We’ve reviewed our share of iPad stands here on The Gadgeteer. Today I want to show you another iPad stand, but this one isn’t for your desktop, it’s an iPad floor stand called the iProp. The iProp is an adjustable stand that will allow you to use your iPad hands-free for watching movies, reading, or even as a musical stand.
Note: The images in this review can be clicked for a larger size.
The iProp is comprised of 3 main parts. The heavy duty V shaped metal base, which weighs 3 lbs, the flexible gooseneck and the iPad holder. It ships unassembled, but don’t worry, assembly only requires 1 bolt. They even include the tool to tighten it.
The iPad holder is made of black plastic. It holds the iPad by the bottom two corners and top edge.
If you flip the holder over, you’ll see the ball and socket connector that is used to attach the holder to the stand. This connector allows you to rotate the iPad 360° as well as tilting it to almost any angle.
You can use the iProp with the original iPad and the iPad 2. To use it with the iPad 2, you’ll need to attach a stick on foam spacer to the back of the holder and small spacers to the corner holders.
The only assembly required for this stand is to attach the flexible gooseneck to the base with the included bolt and washer. There’s an Allen wrench included to tighten it. The hole in the base is countersunk, and the instructions say to tighten the bolt flush with the base. As you can see from the image above, I wasn’t quite able to do that… Either I’m not strong enough (very possible right now…) or this is just as far as it will go. This isn’t a big deal if you intend to only use the iProp on a carpeted floor. But if you are going to use it on a hard wood floor, I’d be worried that this could cause scratches. I was surprised that there were no stick on feet included with the base.
Once you have attached the gooseneck to the base, you are ready to put the iPad in the holder and attach it. This is done by loosening the socket connector, sliding the ball into the socket and tightening it back down again. You can turn the iPad either in landscape or portrait orientation and adjust the angle of the screen. Once you’re done, tighten the socket connector to keep it in place. At this point, you can adjust the gooseneck, too, if desired. If you leave the gooseneck straight up and down, the stand is 36″ high.
I’ve found the iProp to be a great music stand. I can use the iPad with the TabToolKit app to let me easily view sheet music while I practice songs on my ukulele. It sure beats printing the music and putting it on my lap.
This stand is very sturdy and at 9 pounds, it is heavy enough that there is no worry that it will topple over. I can think of quite a few uses for it in addition to my own musical stand use. For example, it would be useful for watching movies and videos in bed or on the couch hands-free.
Other than the bolt on the bottom of the base, the only complaint that I have about the iProp is the price. You can buy a heavy duty stand for much less. Of course those stands don’t include an iPad holder like this one. Even so, I do think the iProp is overly pricey. On the plus side, they do ship free to anywhere in the US.
Update: 7/8/11
The folks at iProp contacted me with this note:
Julie,
Product Information
| Price: | $99.95 |
| Manufacturer: | iProp |
| Requirements: |
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Julie what are all those strange looking things on the far wall? Are they…umm…what did they call them before the Kindle? 🙂
@Ken Let’s just say that my partner has a book ‘problem’… 😉 She has a Kindle too… but she loves regular books. Most of them are not books you’d probably find for Kindle anyway. Gardening, crafts, medical, cooking, etc.
The cheap way is to use some light shock cord (available at REI) to secure your iPad to a music stand.
Ken – i was thinking more “that’s either a REALLY big couch or a REALLY small guitar”
i’ve seen a really good ipad stand http://www.tablethire.co.uk/istand.htm
Now all you need is a hands free page turner for reading your ukulele music on your iPad! AirTurn makes the BT-105, a Bluetooth page turning pedal that’s compatible with a growing number of apps, including one from Musicnotes.com, one of the largest online digital sheet music and guitar tablature stores. Check out http://airturn.com for more details.
@Hugh I posted a short news item about the Airturn last summer. I forgot about it till now. I’ll check into again!
@Julie That would be lovely! Last summer we introduced a beta prototype of the Bluetooth AirTurn page turner for the iPad. We are now on version 1.22 of the BT-105 Bluetooth page turner firmware, which adds support for toggling on the iPad’s virtual keyboard for text entry while turning pages simultaneously. We also recently launched our ATFS-2 silent foot switch for the BT-105, designed to be the quietest of its kind – perfect for demanding musicians and recording artists!
Seems great for playing guitar, but you could of use any iPad stand and just put it on a table in front of you. I know the groovystand would of been good for that. If you want to check it out here’s the link:
http://www.groovystand.com/
@Bob Lavoie You can read our review of the Groovy Stand here.
Update: 7/8/11
The folks at iProp contacted me with this note:
Julie,
Thank you for taking the time to do such a thorough and well documented review. We have addressed the issue with the bolt head that you talked about. I hope you continue to enjoy your iProp.
Interesting looking stand…
This one called Electrostand seems interesting too…
http://electrostand.com
Seems to me that many of the commentors are clueless regarding the need for a FLOOR stand as opposed to a desk or table top stand. Either that or they are inconsiderate spammers.
I am a handicapped iPad user, with early onset arthritis which affects, among other things, my elbows & shoulders. While the iPad has made my life a lot easier, extended use causes pain. A iPad stand such as this would be wonderful next to my recliner, my bed, or my easel. Thank you for this review!
Have you considered an iPad stand which is a long gooseneck which clamps onto furniture like a table or armrest.
The problem with these freestanding ones is that they can’t lean towards you, they are fixed upright. Given that iPads are usually just 9.7″ they’re pretty small and you normally have to have it close to your face to do anything. I’m not sure an uprigght stand works like this.
Reminds me of the commercial iPad stands used in exhibitions. A flex head would have been hand, such as these. https://www.ubookrental.com/ipad-stand-hire/