Twelve South Launches New 'BackPack' Shelf for 24-Inch iMac

[roland.g]

haha...$45 for this???? I could buy TWO Apple cleaning cloths instead! What a ripoff.

Seriously, I want this but the price is too high. I have an external drive (Samsung T7) for our iMac and it's not exactly elegant just dangling there. I velcro'ed it to the stand but it still looks a bit ugly.

Does anybody actually have a 3D file that I could take to my coworker who has a 3D printer?. I considered getting a 3D printer myself but it seems you have to invest time learning how to deal with the files and there is an an overall learning curve....and I don't want to invest the time yet.

Come to think of it, it would be even cooler if the 3D printed stand was customized to hold my T7

We got something for our house and there was an accessory shelf for all the parts for $250. On Etsy people are selling the same thing for $80 with 3D printed parts. I showed my son. He found a couple 3D designs online, I didn't care for the implementation, so he designed a better one, and printed it and I bought a shelf at Lowe's to integrate his design with. All told it cost us $10, not $80 or $250. He got his 3D printer for Xmas and this was not even two weeks later. The learning curve is not hard. An Ender 3 V2 on Amazon runs $250-300 for the printer and all the software and files are usually free.

 

[red elma]

Do these somebodies with 3D printers that can be borrowed have 3D printers than can print aluminum?

No, but there are somebodies that have a hacksaw.

Fabricate the exact same aluminum vented shelf with your hacksaw and a 3D printed saddle attachment section for under $50 (not including the adjustable peripheral strap) I will give you $60 for it.

I’m not a big fan of 12 South products in general and yes this product is a bit overpriced.
However, don’t tell me that you can 3D print and replicate this product in your garage for just a few dollars.

 

[mrgraff]

A little shelf for an external hard drive? OK. To hold a plant or other knickknacks that I will never see? Huh?
If that's for the benefit of my co-workers to look at, then sure, I will let my boss pay the $45.

 

[darkpaw]

Mine's welding ripped through and my hard drive crashed to the floor. Killed the drive. I'm sure it was a rare issue. But still, I never trusted any of their products again.

Mine also broke in the same way, and dropped an external HDD onto the desk. It was a rugged drive so no damage, but I won't be buying another of these.

I also had their BookBook (I think that's the name) case for my MacBook Air. The zip broke and I couldn't open it so I had to cut the fabric with the zip on it. Completely ruined.

Then there was the BookArc whose rubber feet fell off and scratched my wooden desk.

And the HoverBar where the clips holding the iPad in cracked and broke off leaving it useless.

I won't be touching their stuff again.

 

[brofkand]

Mine also broke in the same way, and dropped an external HDD onto the desk. It was a rugged drive so no damage, but I won't be buying another of these.

I also had their BookBook (I think that's the name) case for my MacBook Air. The zip broke and I couldn't open it so I had to cut the fabric with the zip on it. Completely ruined.

Then there was the BookArc whose rubber feet fell off and scratched my wooden desk.

And the HoverBar where the clips holding the iPad in cracked and broke off leaving it useless.

I won't be touching their stuff again.

Goodness you gave them far more chances than I did. One and done for me.

 

[nylonsteel]

$44 for that thing - i can find some 3m sticky removable product to do even more for alot less

 

[tooloud10]

EXACTLY what I was thinking. And honestly, I bet everybody here knows somebody with a 3d printer... Give them $5 and it'll be worth their time. Does anybody have the .stl?

"This shelf is so expensive and I could 3D print it for a dollar. Could someone provide me all the design work for free?"

 

[DotCom2]

I'll wait until Black Friday when they are trying to get rid of their overstock.

 

[name99]

Oh wow. USD45 for something that can be designed in minutes and then 3d printed for less than USD1. And I can make it bespoke to whatever I need. WHAT A RIPOFF!

Then don't buy it! No-one's stopping you from hacking together whatever you want from velcro and double-sided tape.

Plenty of us have bought it and appreciate the fact that it is useful, works well, and looks nice.

 

[jace88]

If BookArc is any indicator, give it a little while and there will be plenty of replicas which do something very similar for significantly less. It will probably still be more than US$1 though

 

[Traverse]

Oh wow. USD45 for something that can be designed in minutes and then 3d printed for less than USD1. And I can make it bespoke to whatever I need. WHAT A RIPOFF!

How many people have access to a 3D printer? I paid $30 on sale for one in 2017 and use it to this day for my back drive to sit out of sight.

 

[1madman1]

Way back in 2006 I had the original Twelve South Backpack on my first (and last) iMac. Worked well for what it was designed for - I had it holding a pair of LaCie Firewire HDDs. Was mostly aluminum, with a selection of plastic inserts for friction fitting different device stands. Also included a silicone antislip mat that helped with drive vibration. I still have the mat to this day.

 

[docziandras]

That two-faced Buddha statue creeps the hell out of me. Reminds me of the first Harry Potter book/movie when Prof. Quirrell unwrapped his turban to reveal Voldemort's face, bound to the back of his head.

 

[aParkerMusic]

Oh wow. USD45 for something that can be designed in minutes and then 3d printed for less than USD1. And I can make it bespoke to whatever I need. WHAT A RIPOFF!

How much does a 3D printer cost?

