I am a fan of the iPad. I’m a fan of putting more of them in classrooms. So let’s say, hypothetically speaking, a classroom was lucky enough to get 10 (or more ) iPads? How do you keep them all organized, synced, and charged? Upgrading them all to iOS 5 last week would be a downright nightmare.
I was on the hunt for a new iPhone 4S case today when I stumbled across this: The MultiDock. It’s basically a high-tech server-like cabinet that has little slots for all your precious iPads. The slots are big enough to handle iPads with cases and let you charge, sync, and store your iPad.
The MultiDock can also handle iPhones, the iPod Touch and other iOS devices. Basically anything with that Apple 30-pin connector.
The Bad News
Now, the bad news. Not only is it sold out (as of this article posting) but it’s also $700. That’s 1.5 iPads! So here’s my solution. If you’re looking to get 12-15 iPads for your classroom and have the funding (lucky you!) then you may want to consider getting 11-14 iPads so you can afford the MultiDock. I’d also recommend you contact Griffin (the manufacturer) to see if they’d help you out with an education discount. Can’t hurt, right?
Looks simple enough. But rather than take my word for it, here’s the details straight from the horse’s (Griffin‘s) mouth:
MultiDock is Griffin’s modular charge/sync/security solution that’s easy to use, easy to scale, and easy to afford.
Charge & Sync
- Charge up to 10 iPad devices at once
- LEDs indicate charge status for each iPad
- Sync your apps, media and other content through iTunes
Powerful and Safe
- Maximum 10-watt (5V at 2.1 amps) charging for iPad
- Charge 10 units simultaneously
- Auto-off charging; each Charge Bay powers off once iPad charging is complete
- UL-listed power supply
Adaptability
- Buy the capacity you need; add units as your deployment grows
- Connect up to three MultiDocks (30 charging slots) to a host computer
- Minimal footprint – slightly larger than a sheet of copy paper
- Set MultiDocks up as centralized or remote charging stations
- Each Charge Bay is large enough to accommodate an iPad in a Griffin Survivor extreme duty case, as well as other shells
Cases
- Leave your iPad in its case as you charge
- Charge Bay accommodates iPad in Griffin’s Survivor Case for iPad, and many other cases
Gallery
The Griffin iPad device is nice, but there are drawbacks as well. It is made of mostly plastic, and is very light weight. I had a hard time placing iPads in normal sized cases inside each little module. I had to force the iPad in and because the dock is lightweight, the entire unit moves as you try to install or remove the iPad. The unit can easily be knocked over. In addition, there is no security whatsoever on the unit, so it is very easy to have all of the iPads stolen. For my money, I would choose the DS-NETSAFE-IPCS offered by Datamation. Very secure, can be bolted to a tabletop if needed, adjustable dividers to handle any size protective case and can sync and charge 16 iPads instead of ten. More info on their products at http://www.ipadcart.info.
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