A Mac Tablet will be launched at Macworld - just not from Apple!

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 05 January 2007 19:59

Your IT - Entertainment

Back when 12-inch iBooks were available, someone turned a 12-inch iBook into a Tablet, but offered no warranty and you lost use of the keyboard. Now, Other World Computing (OWC) and Axiotron will release the ModBook – a MacBook converted into a Mac Tablet – and it’s launching at Macworld next week!

Can you say ‘cease and desist’? Maybe that’s what Apple’s lawyers will be saying on day one of Macworld to OWC and Axiotron, who are scheduled to launch the ModBook, an unofficial modification of the MacBook into a Mac Tablet.

Details on the OWC site are sketchy, but it will be a slate (possibly meaning the loss of the keyboard), with a WACOM Penabled touch screen, Apple’s Inkwell technology for handwriting and gesture recognition technology so the WACOM has something to work with when you write on screen, and the option of a built-in GPS for good measure.

We won’t get full specs or pricing until day one of Macworld, which is January 9, but the website says the following: “Engineered in the U.S. by a renowned team of German and American designers, the ModBook's condensed form factor and integrated pen-based user experience makes it the ultimate solution for applications and situations where a keyboard only gets in the way. Ideal for: Mobile Users, Business Professionals, Artists, Students, and Technology Leaders!”

Initially the ModBook Tablet will be available for sale as a complete unit, with a one year warranty and a third-party added warranty program should you feel a one year warranty just isn’t long enough. But OWC and Axiotron are planning to offer an upgrade kit, allowing existing MacBook users to upgrade their MacBooks into Tablets. This will be available later in 2007.

I'm a big fan of the Windows Tablet PCs, and Vista has only made the Tablet experience better than ever. The Tablet PC hasn't taken off quite as Bill Gates would have liked, but Vista presents the Tablet PC with its greatest ever chance of success.

A Mac Tablet is a totally different kettle of fish, especially with Apple not officially supporting this project as far as we know so far.

So, while a real Mac Tablet PC from Apple would be the best outcome, one thing’s for sure – whether Apple is planning on releasing a Mac Tablet or not, an Intel Mac Tablet is definitely launching at Macworld!