Maybe relevant for we who might buy this item but, like the vast majority of people….don’t have, or want, a 3D printer?

 

[svish]

Nice product. But costly at $45.

 

[jeffpeng]

I have the original but I think I got it for free, or absurdly cheap. I like mine but I wouldn't pay $45 for one.
Now a $99 version that attaches to the Pro Stand...

And risking scratching my 999 bucks Pro Stand? Eh-Ah. If it was 499 .... maybe. The... thingy... I mean. ?

 

[BigSmurf]

$45 for a piece of bent aluminum?
I can imagine the Twelve South smiling happily.

 

[dwaltwhit]

Oh wow. USD45 for something that can be designed in minutes and then 3d printed for less than USD1. And I can make it bespoke to whatever I need. WHAT A RIPOFF!

I do not have a 3d printer. This is not a ripoff for me.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

How much does a 3D printer cost?

Maybe relevant for we who might buy this item but, like the vast majority of people….don’t have, or want, a 3D printer?

Not just any 3D printer- one that can print aluminum.

I took a quick peek online and whoever buys a 3D aluminum printer to undermine this apparent consumer robbery is going to have to sell a HUGE number of them at $1 or $2 to cover the cost of the printer alone. But more power to you startup entrepreneurs. Build me the exact same thing for a $1 and I'll buy ASAP.

To those able to borrow a friends 3D aluminum printer and/or use the library aluminum printer, impressive that you have such friends and libraries. I live in a very rich county and my library is begging for pocket change to add some new books. But I guess if a library has a 3D aluminum printer, they can just print any book on aluminum and that will likely last for nearly forever... unless someone steals it for home siding replacements.

 

[EatinPonies]

Not just any 3D printer- one that can print aluminum.

I took a quick peek online and whoever buys a 3D aluminum printer to undermine this apparent consumer robbery is going to have to sell a HUGE number of them at $1 or $2 to cover the cost of the printer alone. But more power to you startup entrepreneurs. Build me the exact same thing for a $1 and I'll buy ASAP.

To those able to borrow a friends 3D aluminum printer and/or use the library aluminum printer, impressive that you have such friends and libraries. I live in a very rich county and my library is begging for pocket change to add some new books. But I guess if a library has a 3D aluminum printer, they can just print any book on aluminum and that will likely last for nearly forever... unless someone steals it for home siding replacements.

OMG are you kidding me? This thing *certainly* doesn't need to be printed out of aluminum.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Yes, but that's what posters in this thread are pitching... that the 'exact' same thing can be made for a $1 or $2. To me exact would mean same materials. Else I can buy a cheap Windows PC and put an Apple sticker on it but I don't think that will make it an Apple computer.

If we want a cheap plastic shelf instead, OK but then why not just tuck a block of wood behind the iMac and use that as a "free" shelf or maybe a spare brick? Or just set whatever one wants on a shelf on the counter/desk?

I can't hardly believe this thread. Apple people who readily pay Apple premiums thoroughly discounting something that looks great attached to an iMac- even looks like it could have been made by Apple that way. I own the original. It has held up for many YEARS- I think at least 10. It is strong, looks good, involves no glue or duct tape, etc. But yes, I could have perhaps cut the same size out of an old Tupperware lid and with enough tape/glue got it to somewhat stick on the stand in a similar fashion.

 

[EatinPonies]

Yes, but that's what posters in this thread are pitching... that the 'exact' same thing can be made for a $1 or $2. To me exact would mean same materials. Else I can buy a cheap Windows PC and put an Apple sticker on it but I don't think that will make it an Apple computer.

If we want a cheap plastic shelf instead, OK but then why not just tuck a block of wood behind the iMac and use that as a "free" shelf or maybe a spare brick? Or just set whatever one wants on a shelf on the counter/desk?

Good point - but I think that what we're all missing here is that this *is* a novel concept, and a cool little addition. The reason we're all talking like "Make it for $1 on a 3d printer!" is because this company is just flat-out gouging customers on the basis of *usability*. The aluminum part is cool - don't get me wrong. But if somebody mass produced this out of plastic and sold them for $9.99 we wouldn't even have this thread. It's the fact that they're trying to sell us on the usability of a $45 accessory. It's a cool concept, and I applaud them for the (minimal) engineering they did here. But if it's usability we are after, I'd rather print one myself.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

OK, so how do you feel about $20 Apple Cloth, Mac Pro Wheels ($600) and the $1000 monitor stand?

 

[EatinPonies]

OK, so how do you feel about $20 Apple Cloth, Mac Pro Wheels ($600) and the $1000 monitor stand?

Haha absolutely ridiculous. I kinda feel like there's insider bets going on among CEOs... Like "Guys, you'll never believe what I got the sheeple to buy!" and the next guy says "Hold my beer. I've got *wheels* that snap on - for $600!"

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

OK, that's impressive on your part because I feel like if this was branded Apple Shelf for $45, the bulk of this "same for a dollar" crowd would have been falling all over themselves trying to lock 1+ shelves up- even those who don't own iMacs- much like "we" seemed to fall all over ourselves trying to get 1+ Apple cloths so hard that we drove pieces of CLOTH out of stock for a few months... apparently shocking even Apple that demand would be as it was.

I've been around here long enough that I shouldn't ever be surprised.