Twelve South ParcSlope stand for MacBook provides style and comfort
One of our favorite accessory design shops here at TUAW is Twelve South, and they're our heroes for a couple of reasons. First, they design and manufacture useful and stylish accessories for Apple products only. The second reason? Everything they make is top quality. The latest product to emerge from Charleston, SC is the ParcSlope desktop stand for MacBook (US$49.99). Check out our review, then enter for an opportunity to win a ParcSlope from TUAW and Twelve South.
Specifications
Dimensions: 2.8" high x 8.3" wide x 9.6" deep (7.1 x 21.1 x 24.3 cm)
Weight: 2 pounds (.91 kg)
Angle: 18 degrees
Design
ParcSlope was designed as a hybrid laptop stand instead of the traditional stand that lifts the MacBook off of your desk, requiring you to acquire and use a totally separate keyboard and pointing device. Instead, ParcSlope lifts the back of your MacBook up off of the table, bringing the screen up a bit higher for more comfortable viewing and typing.
Made of solid aluminum, ParcSlope works with any MacBook. It doesn't matter if you have a current 11-inch MacBook Air or one of the discontinued 17-inch MacBook Pro monsters, it's going to work for you.
As with all other Twelve South accessories, ParcSlope is designed specifically with Apple products in mind. There are some ridges on the top of the unit that allow for screen clearance when the screen is opened on an 11, 13, or 15-inch MacBook (the 17-incher will be off the top of the ParcSlope, so it doesn't need a ridge).
There's a silicone lip holding the MacBook in place, and rubber feet on the bottom to keep your desk or table from being scratched.
In case you're wondering about the "ParcSlope" name, well - Park Slope is a trendy neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, and the "Parc" pays respect to Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), where Steve Jobs and other Apple employees had their first look at a graphical user interface for a computer.
Function
My test of the ParcSlope was done with a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. Setup of the stand is drop-dead simple; you just put it on the table. You're done. Plop the MacBook Pro on top, open the screen, and get to work.
There's some cable management built into ParcSlope as well - there's a hole in the back of the aluminum through which you can weave your power cable, USB cables, Thunderbolt cables (this is perfect with a second display, by the way), you name it. The cables are held in place by the stand when disconnected from the MacBook.
Since I usually type on a gently angled Apple Wireless Keyboard that's placed flat onto a desktop, I wasn't sure how I was going to like the steeper angle provided by the ParcSlope. As it was, the higher placement of both the MacBook's screen and having my arms and hands a bit higher up actually felt better than typing on a flat MacBook keyboard. Your mileage may vary; you can get a feel for how the ParcSlope holds the MacBook by grabbing something just under 3 inches in height and sticking it under the back edge of the computer.
Conclusion
As usual, Twelve South has knocked another one out of the park (or should I say "parc"?) with the ParcSlope. It's solid and should last you through the next ten generations of MacBook, and it makes any MacBook a more comfortable and usable member of the Mac family.
Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
Giveaway
C'mon, you know you want a ParcSlope of your very own. All you have to do to have a chance at winning one is to fill out the form below. Here are the rules for the giveaway:
Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
The entry must be made before January 30, 2015 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
You may enter only once.
One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive a Twelve South ParcSlope valued at $49.95.
