MacBook Stand.

There’s two schools of thought when it comes to buying a MacBook stand. One is to get the MacBook out of the way  and use the processor only. Using a mac notebook as a desktop replacement can be not  the most effective method to  use your desktop space and I find that the space behind your MacBook ends up being a no mans land for hard drives and other junk. But, if you buy a MacBook stand, you can prop up your MacBook and connect it to an external mouse and keyboard (USB, or bluetooth) and monitor and  have much more desktop space.

Closed MacBook Stand

The Twelve South MacBook Stand is just one example of this:

 

This is one of the better looking stands for your MacBook Pro and yet still offers full access to all the external ports you may need to access for monitor, USB, etc.

The downside of this design of stand for MacBook is that although it gets your MacBook Pro out of the way,  you lose the screen real estate of the MacBook Pro. Heck, you may as well buy a Mac Mini and save over a thousand  dollars if this is where your MacBook Pro will reside most of the time.

The advantage of this MacBook stand is obvious from the photo though, as it get your MacBook out of the way and frees up a whole lot of desktop for your monitor, or files an folders or even a coffee.

Another advantage using a MacBook Stand is that whatever style of stand you end up buying, these things prop up your MacBook and reduce the diet coke effect where you spill on your brand new MacBook Pro, which is a very expensive lesson to learn, but with a stand, your fancy Apple notebook is saved from splils.

Elevated MacBook Stand 

This is the cheaper MacBook Stand of the two designs, and the Griffin Elevated Macook Stand  comes in on sale at about half the price of the twelve south unit above.

The advantage of the elevated design of this stand is that you can still use your monitor if you so choose. You could still use this elevated stand and keep your MacBook closed too if you prefer.

But the whole point of this stand is  to get your MacBook screen at a more elevated angle to reduce neck strain. In most cases, notebook design is lacking  and  will leave the notebook  user looking down on the notebook screen, which over time can become uncomfortable.

The disadvantage of the Griffin stand, and  other elevators is that you are limited to the height of the stand, and whether it’s just personal preference or that you have a taller or shorter desk or seating arrangement, is that despite your best efforts your MacBook just may not be at the level  you desire. if the stand is too low, you can still prop up your MacBook stand with  a few books or something but if the elevated stand is too high, I found the only solution with this type of stand is to remove it all together.

The Best and Cheapest MacBook Stand 

These are becoming harder and harder to find as the digital age evolves, but I have found  that propping your Macbook up on a phonebook or two is one of the better way to elevate your MacBook to the best  level for your needs  and the best part is that phonebooks are free. If you use phonebooks from different cities, you can tweak your tower or books to get  a custom stand for your MacBook without the added expense of buying a custom MacBook Stand

 

 

 

 

Tagged best macbook stand, cheapest macbook stand, closed macbook stand, elevated macbook stand, open macbook stand