Twelve South’s BackPack is a great shelf/storage solution for the 24-inch iMac

I was a big fan of Twelve South’s original BackPack for the iMac when it was released 12 years ago. And I’m just as big a fan of the new BackPack for the M1 iMac. 

The US$44.99 product has one goal and achieves it flawlessly. The aluminum shelf attaches to the back of the 24-inch iMac stand. You can use it to hold hard drives and hubs and declutter your desktop. I use it to hold/hide the external hard drive I use as a Time Machine back-up.

The gang at Twelve South say if the back of your iMac faces co-workers or customers, the matte white shelf can showcase awards, art, or even your favorite action figures. The back of my iMac only faces a wall, so this doesn’t apply to me, but at least you know.

The shelf requires a bit of installation; and you have to power down your iMac to do this. However, the process is quick and easy. A two-piece holster snaps into the oval opening on the back of your iMac stand. Then you slide the stand onto the holster. That’s it. And even though the shelf/storage rack only comes in one hue, the holster is clear so the color of your iMac shines through.

The BackPack also includes a peripheral strap and cable management features. You can use the strap to attach two devices to the shelf. For example, you should stash two external drives on the BackPack, an external drive and a hub, etc. There are also multiple cable ties to tie up long, dangling cables. 

I could complain that I wish the Twelve South shelf came in a blue color to match my 24-inch iMac, but since I rarely see it, that’s a niggling concern at best.