Apple iPad Pro just got an accessory upgrade that makes it look like a tiny Microsoft Surface Studio
If there is one thing that Microsoft got undeniably right about creative professionals, with its most recent unveiling of their brand new Microsoft Surface Studio, is that the way most people draw, draft and design, is by using both hands, not just one.
When looking at Apple commercials depicting scenarios in which the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil are being used by creatives, we often see them holding the iPad with one hand, while they use the other to draw with Apple Pencil. While this may seem the most appropriate, and aesthetically pleasing way to show a typical use case in a video ad, real designers seldom use that approach, unless they focus exclusively on quick sketching. Even when Disney Pixar creatives live-streamed their experience with iPad Pro, they did that by keeping the tablet on a flat surface, while using both hands to sketch, and perform side tasks like smudging, erasing, or zooming/panning the canvas.
Traditional drawing tables are built at an incline for a very precise reason: drafting and drawing require artists and designers to spend considerable time hunched over their drawings, as they work, which is physically exhausting.
By being able to position the drawing medium at an angle, the designers experience less strain on their necks and shoulders especially.
The other benefit is that the angle allows the designers to look at their work perpendicularly,which enables to avoid drawing with a distorted perspective, which is usually the reason why, drawing on a flat piece of paper at a distance, will cause drawings to turn out elongated.
Accessories manufacturer ElevationLab has thought of it, and built the DraftTable, an iPad Pro stand that allows designers to finally use the iPad Pro in the same way as they would a drafting table, which is remarkably along the lines of what Microsoft has done with its first Surface desktop PC.
The concept is brilliant, as it turns an iPad into a very effective alternative to professional graphic tablets, like Wacom Cintiq, whose product lines integrates drafting stands on most models.
DraftTable can elevate an iPad at four different angles, which is great when wanting to sketch or design with the iPad Pro resting on surfaces that may be at different heights.
DraftTable comes with a comfortable and soft palm rest, as well as a holder for Apple Pencil, with a suction cup, allowing it to stick to any smooth surface available.
DraftTable retails for $99, which may sound steep, but it is actually a rather smart investment, as the same quality and stability is hard to match by most similar products. Drafting stands for the iPad Pro have the annoying drawback of losing grip and stability, due to cheap construction, which is something that is not expected to happen with this particular product, considering that Elevation Lab is a company with a long track-record in industrial engineering.
By this token, this accessory’s construction is comprised of a combination of steel and composite polymer, making it rather durable for the purpose.
Finally, the same stand works with both the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, and the 9.7 inch version, as the tablet simply rests on a flat surface, and does not require gripping or locking of any kind.
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