With minimalist curves and design that could easily have come from Apple’s own labs, Bluelounge’s Mika ($40) is billed as a “simple, elegant universal stand,” and lives up to its name. First revealed at the 2013 CES, it works with any bare or encased iPad or iPhone, some iPods, and even some closed MacBooks. It’s a beautiful accessory for sure, but unlike many of our favorite stands, only allows for one viewing angle.
Made from a single curved piece of aluminum with black plastic padding, Mika closely resembles the foot of an iMac, although the metal here is somewhat thinner.
The aluminum is Apple-grade with a similar sandblasted finish, beautifully matching the bodies of current full-sized iPads. It’s around 3.75” inches deep, 4.25” tall, and 4.5” wide at the front, tapering down to about 4” wide at the back. We were somewhat surprised to find that the underside of the stand is smooth plastic rather than rubber; many companies choose a more grippy material to prevent sliding.
Mika holds your device at approximately a 70° angle, and supports all iPads in both portrait and landscape orientation.
Unfortunately, that’s the only position you get. While that angle is suitable for video viewing and other similar activities, typing and even viewing at any other angle aren’t supported.
We really like the way Mika looks and feels; we simply wish it provided more functionality for the high price. Our top iPad stand to date, Belkin’s FlipBlade Adjust, isn’t quite as attractive, but offers a much wider range of angles for $10 less. It’s also much more portable, a quality Mika lacks due to its fixed shape.
