Docking stations having a connector with a compliance mechanism to provide improved durability and flexibility are provided herein. The compliance mechanism may be attached to a connecter in a base of a docking station that extends through an opening in a housing or shell attached to the base. The compliance mechanism may include any or all of a flexure, a torsion bar, damping members, a compressive foam member, and an engineered base plate. The compliance mechanism may be configured to provide sufficient rigidity to the connector to support a portable device when mounted on the connector within the dock in an upright position, sufficient flexibility to allow angular displacement of a mounted portable device, and sufficient elasticity to provide a resilient biasing force to return the connector and a mounted portable device from a displaced position to the upright position.