Bakbone Wants To Make Holding An iPad Less Awkward

For all the talk of how the iPad and other tablets of its ilk have revolutionized computing, it seems like nobody has quite figured out how to hold the damn thing, particularly when standing up. Paul Webber, a physician by trade, thinks he has a solution.

Meet the Bakbone: It’s a ring-shaped handle that attaches to the back of your iPad and allows you to grip your tablet in a more natural, ergonomic way. The Bakbone uses a pair of magnets to attach itself to the back of your iPad: One comes with an adhesive backing that you stick to your iPad directly; the other lives inside the Bakbone’s ring-shaped handle. This design lets you pop off the handle readily, while keeping the Bakbone firmly attached to your iPad when in use.

Paul Webber demonstrates the Bakbone.
Dr. Paul Webber demonstrates the Bakbone.

And sure enough, if our brief hands-on time with the Bakbone is any indication, the ring is fairly easy to remove when you actively try to remove it, but it stays in place while you use your iPad—even when you dangle it with the screen facing down.

The handle itself is made from a soft injection-molded plastic, and it’s designed so you can comfortably slip your finger through the ring—or, if you prefer, you can place the handle between two fingers and hold it that way instead.

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Dr. Webber actually designed the Bakbone for use in medical settings where you’ll want something to hold the iPad comfortably while limiting the surface area that germs can grow on, but it’s certainly not limited to that.

It’s a rather clever take on the traditional iPad stand. The Bakbone works with a variety of tablets that use solid-state drives (the magnets can wreak havoc on traditional spinning-disk hard drives), and costs about $30. You can order one through the Bakbone online store.

Nick spends way too much time in front of a computer, so he figures he may as well write about it. He's previously written for IDG's PCWorld and TechHive.