My iPad has almost reached necessity status in my life, I’m pretty sure all of us tablet owners are super reliant on them (I mean, I am for sure)! I personally find tablets extremely handy, they’re the comfortable middle ground between a smartphone and a laptop, and they pretty much perform the same functions as these two. They’re super easy to carry around, and honestly, I could survive wholly and solely on my iPad if I really wanted to. I’m always on the lookout for innovative and fun accessories to amp up my tablet (besides the basic ones Apple offers). Luckily there’s a whole bunch of crafty designs out there that can function as the perfect sidekick to your precious tablet. From a sleek iPad USB-C hub that features six different media ports to a tabletop gaming platform that uses an iPad – here’s a collection of super cool and functional product designs that promise to upgrade your iPad game to a whole another level!
1. HyperDrive
HyperDrive is the world’s first-ever form-fitting USB-C hub with six different media ports and a media shortcut key. Compact enough to fit in your palm, HyperDrive is small but mighty. Equipped with a 4K60Hz HDMI port, USB-C 5Gbps 60W Power Delivery port, MicroSD UHS-I port, SD UHS-I port, USB-A 5Gbps port, and a 3.5mm Audio Jack, HyperDrive can handle any of your cables at any time. While you’re all plugged in and working, the built-in shortcut key allows you to “play, pause, fast-forward or rewind your favorite songs, videos, or podcasts without interrupting your workflow.”
2. The Neo Pro
Although third-party styluses almost always end up being trashy substitutes for the Apple Pencil, Adonit seems to have brought out the big guns with the Neo Pro – a stylus that looks and functions as close to the Apple Pencil as humanely possible. It glides across your iPad’s surface with the kind of precision and grace you’d expect from Apple’s own hardware and even snaps to the side of your iPad to charge magnetically and wirelessly. The Neo Pro is the only stylus that charges wirelessly off the iPad. It also comes with native palm rejection and replaceable nibs, and it even boasts tilt sensitivity – a feature that was only reserved for the Apple Pencil and Logitech’s Crayon stylus.
3. Apple Pencil nibs
The Apple Pencil is arguably the iPad Pro‘s secret sauce. Along with the Pencil, the iPad Pro becomes the ultimate creator’s setup (for both 2D as well as 3D creation). It would therefore make sense to explore how the Pencil could further become a ‘power-user tool, allowing creators to unlock new potentials. Yanko Design has imagined what these new nibs could look like, with explorations for more niche 2D uses. The interchangeable nibs include a fine-tip nib, a chisel nib, and a flexible brush-pen nib. Other nib styles could unlock 3D modeling features like being able to sculpt on the iPad. “The filing suggests the nib could contain several different sensors for varying purposes. The component list includes tactile sensors, contact sensors, capacitive and touch sensors, a camera, a piezoelectric sensor, a pressure sensor, or a photodiode”, reports Apple Insider.
4. The Rolling Seed
Meet Rolling Seeds, a nifty little game that uses cutting-edge tech. A mixture of wordle, scrabble, crossword, roulette, and a bunch of other games, Rolling Seeds comes with NFC-based chips that you need to put into the ‘Smart Game Pot.’ Roll the Seed in, and the Pot reads the NFC tag, registering your move. Everything unfolds on an iPad or Android Tablet that docks right into the pot, and the Rolling Seeds app offers a wide variety of number, alphabet, and image-based learning games.
5. The Twelve South StayGo mini portable USB-C hub
Connecting external devices to your iPad has never been easier with the Twelve South StayGo mini portable USB-C hub! The hub offers four ports – USB-C Power, 4K HDMI, USB-A 2.0, and Headphone/Audio. It’s the ultimate workspace gadget owing to its clean and compact form, as well as its perfectly positioned ports. It snaps onto your iPad, even if it has a protective case on. The hub is compatible not only with iPads but MacBooks as well.
6. The sousShelf
A clever twist on the name sous chef (or an assistant chef), the sousShelf just makes life in the kitchen easier. You could be watching Netflix while cooking, filming a TikTok, or just watching a recipe video as you whip up something fancy for date night, and the sousShelf just makes sure everything you need is organized and accessible. The built-in tablet/phone stand means you can watch stuff on the screen without holding your device up, and the sousShelf even packs a stylus that works on capacitive touchscreens, so you can swipe, tap, type, and navigate without getting fingerprints or food on your expensive gadget.
7. The HoverBar Duo
In hindsight, you really can’t call the HoverBar Duo an iPad ‘stand’. The multi-hinged, incredibly versatile, height/direction adjustable arm is capable of doing much more than your conventional stand is. In fact, think of it as a mechanical butler who just holds your iPad for you at any angle you want, for any length of time. More versatile than a stand or a tripod, the HoverBar Duo for the iPad and iPhone is better described by the things that it’s capable of… and it’s capable of quite a lot!
8. The OMNIA X Series
Designed to be the world’s smallest Apple MFi-certified charging kit, the OMNIA X Series occupies a small footprint, and charges phones fast, so you don’t deal with battery woes and charging wait-time woes. To help you understand why the OMNIA X Series is such a sensible piece of tech, unlike most plugs that are designed around their components, the OMNIA X Series is designed around the footprint of a power socket. The power socket is a standard format, and the OMNIA X Series tries to limit its shape and size to that format, resulting in a plug that’s small because being small is just a sensible direction to design in.
9. The Twelve South ParcSlope MacBook & iPad stand
The Twelve South ParcSlope MacBook & iPad stand holds and supports your device at an 18-degree angle and majorly improves screen visibility. It ensures that you don’t have to crane or strain your neck while working, thus eliminating most of your neck-related woes! You can work for longer hours without putting extreme pressure on your shoulders and back. The stand promotes a healthy posture while occupying minimum space on your desk with its sleek form!
10. The Pixy Mini
Touted as the most powerful power bank for its size, the Pixy Mini is this pocket-friendly, granola bar-shaped power bank with a capacity of 5,000mAh and a 20W power delivery, making it capable of recharging practically any portable gadget you’ve got on hand… even your laptop. What’s so impressive about the Pixy Mini is its deceptively small size. Tinier than a credit card and hardly bulkier than a Zippo lighter, the Pixy Mini was designed to be carried around… but not even in your backpack, rather in your pocket. Outwardly, it looks like any other power bank, with a USB-A port and a USB-C port on either side and 4 LED indicators that tell you how much power the Pixy Mini’s battery has.