X

Five dirt-cheap iPad stands

Whoopsie, Apple, you forgot to build in a kickstand. Fortunately, there are many cheap (and even free) ways to prop up an iPad.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read

Apple wants how much for the portrait-orientation-only iPad Dock? $29? Sorry, but I'm tapped out after spending $500 on the iPad itself. What do you have in the $5-$10 range?

Nothing, of course. (Does Apple sell anything in the $5-$10 range?) Fortunately, if all you want to do is prop up your iPad for movie viewing, recipe reading, photo slideshow-ing, or whatever, you can buy or build a perfectly good stand for cheap. These five candidates cost anywhere from nothing to around $7. Take a look:

1. Think the kids will miss a handful of Tinkertoys? If not, do like Ramin Firoozye and whip together a simple, sturdy stand using just a dozen or so parts. Total cost: $0.

Raid the kids' Tinkertoys bin for some iPad-stand parts. Ramin Firoozye

2. In that same vein, Lego whiz Jeff Eaton built a slick-looking iPad stand he calls the MkII. The angled uprights look a bit tricky to me, but I'm sure anyone in possession of a box of bricks can whip up something similar.

Anyone adept with LEGO can craft a sturdy iPad stand without spending a penny. Jeff Eaton

3. A simple book stand (sometimes known as a study stand) can pull double duty as an iPad holder. Buy.com has the Fellowes Study Stand for just $4.99 shipped. It's made of steel and has rubber tips to avoid scratching your tabletop--or iPad.

4. Know what else works well as a poor man's iPad stand? An easel, like the kind that display framed photos. Bed Bath & Beyond has a clear, folding easel for $5.99 (plus sales tax in most states, and plus shipping if you don't have a store near you).

5. One of the first third-party stands made especially for the iPad, the all-wood Groovy Stand is, well, groovy! It's available in three colors--brown, black, and natural--and sells for $6.95 (plus around $3 for shipping). You can see it "in action" below:


Admittedly, these options don't dock or recharge your iPad, but most of them leave room for you to easily plug in your charge/sync cable.

Have you found a good, inexpensive iPad stand or used your MacGyver skills to engineer one? If so, tell me all about it in the comments--and be sure to include links to your photos!