This thing sucks -- but we mean that as a compliment

The cottage industries that pop up around Apple products are an interesting phenomenon. On one hand, you have companies that appear seemingly out of nowhere and make a name for themselves creating new products for your iDevices. And then there are the other guys, the ones who repurpose existing products in interesting ways to hop on the gravy train. It’s hard to imagine a car bike rack being rejiggered for your iPad, but the SeaSucker is exactly that.

At first glance, the SeaSucker seems ridiculously overengineered for use with an iPad -- and it is. But if it can hold a bike atop a race car at top speeds, it can surely secure your iPad to the dash in your minivan. It’s heavy and not particularly stylish, but it’ll definitely keep your iPad wherever you stick it.

The suction power of 100 angry octopi!

The SeaSucker’s vacuum mounts use a pump system to attach to the back of the iPad and a solid, flat surface like a windshield, dashboard, or desktop. When the vacuum loses some of its grip, the buttons display an orange band. A few pumps with your finger tightens the vacuum seal, and you’re good to go. We had no problems mounting the system to any hard, flat surface, and ridges on the seals make it easy to pop off when you need to move your device. It really is the best of both worlds -- rock-solid sturdiness when you need it, plus easy release when it’s time to move.

Our only beef is the $90 price tag. Sure, you can mount the iPad practically anywhere, but 90 bucks can buy several competing products, along with a few tacos for dinner. And while we appreciate the SeaSucker’s industrial-strength seal, in most situations, it’s overkill.

The bottom line. It was initially created for an entirely different purpose, but the SeaSucker iPad Mounting System works like a charm to hold your iPad in place.