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engadget.com — Apple needs to create an ultra-portable like this! Maybe with Multi-touch?

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Ryan618 1 year 95 days ago, made popular 1 year 94 days ago

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commitone, on 10/11/2007, -19/+4I'm still waiting for the MBP Modbook.
- macgyber, on 10/11/2007, -13/+17I hate the "I'm still waiting" people
  
  Its like "I'm still waiting for real life virtual reality style computing before I invest in a computer"
- TomPlansMedia, on 10/11/2007, -7/+30for some reason this thing doesn't interest me at all
- woojoo, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9So THAT's what happend to the dying Mac Minis
- neel360, on 10/11/2007, -2/+40The cheapest ModBook will go for $2279: more than double the price of the MacBook it shares its parts with.
  
  Really, no thanks.
- alwaysmc2, on 10/11/2007, -14/+31Sad... in Apple fanboy's eyes, Tablet PCs aren't a good idea until Apple starts making them.
- quietcynic, on 10/11/2007, -13/+21Apple fanboy here. If Apple came out with a tablet Mac, I would laugh in contempt, much in the same way I did at the iPhone, which I think is a pretty stupid device. Not all fanboys will sip at Apple's Kool Aid without considering the situation.
  
  Now stand back and watch as I get buried by both camps.
- jesstech, on 10/11/2007, -6/+4quietcynic: No problem. I'm a linux user!
- fkr3, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10The real url:
  http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2007/05/modbook_close_t.html
  
  The place you can get them:
  http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ModBook
  
  Why do we need engadget's regurgitations, they're just a summary of a real story.
- ravage386, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2@fkr3
  "The real url:"
  
  Ha! Everyone knows that a blog or page with "blog" in the URL has no original content on it.
- xspinkickx, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@alwaysmc2 and everyone else...
  To my knowledge apple does not actually make these, a company buys macbooks, and puts them into a new shell with a touch sensitive screen. Hence the extra cost...... and thats why it runs osx, because its just macbooks in new shells.......
- twit987, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Great article.
  
  Not once to they link to the ***** site where I can buy one, or learn more about them.
- fkr3, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Engadget's cool like that. One of the benefits of being an "authority" spam blog their size and age is you've regurgitated so much stuff you can just link to yourself instead of such useful locations as manufacturers, alternate sources of information or places where you can buy the products they review.
  
  Then again, the whole point of Google ads on a splog is to provide a profitable way for you to get to the information you actually want.
  
  I wish people'd just stop submitting their crap. Submit the real link as the story (usually "Read More" or "Source" at the bottom of their rehash) with engadget's url in the description.
- .Steven, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1http://www.axiotron.com
  
  Home of the ModBook
wdfmor, on 10/11/2007, -11/+3"torrent junkies" hehe
Hobophobik, on 10/11/2007, -3/+4Wasn't there a Mac tablet a long long time ago... or did that never come about?
- cquinnd, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3Not that I recall. You might be thinking of the short-lived eMate, which was a device based on the Newton, that had a clamshell design similar to a laptop of the time, but also shared the screen access and character recognition engine of the Newton.
- jmreid, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7Beat up Martin = Eat up Martha
- specialK16, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Dug up for the Simpson's reference.
- marcushe, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1The Newton.
cpbrown, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2what about usage position ... horizontal and you're stuck hunched over a screen, terrible for posture, and upright, and the touching will be very uncomfortable after a short time.
marx2k, on 10/11/2007, -7/+1" They're also including the option of replacing the optical drive with a second hard disk for up to 500GB of storage, and the option of selecting an addition gig of RAM for up to 3GB built-to-order. The extra memory option ain't that impressive -- it'll deny the machine the benefits of dual rate speed that comes from matched pairs -- but the 500GB will no doubt make the torrent junkies happy. "

Yes, I would certainly see using an ultra portable, ultra expensive, almost useless tablet PC as a torrent download site.

I don't even do torrents with any of my laptops.

