Twelve South BookArc is a vertical laptop stand designed to prop up a MacBook Pro. After having purchased a new
15-inch Haswell MacBook Pro with Retina display last week (
my review is here), I decided to get a vertical stand to save some desktop space.
Vertical Stands for MacBook Pro
When it comes to
Retina MacBook Pro vertical stands, there are only handful choices available:
Rain Design mTower,
Cooler Master Clutch,
Just Mobile AluBase, and
Twelve South BookArc. All of them cost about $50, which is quite insane given what they are: a chunk of aluminum with silicone insert! But I do love my new computer, so I decide not to go cheap now... but I digress.
Since I
decided to get a hard-cover case for
my new MacBook Pro, I had to ensure that the stand would be able to accommodate the notebook with the cover on. As it turned out, only
Just Mobile AluBase and
Twelve South BookArc would provide different inserts to accommodate a Retina MacBook Pro or the thicker non-MacBook Pro. I decided to go with BookArc; its design seemed more elegant - I'm spending almost $50 on a stand, so it might as well look good!
Box Content
 |
| For $50, you also get a very nice box |
Inside the box, you will find the aluminum base, two silicone inserts, some stickers and instruction. The aluminum frame feels very high quality, essentially having the same "finish" as Apple, and it looks like it's made for the MacBook.
The Stand
Out of box, the BookArc frame has the non-Retina MacBook Pro silicone mold installed. When I switched it with the narrower
Retina MacBook Pro insert, it looks like this with my naked (i.e. no case/cover)
Retina MacBook Pro:
It has very snug fit, and it felt secure and steady.
But does it work with a case?
Along with many accessories I got for my new
Retina MacBook Pro, I wanted to provide some anti-scratch protection; so I got a
iPearl mCover case, which fits very well. With the cover on, I couldn't use the narrower silicone insert; it was just way too tight and I would be really forcing it. However, with the wider silicone insert, the
Twelve South BookArc stand is able to accommodate my protected
Retina MacBook Pro.
Now, there is a bit of gap but it is still tight enough to hold the notebook in place. Yes it does lean on one side, however it won't tip over - far from it.
 |
| Leaning ever so slightly |
Conclusion
If you are looking for a vertical notebook stand for your new
15-inch Haswell MacBook Pro with Retina Display,
Twelve South BookArc is a good solution. It looks great and you also have the option of using it while having a hard cover on. The only down side really is the price - $50 is pretty steep for what it is. But if you decide to keep it, you will appreciate it whenever you use it. :)
Disclosure: While I am not paid by anyone to write this review, I may be compensated if you purchase products through links on my blog.
Finally, a proper review of this product from someone with a Retina MBP in a case. Thanks!
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