Different people use iPads differently. Some use it as a gaming device. Others use it primarily as a TV for watching YouTube, Netflix, and a whole assortment of streaming content. There are even those who use it as a second display at work. With the recent trackpad support debuted in the iPad Pro, the darn thing can even be used as a primary work computer when combined with accessories like the Brydge Pro+. If you prefer working on your iPad while it sits at eye level on your work desk, you can dock it in the Heckler iPad Desk Stand.
Instead of using your iPad like a laptop, this accessory lets you use it like a proper all-in-one desktop, navigating through the interface and putting words onscreen with a Bluetooth trackpad-and-keyboard combo. No need to tap, swipe, and perform onscreen gestures, this thing lets you answer emails, review reports, and even write code like it’s just a monitor hooked up to a regular computer. Well, as close to the experience as you can get from a tablet, anyway.
The Heckler iPad Desk Stand actually looks like a regular monitor stand – the kind that comes packaged with the displays, propping up the screen to a height that puts it at the user’s eye level. Except, instead of mounting a monitor that you will hook up to a PC, it has a dock sized to hold any modern iPad, so you can view the display comfortably while you’re plopped down in your office chair at work. While designed for work, we imagine folks wouldn’t mind having this at home, too, as it seems like a nice way to orient an iPad if you want to use it to watch movies in bedrooms, kitchens, and other areas of the house.
While designed to help make the iPad a viable work machine all on its own, the stand can be used to treat the iPad like a second monitor on your desk. Whether you want to browse documents on the tablet while you type on your laptop, organize your inbox on the tablet while debugging code on the PC, or just have a dedicated screen for all your video conferences, this thing lets you easily integrate the iPad into your workspace much like a second display. And yes, the stand supports both landscape and portrait orientation, so you can prop it up vertically to use exclusively for your Zoom meetings.
The Heckler iPad Desk Stand measures 10.9 inches tall, so it elevates the display a comfortable distance above the desk surface, with a wide, flat base that should keep it steady even when the desk gets moved. Sadly, the stand allows for no adjustments, so you won’t be able to change the height or tilt angle like you normally would with a regular monitor. It’s constructed from powder-coated steel, so it’s durable enough to withstand the wildest workplaces (heck, you can have shootouts in the office floor and the stand will survive), complete with a substantial weight of 3.2 pounds.
Want one? The Heckler iPad Desk Stand is available now, priced at $69.