First, a most obvious question: What inspired HiRise for MacBook?
“The first product I ever did in the Mac space was back in 2002 at Griffin, called the iCurve. It was one of the first stands specifically designed to let you use a MacBook on your desk full-time, and it helped to create the MacBook stand space, as we know it now. Fast forward to 2012, and we had a new company called Twelve South making great accessories for Apple… and it seemed time to revisit and explore what would make the best MacBook stand in the world today. “
So what happened during the design process?
“One big thing. We realized that virtually ALL the current MacBook stands still had the same fixed dimensions that the original iCurve did – from 2002! The iCurve was designed to hold the titanium MacBook – the hottest laptop you could get back then – perfectly horizontal with the Cinema Displays that Apple had introduced in 1999. But all the stands that have come out since have been copying iCurve’s height, which never took into account that there would be other sizes of MacBooks. So that specific fixed height doesn’t really work as well anymore with the range of MacBooks we have now, from Air to 15” with Retina. So the idea of Twelve South offering only one stand, in a fixed height, for all those MacBooks… was really silly.”
What inspired the mechanics behind the adjustable cylinder?
“We were inspired by one essential piece of everyone’s workspace: The adjustable office chair. By considering the ease of adjustable office chairs, we were able to come up with the telescoping “nesting” cylinder that this product needed to be height-adjustable for your MacBook.”
In which scenarios do you think the adjustable aspect is particularly important?
“Of course we wanted a stand that could get as high as possible for the different size MacBooks to be used with a wireless keyboard and mouse, but there’s also the matter of making the best possible user experience when you’re using a MacBook with an external monitor. When you’re using a dual screen setup, you don’t want to feel like you’re using two separate screens, you want one “ginormous” screen, and the very best way to do that is when the bottom horizon of your MacBook screen is equal to the bottom of your external monitor. Stick them side by side, and treat your two screens as one screen. It’s absolutely the best scenario for using MacBook with an external monitor.
Learn more about HiRise for MacBook at twelvesouth.com/product/hirise-for-macbook
