Apple has long neglected the tablet community by not offering a tablet PC of its own. But now, another company has stepped into the breach with its take on a Mac-based tablet PC. The Axiotron Modbook ($2,629 list) is certain to pique the interest of Mac-based graphics designers and illustrators who prefer to work with a pen rather than a keyboard. Axiotron literally took an Apple MacBook 13-inch (Core 2 Duo), ripped off the lid, and fused a Wacom digitizer screen to the chassis. The Modbook is a slate tablet (rather than a convertible tablet that would have had the benefit of an integrated keyboard), but it's a better alternative to plugging a Wacom device into an Apple computer. This slate tablet doesn't come cheap, though, and it's available only through Other World Computing, an online Mac retailer.
Apple's sole attempt at making a PDA—the Newton—was the closest thing to an Apple tablet we'd seen until now. Handwriting recognition woes (and the fact that it might have been ahead of its time) caused it to fizzle out of the market. A lot of the Newton's handwriting technology was integrated into the Mac OS X operating system and improved upon somewhat, then spun into an application called Inkwell. With current MacBooks, you can connect a Wacom device like the Bamboo Funand take advantage of the "inking," or the tablet-like capabilities, built into OS X. It's not a true tablet, however, because you have to plug in an external device. That's where the Axiotron Modbook comes in.
The Modbook is essentially a modified version of the Apple MacBook 13-inch. The screen is surrounded by three layers of metal (nickel, copper, and magnesium alloy) to form a chrome-like trim, fused to the MacBook's polycarbonate plastic base. The top of the screen is further protected by scratch-resistant glass. With all these fancy materials, the Modbook is 0.4 pounds heavier than the MacBook 13-inch, tipping the scales at 5.4 pounds. A slate tablet like the Motion Computing LE1700 weighs a mere 3.3 pounds. Even convertible tablets like the
Axiotron Modbook : Front
Axiotron Modbook : Angle
Axiotron Modbook : Top Left
Axiotron Modbook : Right Size Comparison
