Five dirt

Apple wants how much for the portrait-orientation-only iPad Dock? $29? Sorry, but I’m tapped out after spending $500 on the iPad itself. What do you have in the $5-$10 range?

Nothing, of course. (Does Apple sell anything in the $5-$10 range?) Fortunately, if all you want to do is prop up your iPad for movie viewing, recipe reading, photo slideshow-ing, or whatever, you can buy or build a perfectly good stand for cheap. These five candidates cost anywhere from nothing to around $7. Take a look:

1. Think the kids will miss a handful of Tinkertoys? If not, do like Ramin Firoozye and whip together a simple, sturdy stand using just a dozen or so parts. Total cost: $0.

Raid the kids’ Tinkertoys bin for some iPad-stand parts.
Ramin Firoozye

2. In that same vein, Lego whiz Jeff Eaton built a slick-looking iPad stand he calls the MkII. The angled uprights look a bit tricky to me, but I’m sure anyone in possession of a box of bricks can whip up something similar.

Anyone adept with LEGO can craft a sturdy iPad stand without spending a penny.
Jeff Eaton

3. A simple book stand (sometimes known as a study stand) can pull double duty as an iPad holder. Buy.com has the Fellowes Study Stand for just $4.99 shipped. It’s made of steel and has rubber tips to avoid scratching your tabletop–or iPad.

4. Know what else works well as a poor man’s iPad stand? An easel, like the kind that display framed photos. Bed Bath & Beyond has a clear, folding easel for $5.99 (plus sales tax in most states, and plus shipping if you don’t have a store near you).

5. One of the first third-party stands made especially for the iPad, the all-wood Groovy Stand is, well, groovy! It’s available in three colors–brown, black, and natural–and sells for $6.95 (plus around $3 for shipping). You can see it “in action” below:

Admittedly, these options don’t dock or recharge your iPad, but most of them leave room for you to easily plug in your charge/sync cable.

Have you found a good, inexpensive iPad stand or used your MacGyver skills to engineer one? If so, tell me all about it in the comments–and be sure to include links to your photos!

Check Also

8 New Google Products We Expect to See This Year

Google’s device line could end up having a particularly important moment in 2023. The company usually announces new Pixel products throughout the year. Google is expected to release its first foldable phone this year, however, which would directly compete with Samsung’s proven line of Galaxy Z Fold devices. Google also introduced its own ChatGPT rival, …

Leave a Reply