The Satechi monitor stand, which is available in gray, gold, and silver, is 15.8 inches wide and lifts the monitor or MacBook 1.7 in (4.3 cm) off the ground. While this may seem like a small change in altitude, it can make all the difference in keeping users from having to crane their necks and hunch their backs when sitting behind a desk for an extended period.
The stand can also support up to 31 lb (14 kg) of weight, making it plenty strong enough to hold up an iMac (for which a 2014 model weighs 12.5 lb or 5.68 kg). The Satechi Metallic Series is just one of the latest entries in a massive mobile accessories industry, with billions of laptop, tablet, and mobile phone users around the world needing items ranging from cases and bags to chargers and headphones. In 2015, the trade purely in these accessories (and not in the devices themselves) was worth $81.5 million.
TECHNOLOGY
Apple's Aluminium Look
Apple's Aluminium Look
The technology accessories company Satechi, based in San Diego, California, has unveiled a new aluminium monitor stand for Apple's iMac monitors and Macbooks that promotes good posture for those sitting behind a desk.
18 February, 2016
To ensure its new stand fits with the products it is designed for, Satechi's stand—the latest entry in a Metallic Series that also includes headphones, a headphone stand, and a USB-C hub—emulates the sleek aluminium look that is now synonymous with Apple products.
The Satechi Monitor Stand
Satechi's decision to keep with Apple's trademark design (pioneered by the company's SVP of Industrial Design Jony Ives) merits a look back at why the company embraced the metal so wholeheartedly in the first place. As with so much else that is now taken for granted when it comes to Apple, Steve Jobs was the driving force behind the now instantly-recognizable look and made it the material of choice for the iPhones, iPads, and Macbooks that made the company so dominant under his careful watch. Jobs was such a strong advocate that he even had a custom yacht built with an aluminium hull. Sadly, the ultralight vessel, dubbed "Venus," was not christened until a year after Jobs' death.
Key to Apple's signature aluminium look is the anodized finish on many of its most popular products. To anodize a metal essential means to "rust" it, allowing the metal to form a tough protective layer that will protect it from corrosion and most potential scratches. That anodized surface can then be dyed, allowing Apple the option of providing multicolored aluminium MacBooks, iMacs, and iPhones should they ever choose to. Of course, Apple's main divergence from its staple metal look has been with the plastic iPhone 5c. The clean sheen of uncolored aluminium remains the standard.
Key to Apple's signature aluminium look is the anodized finish on many of its most popular products. To anodize a metal essential means to "rust" it, allowing the metal to form a tough protective layer that will protect it from corrosion and most potential scratches. That anodized surface can then be dyed, allowing Apple the option of providing multicolored aluminium MacBooks, iMacs, and iPhones should they ever choose to. Of course, Apple's main divergence from its staple metal look has been with the plastic iPhone 5c. The clean sheen of uncolored aluminium remains the standard.
Thanks to its sheer heft as the smartphone industry's most iconic brand, Apple's material orders and supply chain have become markets to watch in and of themselves. Industry analysts and journalists, for whom Apple's product launches and announcements are headline news, keep close track of the revenues and activities of Apple's preferred suppliers for insight into Cupertino's next generation of products. In the run-up to the announcement of the iPhone 6 in September 2014, tech website GigaOm noted that longtime Apple supplier Catcher Technology (which specializes in aluminium machining) posted a 36.8% jump in revenue in July 2014 over the year prior.
The company's $154 million in earnings indicated a large new order had been placed, matching closely with predictions that 70-80 million new iPhones would be sold that fall. A few months prior, Barclays had revised its target price for Catcher stock based solely on the estimated number of orders the supplier would receive from Apple.
The company's $154 million in earnings indicated a large new order had been placed, matching closely with predictions that 70-80 million new iPhones would be sold that fall. A few months prior, Barclays had revised its target price for Catcher stock based solely on the estimated number of orders the supplier would receive from Apple.
By January 2015, it was clear that the bold predictions were true: a record 74.5 million iPhones were sold in the last quarter of 2014, and Apple topped another record with quarterly revenue of $76.4 billion.