Twelve South BookArc Desktop Stand for MacBook

Apple has created a monster. No, we're not talking about growing iPhone sales or the success of its imposing chain of retail stores. We're talking about the almost oppressively beautiful design of the product packaging and marketing of Apple products. In addition to the acclaimed look of Apple products themselves, their boxes and accompanying packaging border on the obsessive. Laptop boxes unfold gently and present fitted trays. iPhone boxes unfurl like Chinese puzzles.

It's no surprise, then, that Apple accessories have gotten in on the game, too. TwelveSouth's BookArc Desktop Stand for MacBooks promises a "cleaner, less cluttered Zen-like workspace" and that it can actually "boost the performance of your laptop." What it is, simply, is a laptop stand--a curved piece of metal that a MacBook can slot into like a piece of toast into a toast-rack. And that is it.

But, of course, it is a beautiful laptop stand. Made of matte, curved aluminum, it mirrors the materials of the unibody MacBooks almost to a T. Even more impressive, however, is the packaging. A white sleeve over a patterned oblong box opens to reveal the stand embedded in paper, as if in a jewel box. A brochure simply says "Thank You" and suggests ways to recycle the box (planting wheatgrass is one of the ideas offered). Taking the stand out of such packaging makes it feel like a prized object--a lesson learned well from Apple. Of course, this is also one of the more expensive laptop stands you're likely to buy, at $49.99. If you're looking to save a little money, you can always buy a six-pack of BookArcs for $249--provided you have enough laptops or Apple-toting friends to make it worth your while.