But hey, I guess this thing has to be sold to SOMEONE
philwalsh, on 10/11/2007, -4/+6if mac/pc tablets were really that good they would have replaced laptops by now.
i can't see why anyone would want to invest in such a thing, especially at such a high price.
- Kazbaeden, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5They sell tablets much cheaper than this, for less than 1000.
Irenicus, on 10/11/2007, -4/+9ultra-portable = ultra breakable
abhiroop, on 10/11/2007, -6/+2the problem is, Steve Jobs doesn't liike stylus' which is fair really...who would!...
- Topher06, on 10/11/2007, -2/+15 Also Steve Jobs never like home theater connectivity, PDA's, right mouse buttons, or Intel.
Pepeco, on 10/11/2007, -3/+0That would be perfect for a media computer. TV, art this would be great for the whole package. looks good. But I really don't like tablet pc's but this could be nice if they would have the iphone feature of easily finger sliding the screen.
Emrtr4, on 10/11/2007, -8/+6Typing is faster than pen, it is neater than pen, it is better than pen, so why the hell would anyone pay almost $3K to use a pen on a computer?
- Barlo_Mung, on 10/11/2007, -1/+19Think artists.
- chad78, on 10/11/2007, -5/+4Think Different. (tm)
  
  --
  
  Sorry, had to be said.
- KSUdesigner, on 10/11/2007, -0/+14Drawing is better than mousing.
- abhiroop, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1so fine this is being aimed at only artists then, because I can't imagine anyone else wanting to use this. The reason the tablet was at all popular was because it was so much smaller and lighter than a conventional laptop. Now that is no longer the case.
- TheWeez, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4@abhiroop
  
  Not just artists but many doctors, military, and others like the portability of a tablet.
- jmreid, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I'd love to be able to use a digital notepad in a meeting. As long as it feels like paper, then I'm sold.
- Hambone72, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I take notes all the time, and have often thought how nice a tablet would be to store and organize my notes.
  And watch movies on the bus.
rpgmaker, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1Nah, this hasn't the Apple logo.
Aliarse, on 10/11/2007, -6/+2Why does apple need to make one? Are you telling me that because it doesn't have an apple logo, you wont buy it?

You, sir, are the definition of a Fanboy. If you looked up "fanboy" in a dictionary, your picture would be the only thing there. Next to the apple logo, of course.
- Wootery, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4He was being sarcastic.
  
  Also, use the damn [reply] button in future.
- rpgmaker, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2Just like wootery pointed out, I was being sarcastic. The iPod is the only Apple product that I use on a daily basis. I'm a GNU/Linux fan/user btw.
james948, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0I think it'd be a shame for this company is apple does go and release a tablet in the next year.
I wouldn't put it past them.
KyleMistry, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Maybe with some assignable buttons on the sides. I don't want to keep having to go Edit> Undo should I end up having to.

13" doesn't leave much space for an on-screen shortcut bar either.

Why no keyboard love? Swivelling screens aren't that horrible, are they?
milhouse007, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I'd get it if it was a convertible laptop but not tablet only
nycmac247, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1
buried

no uses outside of medical or military - even with net boot over wireless firewire
- overbyte, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1have you ever drawn anything?
jesstech, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3Ehh, I'll just buy a convertible tablet/laptop and stick OS x86 on it. If Jobs wants to play his silly little torture game because of the Newton, I've got better things to do.
- overbyte, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2what about the sensitivity (512 levels) and pen resolution (fully 2ce the screen res) - these things are of paramount importance to apples core audience
Jeezoflip, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1The modbook is a step up for a mac as a tablet pc, but its still not really one. U cant flip the screen back around and use it like a normal laptop like u can with normal tablet laptops. It just stays in one position. It it flipped around, it might be worth it.
- swrostmore, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3First of all, there are dozens of tablet pcs that don't convert to normal laptops. Second of all, you are a fool if the only feature you care about is a screen to flip about. Modbook is a step up from any tablet pc because it has an industry-standard pen interface (Wacom).
rstevens3, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Hate all you want, I'm replacing my laptop with one.
hayden.evans, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2i saw this at macworld, its kool and all but they hav a problem. you cant log in with a password at initial startup without a keyboard.
- MacParrot, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1If it's set up for single user mode, no password is needed at startup. Onscreen keys can be used for updates or installing programs that need it. Also, you can carry a membrane fold-up keyboard for those times when you might want one.
  
