Sometimes you just need to revamp your workspace because what you have is not working anymore. For me it is time to look at freeing up more space by changing my laptop stands. The first one I get to play with is the TwelveSouth ParcSlope.

12S ParcSlope overhead

First Impressions

It is lightweight, it is simple, and fixed. The ParcSlope is a one piece aluminium device stand with a couple of cut outs and some rubber bits, or “special ridges” as marketing calls it to stop things slipping around.

The marketing also says it is designed or MacBook an iPad users, but it’s fine, I have misappropriated it for non-fruit devices.

12S ParcSlope

In Use

The ParcSlope doesn’t need any instructions. Essentially you can plonk your laptop or tablet on it, and you get the 18 degrees slope handed to you with no dramas. There is plenty of space under the stand for increased airflow, which will help keep your machine cooler and quieter.

For a few years I had repurposed an old Dell laptop stand to use. That thing is like a tank and near indestructible. The problem was it was chunky, taking up a lot of desk space and also not particularly great for air flow.

Changing to the ParcSlope immediately made a huge difference on my desk. The much smaller footprint helped free up some space.

There is a small cable management cut out on the back plane of the ParcSlope which helps keep cables tidy.

I intend to use it as a semi permanent part of my desk so I feed the cables into my dock using the cutout. It helps to keep the dock in the position I want it to be – out of sight but doing it’s job.

Overall with the right sized device, the ParcSlope is brilliantly simple. It is not limited to MacBooks, as long as your device is large enough to span the gap between the raised part and the lip at the front. I have a Lenovo X1 and it works just fine. What happens if you put a smaller device on it? Well it bounces around a lot because there is no triangulation of the structure.

12S ParcSlope Back

Gripes

There is only one issue, the cable management cut out needs to be a bit a little bigger and definitely wider. I struggled to put all the cables I needed to through it. I ended up having to keep one of my DisplayPort cables going around the cut out instead.

If you regularly need to feed cables through the cable management cut out, this issue alone makes it a little harder to have it as a portable stand.

 

Conclusions

The Twelvesouth ParcSlope is a minimalist stand for both laptops and tablets. Weighing in at a mere 320g, it is incredibly convenient to put anywhere when you need it. It angles your device by 18 degrees and it feels much more ergonomically better to work with. At a RRP of AUD$59.99, it won’t break the piggybank. It is about how much a single session at the chiropractor will cost before rebates.

DRN would like to thank Twelvesouth for providing the review unit.

Specifications

Height: 70mm / 2.75in
Width: 230mm / 9in
Length: 255mm / 10in
Weight: 11 oz / 320 g

 


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