Ben Brooks:

One of the best products Twelve South has ever made is the Compass. A collapsible stand for iPads which can hold it at two angles, but really you just use it to hold it at an easel like angle. I’ve had one, off and on for years, and swear by them.

However, at some point Twelve South revised the design and launched the Compass 2. The new design looks very much the same, but is worse in just about every aspect (I’m being generous here, because I honestly can’t think of a way that it is better). I hate it.

I couldn’t agree more. The original Compass was great, and I continue to use it regularly, but the Compass 2 is a real stinker.

The front feet don’t sit wide enough to keep your iPad stable and it’s almost impossible to tap anything in the top corners without knocking your tablet over. Luckily, Amazon still has the original Compass available if you’re looking for one, but they’re almost out of stock. And I don’t expect they’ll be getting any more once those are gone.

I’ll continue clinging to my Compass 1 until it’s completely unusable, but I sure hope Twelve South does another redesign and fixes these problems.