This month Twelve South launched a new accessory for the iMac, iMac Pro, and external displays, called the “Curve Riser.” Like its HiRise products, the Curve Riser elevates your iMac to a position that’s considered more ergonomic for most users, while also providing some storage underneath the iMac.
From a materials perspective, the Curve Riser matches Twelve South’s established standards as a premium accessory manufacturer; It is constructed from a smooth metal and only comes in black. There are no front or rear doors, and although accessory .
The concept behind the iMac stands out as a curve riser in that Apple’s desktop computers (and most fixed-height computers) are not inherently ergonomic. If you provide some height to your setup, ideally with the top of your display hitting your eye level, you can sit up straight and have all of the display in your view without any awkward neck tilt.
Twelve South’s original (and now discontinued) HiRise for iMac was my first iMac–desk stand, and it offered a few different heights, perfect for finding my favorite position. In recent years I’ve migrated to Satechi’s Type-C stand, which, while offering only one height option, provides a great selection of easily accessible front-facing ports.
The height difference between Satechi’s accessory and the Twelve South curve riser is so drastic that I just got used to the curve riser last week and I’m not sure I should. The Satechi stand is about 1.63 inches tall, which isn’t much, but ultimately gave me the right eye level for my iMac.
At 4.2 inches long, the Curve Riser is too long for me. I often have to tilt my head up and down as I work and move between different parts of the iMac display, and when sitting tall my eyes hit the center of the display. I have an adjustable desk, so I have some wiggle room to prop my iMac down, but not much.
This height will work for some users taller than me, but the inability to truly customize the exact height of the accessory comes down to this $79.99 price point. While Satechi’s Type-C stand is also a fixed height, it feels much more universal at just an inch away from the desktop and can easily hit more people’s ergonomic sweet spot than the Curve Riser.
The same is true of Twelve South’s previous HiRise device and the current HiRise Pro, which offer adjustable shelving height at a much higher price of $169.99.
I’ve also seen concerns about iMac stability when using this type of stand, but I’ve never had or worried about any iMac tipping over with my iMac stand, Curve Riser included. The accessory has such a large footprint at twelve inches wide that there is plenty of room for the iMac-Base to sit on top of the stand.
Given the iMac’s weight and Curve Riser’s wide footprint, everything feels nice and sturdy once set up. Even in high-traffic areas around a desk, I can’t really see anyone needing to worry about the CurveRiser tipping over the iMac.
The new Curve Riser is also designed to match the aesthetics of Twelve South’s Curve and Curve SE for MacBook, another ergonomically-minded accessory that raises your Apple notebook about 6 inches in the air.
Another advantage of the Curve Riser is the desktop the company offers with its smaller shelf, which is 10 inches wide, 9.6 inches deep and about 1.75 inches tall. This capacity can hold a Mac Mini, various USB hubs, hard drives, your wallet, and more.
The shelf is certainly wide enough to hold several items, making it a helpful tool to get a few pieces of clutter off your desk. Still, the benefits of having a little organization system don’t outweigh the reduction in adjustable height, which would limit the utility of the accessory for most people.
The Curve Riser is available on Twelve South’s website for $79.99.
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