HoverBar for iPad Review: The Futuristic Flexi-Arm That Aged Like an iPad 2

Last Updated on June 1, 2025 by nice2buy

Once upon a time – in 2012, to be precise – some Apple-loving engineer at Twelve South decided we should all clip our iPads onto bendy arms and suspend them in mid-air like Mission Control was about to launch them into orbit. Thus, the HoverBar for iPad 2 was born.

And yes, in 2013, I was one of those fools who thought this thing made me look like Tony Stark. Fast-forward to 2025, and now? I look more like a pension-age cyborg who’s refused to update their tech since the Obama administration.

So, does this vintage iPad accessory still have a place in our modern, USB-C-everything world? Buckle up. This is going to get snarky.

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The Pitch (Back Then): “Take Your iPad to New Heights!”

Yes, truly. Twelve South wanted us to believe we were elevating our iPad experience – literally – with a heavy-gauge steel arm, a ball-jointed clip, and dreams of a dual-screen productivity utopia. FaceTime on the left. Google Docs on the right. Apple fanboys wept.

In theory, the HoverBar was a genius idea. In reality? It was like strapping a bowling ball to a coat hanger and hoping for ergonomic enlightenment.

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Design & Build: It’s Solid… Too Solid

To give credit where it’s due, the thing is well-built. Heavy-duty clamp? Check. Goose-neck arm that could bend a spoon? Check. Metal bits that make you feel like you’re assembling an IKEA chair for robots? Absolutely.

But here’s the catch: it’s strong, but it’s also a stiff, creaky drama queen. Trying to position it just right without launching your iPad across the room is like adjusting a rusty streetlamp with arthritic elbows. And that’s on a good day.

The clamp does hold—oh it holds. It holds like your grandma clutches her handbag on the subway. Which is great, unless you want to… you know… move it.

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Use Case in 2025: Irony and Nostalgia

Let’s face it. Nobody is actually using an iPad 2 in 2025 unless they’re either:

1. Trapped in a nuclear bunker, or
2. Running a hipster café where vinyl records, mechanical keyboards, and pre-2015 tech reign supreme.

So unless you’re pairing this with a museum exhibit called The Golden Age of Apple, its functionality is about as relevant as a Blackberry with a stylus.

Even the latest iPads laugh at it. It’s like trying to use a floppy disk with an M3 MacBook. Sure, you can do it if you believe hard enough—but why?

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Pros (If You’re Still Into That Sort of Thing)

• It’s sturdy. You could defend yourself with this thing if someone breaks in during your Zoom call.
• It floats! Not in water, mind you—but in mid-air like a tech séance from 2012.
• Surprisingly useful in kitchens, assuming you still look up recipes on an iPad 2 instead of barking at Alexa.
• Retro aesthetic. Like lava lamps or cassette players, this is officially quirky décor.

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Cons (A.K.A. Everything Else)

• Only fits an iPad 2. Good luck cramming your modern iPad Pro into this thing without committing accessory manslaughter.
• Floppy neck syndrome. Eventually, gravity wins and your iPad droops like a disappointed dad.
• Zero portability. It’s heavy, bulky, and basically welded to your desk once clamped.
• No case compatibility. You’ll need to strip your iPad naked just to use it. Charming.

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Final Verdict: HoverBar for iPad – Buy It If You Miss 2012

Look, if you’re the kind of person who keeps a first-gen iPod in your car “for emergencies” and still believes in the magic of skeuomorphic design, this might be your Holy Grail.

But for the rest of us living in 2025? The HoverBar is a fossil from a simpler time. A time when Apple still sold things with 30-pin connectors, and we thought FaceTime was cutting-edge.

If you want to get one, it’s mostly for laughs, nostalgia, or staging your retro-tech-themed podcast studio. Still, it’s available through Amazon resellers (yes, somehow), so if you’re curious—or mildly self-loathing—you can pick it up via our affiliate link here.

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TL;DR: The HoverBar was designed for a time when tablets were trying to be laptops. In 2025, it’s more performance art than productivity tool. Great as a conversation starter. Awful as a practical accessory.

Read our other review – Ted Talking Plush – The Foul-Mouthed Teddy Bear You Never Knew You Needed (And Probably Don’t)