Macessity's LowKey Stand for Apple neat-freaks
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Jan 31st 2008 6:15AM
posted Jan 31st 2008 6:15AM
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well im not a mac fan, but im in favor of everything with usb hubs in them ((pretty much, somethings ive seen on this site violate that rule))
Looks good. And I'm not going to complain about the USB hub either
That's HOT. Having high-powered USB in the front of a mac is one thing I applaud; not so much for cabled items but for flash drives. my Late 2006 IMac can't handle anything larger than a 128MB flash drive in the keyboard USB (The school board did not pop for a wireless keyboard) before it screams at me . . . I regularly use 2 flash drives and this would be perfect. Reaching around and selecting the right port in back of my iMac is not fun.
@Ryan Trevisol: Sounds like your Mac is working hard for you. Seems to me that giving it the occasional reach-around is just good manners ;)
This look's cool, i wouldn't mind my mac sitting on top of that :)
I would hide my hard drives and stuff under it, and those usb's would be helpful for pen drives :) Hmmm... but i bet they only ship to america :(
Fail.
It's a bit silly having all your USB cables sticking out of the front and then getting tangled with your keyboard when you're pulling it out.
maybe not so much as fail cuz it could be convenient but it looks fugly
I agree. Since the keyboard and mouse are wireless, the ports would be used to hook up your external HDD, cellphone, USB cup warmer and other stuff which will create a mess of cable right in front of your screen. So this product fail at what it's meant to do, which is to keep it neat. The ports should unquestionably been on the left side of the stand close to the back.
turn it 180 degrees, and you'll have 4 ports in the back...?
Not sure if that would work Tim, there's likely a lip on the back to keep it structurally sounds with a big iMac resting on it - i.e. you couldn't slide in the keyboard which is the main point of the stand.
Nice, but where to put the mouse?
The designer misssed, that every iMac desktop does not only have a keyboard but also a mouse. Mac OS X is almost impossible to use without a mouse.
my first thought too. i still like it though. they need one for the mac mini with a hub built in too.
To the left of the display stand, on that empty space? Maybe they should put the hub on the left, so that's more viable for righties.
And engadget, you probably mean Apple Cinema Display, as the Apple Studio Displays Haven't been made for a while.
They do sell one for the Mini, I'm using it right now to prop a Dell 20 inch widescreen up, since the Dell stand doesn't elevate the monitor much. The mini hides under it perfectly, and they have the same 4 port hub up front. No room though to hide a keyboard though.
I have one for the Mac mini too. Here is a review.
http://www.123macmini.com/accessories/reviews/124.html
thanks guys, misterbleepy a couple comments down replied, just in a new comment.
"Constructed of 0.1085-inch thick steel "power-coated" to match your rig..."
That should probably be "powder-coated"...
well who knows?
we're talking about an apple product here! ;)
umm… I don't think Apple makes this.
Not sure, but I think Engadget quoted directly from their website for comedic effect, à la the (sic) notation you find in print resources.....
The word is actually anodized.
depending where the power cable for the usbs is, you COULD turn it around so they were in the back. i'm assuming the cable comes straight out though, but who knows.
I don't think the mess of cables will be a problem, as I'm sure those ports at the front are mainly meant for removable devices, flash drives and the like. I'm sure people with common sense will still plug in permanently connected devices at the back.
I wonder if my macbook would fit on that. That looks like exactly what I want.
Couldn't you just turn the thing around if you want the ports in the back? Prob enough room to stack a HD or two in the space...
You can also buy matching powder-coated shoe racks (with built-in DVD drive) and toilet roll holders (with built-in ExpressCard)...
usb hub? i want an usb SWITCH!
USB does not work this way :)
iknow....
Seems kind of useless, I already put my keyboard and mouse on the stand under the computer. This does the same thing, but makes it look stupid. The USB hub isn't bad though.
@EMoShunz - they do do a Mac Mini one:
http://www.macessity.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=29785
DAMB YOU!
you just cost me $90, because I have to buy 2, 1 for each mini :)
I guess you mean Apple Cinema Display.
you can probably remove "neat" from the title
It looks like it would be difficult to remove the keyboard from underneath the stands without trying to grip it awkwardly with a few outstretched fingers.
May be simple, but thats actually pretty cool. I don't particularly like Macs, but you can't really beat an iMac for neatness.
Kinda dumb they show a wire mouse with it.... doesn't seem like it would tuck in very well.... now a wireless I could see, can even put it on the shelfy thing for storage.
Not to get into a yes it sucks/no it doesn't thing, but this would
probably be perfect for the MBA.
Looks like its wide enough, but you might have to turn it around so the raised part is not on the port side.
that is sexy...
it would be even sexier if there were a 4 port USB hub on the back also (so the front is for flash drives and temporary plug-ins, and the back for hard drives and permanent fixtures.
...but, hm... where does the mouse/mousecable go? (or is this primarily for wireless a keyboard and mouse?)
How about USB ports front and side?
But anyway, wow -- a decent simple product at a decent price. Not for everyone, but at least it's not $130 or something.
Daaaamn... I DO want this. Although it looks like the site is down at the moment...
Anyhow, I have a Macbook Pro that I slap a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc onto. I use a Samsung monitor though, so the question is whether or not my monitor will fit nicely in the middle of this since its stand is a large circle rather then the iMacs fin-like thing.
powDer-coated, it's not coated with power you know, but with powDer
Kinda sexy--but the USB bank should be on the side--if I'm going all neat and fussy, I'm going all the way!
It would still look pretty sweet until you plugged anything into it.