  Having said all that, I don't want or need one, though they did look pretty cool at Macworld
ncaauwe, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1You could call me an Apple fanboy, and I love tablet PCs. The problem is the OS. Personally, I will not pay what I paid for my MacBook Pro for a MacBook Jr powered device with no keyboard or screen protection. The fact that it's actually Wacom technology is pretty kick ass though (I LOVE Wacom, wouldn't give up my 6x11 Intuos3 for the world). Give me a MacBook with the same idea as a regular tablet PC (normal laptop with the ability to flip the screen around and go into tablet mode) and keep it at or below $2k, and I'd consider it. If I had over $2k to throw around for no good reason, I'd be all over a ModBook, but I have more important things to buy in the mean time.

So to all you saying Apple guys think Tablet PCs are retarded but jump at the idea of Apple making one, shut the ***** up.
- swrostmore, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1 I am in the same position as you, I want a tablet but I already have MBP & Wacom. if only there was a way to convert a macbook pro that you already owned, into a tablet, perhaps by "modding" it. This company should totally do special orders.
- overbyte, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1http://www.bongofish.co.uk/wacom/wacom_pt1.html
  
  you can try it but i'm not touching that with a 10 foot barge pole
overbyte, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1the benefits of this particular machine

the tablet is 512 levels pressure sensitive - most tablet pcs are 1/0 (feel free to correct me)
it is utterly portable - although much smaller than a cintiq, it shares the same interest i would say
i have been waiting for apple to buy wacom so they can do the tablet pc right for ages and these guys just did it perfectly imo - if you need a keyboard and mouse, plug them it but otherwise they ruin the portability
it's just damn cool
kademads, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0i am intriuged by this, im a video editing guy, and i feel i could save hours of work on this in after effects, not sure if it would be fast enough though for video, in comparison to the time saved doing tasks like masking and with slow renders.
overbyte, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1the integrated graphics card and limited specs might make it more trouble than it's worth
dackerman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1mac tablet...apple will probably do a good job

probably won't get the sales they want, but it'll sell more than people think
abt5000, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Does it say anywhere how much they weigh? I couldn't find it anywhere on the website...
kreatre2007, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I don't think that Apple is likely to make a tablet based PC. How many of you actually see people using those things? I've seen maybe 2 out of thousands of people that I have dealt with while working in I.T. for the last 8 years. Sure, they're really cool but there just isn't much of a market for tablet PCs.
MajorMauser, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Modbook should have been out at macworld. months ago. its time has passed
phill, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I would love to buy one, but it just seems clunky and the price is way, way out there. Now if they make it less clunky, I would consider it. I would buy this in a second: http://www.theapplecollection.com/design/macdesign/AppleTablet.html
bishopdante, on 02/03/2008, -0/+0Well, I use photoshop. The mouse is a nightmare, doesn't allow freehand drawing. I also touchtype at 80+ words per minute.
For things like InDesign you'll always be best off with a conventional mouse+keyboard layout. But for Illustrator & Photoshop, the pen is mightier than the sword, mouse, finger, everything.

Remember that artists have had the option of using whatever they want for millenia. And they have found the pen the best tool. It isn't any different today.

Wacom Cintiq is not a mainstream bit of kit, but for those who need its abilities, there's nothing to touch it. The modbook is a cintiq in a laptop. A truly mighty tool in the right hands, a total nightmare for those who use MS office.

I love my keyboard, I love my trackpad, but I will never draw a picture with either. I am the modbook customer right here. Mac evangelist, photoshop addict. The modbook will save me years of lost time.
johnlande360, on 03/17/2008, -0/+0ultra-portable = ultra breakable
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