MBP/A behind ACD, other stand solutions?

I'm currently looking at options like the Balmuda Floater (kind of describes what it... oops, heh heh heh) but these still need a degree of space to site. They also all vent downards in a nominally usable config, which I'm not convinced is the smartest idea.

I'm wondering if there's any solutions which fit behind the monitor (ACD) or something along those lines, and maybe feature more in the way of heat dissipation. I know you can get little shelves to mount on the back of ACD's and iMacs, was wondering if anyone had taken that idea further.

Failing that, perhaps a sideways stand? The Air isn't a priority, mainly for the 17-inch, but would be good if there was a solution for the Air as well. I did a stand for it when the Air first came out for someone else and that's fine, but if I do it for myself I know I'll spend too much time nerding all the details.

 

You might want to consider the NX stand, if I were going to be getting a stand like that, I would get it.
And its also 60$ instead of the balmudas 300, so yea.

 

were you really considering spending $300 on a stand?!?!? Why not just make your own or buy the NX one

 

Maybe I wasn't clear in my original post.

I am looking for an MBP(17") or MBA stand that attaches to an Apple Cinema Display (23-30, 23 preferred) if possible, with some sort of additional heat dissipation feature.

Failing that, I am looking for a stand that doesn't end up with the MBP venting downwards in nominal operation. I appreciate that many of the vertical stands could in theory be used upside down, but powering on the machine is going to be doubly inconvenient given the cabling situation. Which is why I was looking for something that perhaps vents sideways, or at an oblique downward angle.

Failing that, I am going to buy a small quantity of the Balmuda stands which to me seems like the best compromise in terms aesthetics / materials and ability to dissipate heat as far as downward venting goes of the vertical stands out there.

In terms of manufacturing my own stand, this is absolutely possible - however the time it would take me to do so is not economical, since if I were making it, the only reason to do so would be to be significantly better executed than the Balmuda article.

In replying with "$300 stand!" type answers, I would first consider whether a guy with 14 laptops (which, admittedly, he is trying to reduce, especially as he has a few more in storage) just for starters is going to care about the difference between $60 and $300.

Thanks for any replies.

 

I really dig this..

http://twelvesouth.com/products/bookarc/

Might get one for myself, actually, after my good experience with their "backpack" for my Cinema Display.

 

I'm sure it's very nice when you take it out of the box - but there's clearly a reason why they don't show it with cables.

Anyway - the Macbook won't vent any differently. Am I getting through on this point?

 

I haven't seen anything that would mount the laptop behind an ACD.
I know you are looking for something very specific.

As for the venting, I'm pretty sure you can just flip the laptop with the vents facing up, and it would still fit in all of the stands fine. I'm not 100% sure about the new unibodies, but I'd assume their dimensions are the same on the top and bottom.

I'd guess that in all the manufactures shots they put the laptops that way so the apple logo would be the right way up, instead of being upside down. Looks better that way, until you analyze the way the airflow goes.

So yea, Pretty sure you can just flip it up with the vents facing up, in almost all of those cases.
If you want one that would stick onto the back of the monitor, I'm sure you could fab one. (VESA mount, laptop, VESA mount comes to mind)
I've thought about making ones like that briefly, but too last to design and manufacturer it, but I've never seen anything like that on the market before.

[edit] google image search helps, here and here people have used bookarcs with vents facing up(too lazy to look for other stands) Hope that helps[/edit]

 

Any updates? Did you end up buying any of them, or finding something else?

Or just didn't bother getting one?