I believe that everyone loves a nicely designed product made of wood. I am a sucker for anything that is well-crafted from a nice-looking chunk of wood, so naturally, I am always on the hunt for the next best iOS accessory. Lucky for me, there are a few companies out there who are making an effort to produce visually pleasing and highly functional iOS accessories that are purely made of wood.
Grovemade MacBook Dock
In today’s article, we will be looking at a dock made for your Apple notebook. Maybe you’re wondering why someone would need a notebook dock, but trust me when I say that there are a couple of good reason why purchasing one seems like a good decision. I would recommend taking a look at available docks even if you’re just looking for a way to organize your desk and remove clutter.
I have been using Grovemade’s dock for the last couple of days, and I would like to tell you my observations. This dock is made for a range of MacBook sizes, so it can suit 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air, 12-inch MacBook, as well as 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro.
In case you haven’t heard of Grovemade before, let me tell you that this is an American company which uses domestic hardwoods, and their products are handmade. This means that you should be getting a quality-made product, and I believe that my review will show that both the look and feel do live up to expectations.
The MacBook Dock is a low-tech one. In case you’re looking for complicated docks that can cool down your notebook and provide plenty of additional ports, this one isn’t for you. There are no electronics or connections, which means the MacBook Dock is purely passive.
The Dock is made of two pieces of wood, and you can choose between maple or walnut. They are held together using an aluminum plate, and there are two rests inside made from a mix of wool and resin. Needless to say, you don’t have to be worried about stability or getting your notebook scratched. Interestingly enough, the underside brings cork matting, so your desk is protected as well. Grovemade is known for highly detailed wooden products, and it is clear the company still stays true to their original idea.
To use this Dock, simply store your MacBook when not in use, but you can also connect power and Thunderbolt cables to use it with an external display and keyboard. In other words, you can use your MacBook just like a desktop computer.
The only thing that is going to be the problem for many is the asking price of $79. I know that some of you will think that it’s crazy to pay that price for a chunk of wood, but that’s the thing. This is not just some chunk of wood, but a beautifully designed and highly functional accessory for your computer. Plus, you should be always prepared to pay more for nicely designed products, well, because design can be expensive.
Grovemade Laptop Stand
Differently, from the previous Groove made product, the Laptop Stand is designed to elevate your laptop and keep it in an ergonomic position.
As you can see from the image, this is once again a very simple product, but as I firmly believe – designing something simple and functional isn’t as simple as one might think. Once again, this is a quality made product that looks quite stylish.
The most apparent thing about this product is the angled platform. As you can imagine, this stand is designed to elevate your notebook, so you can use a third-party keyboard and mouse. However, if you’re using one of those standing-elevated desks, there’s no need for additional equipment. On a plus side, you can use it while laying in bed as well.
The angle is designed to make it easier on your wrists to type and see what you’re typing. Grovemade says that this product is designed to ease any back and wrist pain, in case you’re experiencing something like this. However, this is not a typical ergonomic product and it offers a different way towards a solution. Even though some of you might that this is an easy way out by transforming your notebook into something that resembles a desktop computer, I believe this is a very clever solution of building an ergonomic product that is also stylish and helps you keep your desk organized.
I would also like to add that the Grovemade Laptop Stand is extremely lightweight, but also strong and durable enough to support your MacBook. I don’t exactly know how much it weighs since I couldn’t find this information on the official website, but I’d say it is heavy as an average textbook. In addition, the Stand features an aluminum blocker at the bottom of middle part to hold your laptop in place. This is, once again, a clever combination of the two materials, which is something we can see often with Grovemade’s products.
Just like with the Grovemade’s dock for MacBook, the only problem with this product is its price. The official web store lists it at $119, which is not the most affordable price for a laptop stand. However, just like I already said, you should be willing to pay a bit more for something that is nicely designed.
I would also like to add that you shouldn’t consider this product as something that will help you keep your desk organized to type in a more comfortable way. Instead, this is a very clever and very simple product that will take you over once you start using it.
If you’re looking for a laptop stand, my strong recommendation is to take a look at this Grovemade product. I assure you that you won’t regret this purchase.
