Twelve South HoverBar Review
Earlier this year, Twelve South introduced the HoverBar, a new accessory which allows you to use your iPad as a secondary display, or even a simple cookbook for your kitchen!
For those you don’t know what Twelve South is, they are a company solely that design accessories for Apple products. Their design and engineering is very unique and is apple-esque, which makes them an awesome company.
Anyway, we’re here to talk about the HoverBar right?
The HoverBar is a very simple accessory that comes with just a clamp, arm, and the cradle to hold your iPad in. The clamp itself is actually pretty sturdy and weighted to support your iPad. The arm is very flexible and allows you to position the iPad in anyway you want…well most of the time. Lastly, the cradle is actually a flimsy plastic attachment. This is both good and a bad thing. I’m sure there were reasons behind why the build quality of this wasn’t the best. Putting the iPad in this thing was no problem and the flexibility of the plastic makes accessing your iPad much easier.
Although this might seem very easy to setup (which is sorta is), there are a few flaws that I must point out.
This isn’t exactly made to be positioned on the right side of whatever you’re trying to hook up to. Looking at the press images, you can tell that most of the pictures are positioned on the left side. I’m not exactly saying that it’s impossible, but it is a bit of a hill to overcome if you want to position the HoverBar on the right side. Some how, I was able to position it that way after about 6 or 7 tries.
The weight of the iPad is also a factor in making this sort of impossible. Depending on the angle that you position the arm in, the iPad actually causes the whole rig to fall down. Tightening the clamp lessens the chance of this happening, but it can still be an issue.
I’ve used this in numerous places from my iMac, to my desk, and even to the kitchen. Let’s just say that this is one hell of a versatile product. Just as long as there’s space to clamp the arm on, you’re good to go. I’ve seen some people put their HoverBar right above their bed to swing over their faces when they sleep.
Mainly though, it seems like the common use is within the kitchen or to clamp it onto the display of your Mac. It really does look very stylish and futuristic wherever you put it.
I just have to reiterate the fact that this thing is built to last. Although it might wear out after a few years of use, it seems durable enough to last while your iPad is working.
Now you guys may be wondering, how much does this thing cost? Well it may be a little steep at a price of $80, but trust me, if you have some good use to this, it’s worth the money.
I mainly use it to watch TV using my Time Warner Cable App or even to just casually watch YouTube videos. Using it to Facetime is also pretty useful in some cases. A pretty neat way to utilize this space is to download the app called Airdisplay. It allows you to use your iPad as a secondary display to your computer!
That’s just a couple of many different ways you can utilize this product to your advantages.
I’d say that this product deserves to be one of the best accessories you can buy for your iPad. It really does help clear your desktop and make use of your iPad in an elegant and efficient way.
Make sure to check out the video review above the post!
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About the author
Tim's the Editorial Director here at TheAppleFreak.com. He's also the guy in the videos and the guy that edits all the videos too. He's sort of always doing something, so it sucks to try to talk him. Tim can thank his middle school's Technology Academy and his Father's generosity for his formal introduction to Apple. As part of his education, Timothy was given his first MacBook by his father. His interest in all things "techie" began during this memorable year. Apple's elegant designs and engaging software continues to sustain Timothy's interest. Using the powerful technology at his disposal, Timothy has created a variety of text and video productions, all of which he hopes his audience enjoys greatly. Timothy is the founder of "TheAppleFreakk" a YouTube channel devoted to digital culture and innovation and the basis of this website. Timothy continues to pursue his passions from his home in Los Angeles, California.