MoviePeg for iPad Solves Your Movie-Viewing Woes – Mostly [Review]

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mp_ipad_ordimples

As an avid watcher of movies, I was thrilled by the prospect of watching the latest releases on my iPad. In practice however, I haven’t watched a single film all the way through and the reason is this – the iPad is simply too awkward to hold at the right angle for long periods of time. Even when placed on your lap, you end up getting leg ache after trying to stay in the right position.

MoviePeg from UK design house magneticNorth offers a solution to this problem by offering a versatile and compact stand solution, for a very reasonable $19.


What’s good about it: The design is simple and functional. The MoviePeg comes as two plastic blocks that slot together. This is great for portability as it fits in pretty much every bag and even your pocket. It’s made from a durable and flexible plastic, but has a heft and weight that gives a feeling of quality often missing from stands at this price range.

The makers of MoviePeg have really stripped back the frills of what a stand needs. The simple design is a refreshing take on a market saturated with tacky plastic items.

Performance: But what about the important part — how it works? I have mixed feelings on this if I am honest. Viewing a movie in landscape mode is great – the stand is easy to attach and performs well at multiple angles either on a desktop or on your lap.

Performance is also strong when using the iPad for note-taking in Pages or browsing the web. If the MoviePeg was sold as solely a landscape viewing stand it would get 100% from me. It is only when you change to portrait mode that the stand lets you down.

Trying to find a position where the iPad stays upright is all but impossible. After various attempts I finally found the ‘sweet spot’. It didn’t last long though. Shortly after the above shot was taken my iPad came crashing down.

At first I thought I was doing something wrong, but I have tried many different configurations and none of them have worked as a long-term solution. The iPad is just too heavy for the stand when in portrait.

Should you buy it? As you can see, there are good points and bad. That said, I actually recommend MoviePeg, but with a small caveat. This product should only be used in landscape mode, and the marketing should be amended to reflect that. It just doesn’t work as a portrait stand.

Luckily for MoviePeg its performance under landscape conditions more than makes up for its downfalls. If you are looking for a reasonably priced way to watch your movies on your iPad in comfort then MoviePeg is the product for you.

[xrr rating=80%]

MoviePeg is available now from movie-peg.com for $19.99/£12.99

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