TUAW review and giveaway: Twelve South Compass iPad stand

July 22nd, 2010 at 3:00 pm |

The folks from Charleston, SC have done it again.

Twelve South, the clever design house that only makes Apple accessories, has come out with the latest in a string of popular and stylish goodies. We’ve given away a number of their products, including the BookArc for MacBook, BassJump woofer speaker for MacBook, and the BackPack shelves for iMacs and Cinema Displays.

Yesterday we heard of a new iPad stand from Twelve South, and our initial reaction was a yawn — everybody and their brother has come out with an iPad stand, and most of them are clunky, ugly, or weigh as much as the iPad. Upon further reading of the press release, we decided differently, and immediately worked with Twelve South to review and give away two of these amazing stands. They shipped a couple of the stands overnight, and we received them this morning.

The Compass (US$39.99) gets its name from the drafting tool, not from the device you use to determine where magnetic north is. Folded into its travel case (included), the Compass takes up a space just 7 inches (17.8 cm) long and 1 inch (2.54 cm) wide. The Compass can be deployed in two modes. In the first, it looks like a tripod with the two compass-like legs holding the iPad and a third, thicker leg keeping the assembly upright. In this way, you can view the iPad in either portrait or landscape orientation. The second mode holds the iPad up in a slightly tilted configuration that is perfect for typing.

Gallery: Twelve South Compass iPad Stand