The HoverBar by Twelve South is currently designed to clamp any of the current generation iPads to a multitude of surfaces that are 1” or less in width and it does so with class. Similar to all other Twelve South products I’ve come across, the HoverBar is well made. From the moment I saw and held the box in my hand throughout the whole unboxing, I was quite impressed with the end-result. The HoverBar comes with a large aluminum clamp, a gooseneck arm, a plastic bracket for the iPad, a silicone pad, and four plastic wire clamps.
The clamp is a very solid block of aluminum with a large machine screw for tightening down on whatever you decide to clamp to. To top it all off, the clamp is lined with rubber to help prevent any damage to the surfaces you use the HoverBar on. The clamp also has two different mounting holes for the arm, giving users the ability to customize the positioning of their HoverBar to a whole new level.
The iPad snaps into a lightweight plastic bracket which is secured to the gooseneck arm via a ball and socket interface. Users will be given the option to adjust the tension of the ball/socket by using a threaded collar on the back of the contraption as well, allowing maximum control of the iPad’s positioning.
The assembly of the whole product took just a few minutes overall. It was as simple as screwing in the gooseneck arm on one end to the clamp and on the other end to the plastic bracket for the iPad, then tightening a threaded collar on the back. Afterwards, I ended up clamping the HoverBar to an iMac and using the four plastic clamps to help manage the charging cable for the iPad.
The four plastic clamps seemed a bit flimsy to me originally but they definitely got the job done. I thought the addition of the clamps was like icing on the cake as it showed the company put some thought behind the product as a whole and every little nuance that a consumer might have to deal with when using the product. The only other issue I had with the product as a whole was the iPad oscillating when touching it. I did notice that adjusting the threaded collar on the back helped with this though so it may have just been the way I had set it up originally which caused the issues in the first place.
Overall, the HoverBar is a nifty accessory for those who don’t mind paying the somewhat hefty price tag for it ($79.99). Many people who use their iPad on a daily basis, especially for work, will find the accessory perfect to use. It is a great space saver for the desk as well as an excellent way to level the iPad at the right angle for viewing purposes. In my opinion the price is justified as you’ll quickly learn to appreciate the build quality along with the smaller efforts Twelve South has put into the product.
If you are interested in purchasing the HoverBar, you can do so from Twelve South's website for $79.99.
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