Every now and then a product comes along that makes so much sense that you have to sit back and wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with. Twelve South’s BackPack shelf for Mac is one of those products.

The BackPack uses a combination of clever design and gravity to keep the shelf sitting comfortably on the back stand of your iMac or Cinema Display. It’s made from a single, solid piece of metal with ventilation holes cut into it for cooling your accessories, and it can hold anything up to 5 pounds in weight, meaning you’ll be able to comfortably store your external hard drive, Optimus Prime Figurine or pot plant.

There are a number of clips included in the box which allow you to attach the BackPack to literally any Mac with a footstand. Simply screw the scratch-free grips into the shelf and slide them onto the stand. IT won’t mark the metal and will secure the shelf in place at any height you like. Because the height can be adjusted, more than one BackPack can be attached at once, allowing you to store a number of items out of sight behind your screen.It’s a simple and beautifully designed way to remove clutter from your desk, and the BackPack is so strong that we managed to stand the office Mac Mini on it easily. Twelve South say you can stand an old-style Mini on the shelf if you turn it on its side, but we actually tried it with the new, less stable design leaning on the both the BackPack and the iMac stand and it still worked well. There is a small lip at the edge of the BackPack to make sure your stuff won’t fall off, but if you’re still worried about it you can move the BackPack low down so there won’t be far to fall.

Best of all the BackPack fits prefectly with the look of the iMac, so if the back of your computer is on show it isn’t going to make it look ugly. We’re big fans of the BackPack here at iCreate Towers – as we are with all of Twelve South’s designs – and if you want a stylish, strong and safe way of tidying your desk, the BackPack is perfect for you.The BackPack is available from www.twelvesouth.com for $29.99, which is around £20.

Pros:
Great design, strong, and the best way that we can think of to clear clutter from your desk.

Cons:
A little fiddly to attach to your Mac the first time.

Verdict