Desktop stand

My MacBook has become my primary desktop machine.

I'd like a stand that would elevate it in order to improve airflow.

Is anyone using a stand or docking station they'd reccomend?

Thanks!

For stands, the Rain Design mStand is my personal favorite, but the Griffin Elevator is very popular as well. The Rain Design costs about $10 more on average than the Griffin.

As far as docking stations, the Bookendz is the only one I know of, and I don't have any personal experience with it.

i have looked at the bookendz docking station that one thing that worries me about it is the weight. i do use the griffen elevator and depending on the weight of the bookendz it seems like a poor design to have it hanging of a mac while it is on a stand.

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't try to use the bookendz in conjunction with a stand... I guess that's one of the reasons I've never really considered it, as it is pretty easy to just connect up my keyboard, monitor, and FW drive really quickly at the desk, and I like to have my laptop elevated to bring it up with my monitor.

Griffin Elevator here. It's great, but don't scratch up the clear plastic. It looks gross if you do. I keep my MB on the stand 24/7 unless it is out mobile with me. I orignally purchased it for DJ'ing to keep some gear under the laptop during shows, but now when I have it at my desk, the MB is at the same height as my large dell monitor, which makes working with both at the same time a pleasure. It also helps greatly with airflow.

I like the Vantec LapCool 2 and 3; they're more effective than a stand alone (though they do angle the notebook slightly) and they're not obtrusively noisy at all.

I love my PodiumPad by roadtools. It packs small (take it with you on the road), the degree of tilt is adjustable, and has a sweet pivot feature. My MacBook spends 99% of its life on the pad, and it's rock-solid. The friction pads are non-marking and have never slipped a bit.

Edit: ALSO, it turns out, it's the cheapest alternative at $30. Compare the mStand at $50 (WT?) and the Elevator at $32

i know not what you asked but if you are going to be using your macbook as a desktop computer then i say spend sum cash get your self a nice tv or monitor i got a cheap hd tv for mine when it got desktoped and the over to the apple store for a keyboard and mouse i know its not cheap but so worth it

and what can be better than have a nice 32" mac to do all your work and stuff on

MacBookie said:

My MacBook has become my primary desktop machine.

I'd like a stand that would elevate it in order to improve airflow.

Is anyone using a stand or docking station they'd reccomend?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I have the Rain Design mStand. It's not cheap, but it works great and was well worth the money, IMO.

does the mStand truly help with ergonomics like it says?... sraightening your back/arms etc. becuse of the angle and raised position?

lighthouse said:

does the mStand truly help with ergonomics like it says?... sraightening your back/arms etc. becuse of the angle and raised position?

Click to expand...

In my case, yes - it works great.

I use the one of the Lapvantage White Domes. It looks good with my white MacBook (originally looked good with my white iBook). I can't find where they're sold online anymore so they may not make them. Here's what they look like:

I like the Rain Design mStand but it seems too much for "just a stand".

Qua Sar said:

I like the Rain Design mStand but it seems too much for "just a stand".

Click to expand...

Yep, I felt the same way until I set it up and started using it. It's perfectly angled with a hole for cable management, plenty of area for heat dissipation and well-padded to prevent scratches. On the MacBook Pro, there's even a notch cut out so you can still use the latch release. It's very sturdy too.

Here's a cellphone pic of mine:

I'm looking for a lap desk with a place to use a wireless mouse. It seems there are lots of decent lap desks that help with heat, but I've yet to see one where I can use a mouse extension. Well, I did see one (forgot the name), but it looked extremely uncomfortable. I'm not in the best of health, so I use my MB a lot in bed and in a recliner. Any suggestions would be appreciated.