My review of Twelve South BookArc - Vertical stand for 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

Twelve South BookArc

Twelve South BookArc is a vertical laptop stand designed to prop up a MacBook Pro.  After having purchased a new 15-inch Haswell MacBook Pro with Retina display last week (my review is here), I decided to get a vertical stand to save some desktop space.

Vertical Stands for MacBook Pro

When it comes to Retina MacBook Pro vertical stands, there are only handful choices available:  Rain Design mTower, Cooler Master Clutch, Just Mobile AluBase, and Twelve South BookArc.  All of them cost about $50, which is quite insane given what they are: a chunk of aluminum with silicone insert!  But I do love my new computer, so I decide not to go cheap now... but I digress.

Since I decided to get a hard-cover case for my new MacBook Pro, I had to ensure that the stand would be able to accommodate the notebook with the cover on.  As it turned out, only Just Mobile AluBase and Twelve South BookArc would provide different inserts to accommodate a Retina MacBook Pro or the thicker non-MacBook Pro.  I decided to go with BookArc; its design seemed more elegant - I'm spending almost $50 on a stand, so it might as well look good!

Box Content

For $50, you also get a very nice box

Inside the box, you will find the aluminum base, two silicone inserts, some stickers and instruction.  The aluminum frame feels very high quality, essentially having the same "finish" as Apple, and it looks like it's made for the MacBook.

The Stand

Out of box, the BookArc frame has the non-Retina MacBook Pro silicone mold installed.  When I switched it with the narrower Retina MacBook Pro insert, it looks like this with my naked (i.e. no case/cover) Retina MacBook Pro:

Twelve South BookArc with a naked 15-inch Haswell MacBook Pro with Retina Display

It has very snug fit, and it felt secure and steady.

But does it work with a case?

Along with many accessories I got for my new Retina MacBook Pro, I wanted to provide some anti-scratch protection; so I got a iPearl mCover case, which fits very well.  With the cover on, I couldn't use the narrower silicone insert; it was just way too tight and I would be really forcing it.  However, with the wider silicone insert, the Twelve South BookArc stand is able to accommodate my protected Retina MacBook Pro.

Twelve South BookArc with a 15-inch Haswell MacBook Pro with Retina Display in iPearl mCover case

Now, there is a bit of gap but it is still tight enough to hold the notebook in place.  Yes it does lean on one side, however it won't tip over - far from it.

Leaning ever so slightly

Conclusion

If you are looking for a vertical notebook stand for your new 15-inch Haswell MacBook Pro with Retina Display, Twelve South BookArc is a good solution.  It looks great and you also have the option of using it while having a hard cover on.  The only down side really is the price - $50 is pretty steep for what it is.  But if you decide to keep it, you will appreciate it whenever you use it.  :)

Disclosure: While I am not paid by anyone to write this review, I may be compensated if you purchase products through links on my blog.

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Casio PX-850BK Privia Digital Piano Review

Our six year old boy started his piano lessons a year ago, and he's been (surprisingly) quite happy doing all his practices so far. We got him a pretty nice used keyboard ($40 on craigslist!) but it just doesn't sound or feel like piano. Lately his teacher has been mentioning how he has very weak touch during his lessons, probably because keyboard touch is much lighter than a real piano, and she's been recommending that we either rent or buy a piano.

We initially looked at two options: 1) buying a new, low-end piano (all made in China, ~$3000), or 2) buying a used, higher-end piano ($5k+, at least). We didn't particularly like the idea of buying a cheap piano, and we also learned that there are risks associated with buying a used piano. What we also learned is that moving a piano can be very expensive (minimum $1000+).

While browsing the web for an advice, we ran into someone suggesting a digital piano. Apparently advancements in DSP (digital signal processing) in the last decade have really improved the quality of simulated piano sound. So after some extensive research, we arrived at Casio PX-850 or Yamaha YDP-161.

Now, many folks out there felt that Yamaha digital pianos have a closer piano feel & sound, perhaps because Yamaha also makes real pianos. However, the reviews on PX-850 have been very high regarding its sound and feel (e.g it has 256 polyphony vs Yamaha's 128). To settle that debate, I took my son to a local piano store to try out the Yamaha, as well as the PX-830 (they didn't have PX-850); he preferred the Casio and I agree.

So, we ordered PX-850 and it got here in two (!!) days. It took about an hour to unpack and assemble; I was being extra careful and thorough, and I could probably put another one together in less than 20 min now. We were surprised how compact it is. It takes up less depth than our old keyboard.

Our son really loves his new piano and he now practices more than ever. The keys feel very much like real piano, as well as its touch and response. And finally, the best part... It sounds wonderful, just like a piano!

It's also great that you get THREE (3) year warranty (standard 1 year and you need to register with Casio), which is better than all other brands out there in its price range. You get the 1 year standard warranty out of box, and 2 more years on top of that when you register at Casio's website (http://www.onlineregister.com/casio/registration/)

BTW, this really is a brand-new model, announced only few month ago and just started shipping. Ours has mfg date of September 2012!

Overall we are very happy with the purchase. For all you parents out there, I highly recommend that you consider a nice digital piano like this one, over buying a cheap (but still $$) real piano. Let me know if you have any questions.

Roy

Disclosure: While I am not paid by anyone to write this review, I may be compensated if you purchase products through links on my blog.