Is Axiotron's ModBook actually about to ship?

For a device which has lived solely in the hearts and minds of hopeful buyers for such a long time, the ModBook has certainly seen its fair share of news. The latest dispatch comes in the form of a letter from the "Other World Computing Team," marketers for the Axiotron-made tablet Mac, detailing expected shipment dates and new configuration options which are being made available. If you believe what you read, actual ModBook hardware will be shipping to buyers starting January 11th -- of course, they've been claiming a ship date for about a year, so we recommend you take this one with a hefty grain of you-know-what.

[jdmbo1 @ Dec 26th 2007 7:42PM]

I always dreamed of a Macbook with touch/pen features, but this doesn't look to inviting. For people who are considering ordering this, you should wait till MacWorld passes in January, to make a final choice, word is Apple might introduce a new consumer tablet pc.

[roach @ Dec 26th 2007 7:45PM]

With Apple's current half ass writing feature, good luck using this thing without a keyboard. Apple can't even touch XP writing capabilities and Vista runs circles around XP. My ancient HP TC1100 tablet PC and Vista rocks!

[Jesus @ Dec 26th 2007 7:49PM]

With this question I'm being 100% sincere as I don't know the answer and am really curious: What advantages does XP/Vista have over OSX in this regard? What are the differences?

[Miles @ Dec 26th 2007 8:33PM]

Fucking troll.

[roach @ Dec 26th 2007 8:37PM]

Other than tons of little features (non highlight when in password mode, web helper, etc) it is way smarter. Check out the video...my hand writing is a lot messier than the guy in the video:

http://www.gottabemobile.com/VistaHandwritingRecognitionVsMacOSXInkWellHandwritingRecognition.aspx

[Ignacio @ Dec 26th 2007 8:42PM]

I haven't tried XP or Vista's implementation but I can confirm that Apple's InkWell sucks horribly. Writing "Hello" has a 50% chance of being interpreted as "He110" (H-e-one-one-zero), usually with random spaces inserted: "H e1 10". The spacing between chars can be configured, but I still haven't found a setting that works consistently.

From my Wacom tablet: "This 15 A test H 5a I d / Te ally 62 C ye 8 Ye"
Should have been: "This is a test. As I said, really bad. Bye bye."

[Richard @ Dec 27th 2007 1:22AM]

The OP is 100%, allbeit, a little harsh. I've used both - and Apple has really dropped the ball on this, or should I say Microsoft has really taken the concept and run with it. The TPC is/was(?) a pet project of Bill Gates that has been actively develped, whereas the InkWell is in may ways a hold over from the Newton days. I'm no Microsoft fan, but I think we need to give credit where credit is due on this one.

[nerdtalker @ Dec 27th 2007 1:09AM]

As much as the fanbois seem to be having an orgy voting Roach down, he IS right in this regard. At the moment Vista/XP's tablet functionality (obviously) is better than apple's. I say obviously because there (obviously) aren't any apple tablets out there right now, so the comparison is relatively moot to begin with.

Regardless, I use a tablet every single day for serious note taking, web browsing, email writing, everything, and Vista's tablet functionality is better than anything I've seen out there. Trust me, I've been using handwriting recognition consumer level devices since the Palm III days, and I'm very impressed. Handwriting recognition through the tablet input panel is extremely accurate, learns your handwriting with normal use (and from specific corrections you make character by character), and becomes astonishingly better with each and every use. This functionality works through an API with all the other handwriting-type input dialogs. Believe me, I have a hard time reading my own handwriting, but this thing is close to 99% right-on.

Moreover, what killer note taking application is there for mac anyways? Something that's tablet-HID type enabled? Sorry guys, but OneNote has you beat in that regard. If you haven't used it, try it out. It seriously is the biggest kept secret in all of Microsoft's... (or M$ if you prefer) product lineup.

But again, apple isn't even trying in this market. Perhaps they'll do the same thing to tablet GUI/use like they did to WM with the iPhone... Capacitive is the new sexy.

[Jon Doe @ Dec 27th 2007 2:29AM]

truth hurts doesn't it Miles?

[Jon Doe @ Dec 27th 2007 2:39AM]

Other then OS X sucks ass? Not much. And I'm dead serious on that comment too. I've had a MBP for 2 years now and Friday was the last straw with wireless being beyond unreliable and the continuing adventures of OS X the freezing OS when I go from Wireless to wired, change locations and as Jobs like to put it BAM! Instant freeze. I nuked OS X and installed Vista Business that I've had sitting on my desk for about 9 months now with SP1....no problems what so ever. My only complaint is no iPhoto which I'm working on getting in VMWare Workstation. Fuck OS X. I don't know if the OS just hates me but I'm dead serious when I say in the 8 years of running Win2K, XP, and now Vista I've crashed more times in the last 2.5 years with my MBP then all years combined with 2K, XP, and Vista.
PS- And don't tell me its my hardware. Fall of last year Apple replaced my gen 1 MBP with a C2D MBP and I've still been having on and off again problems.

[jayjay @ Dec 27th 2007 4:36AM]

I always smile at people comparing handwriting recognition on different platforms. Isn't it obvious that choosing characters from a virtual keyboard will ALWAYS be faster than forming the actual characters? The only place where pattern recognition might work is when the screen is so small there isn't actually room for a virtual kb (although I can't think of any device too small).

[Jeff Lewis @ Dec 27th 2007 5:04AM]

@ Ignacio
Obviously we'll have different handwriting, but to show you how well Vista's handwriting works, this entire post was done or a UMPC and oddly that acronym was the only thing it couldn't get right!

Here's your test sentence:

This is a test. AI said really bad. Bye bye.

[nicholas @ Dec 26th 2007 7:49PM]

Yes, it is about to ship. It will be unveiled at Macworld by Steve Jobs. It was probably a ploy to gauge market acceptance, and I would have bought one this summer if it were available.

[nicholas @ Dec 26th 2007 7:51PM]

Roach,

I had a Fujitsu, and besides the Windows part, it was fantastic!

[Ireland @ Dec 26th 2007 8:52PM]

Haha!! Besides the Operating System it was fantastic! That just has to be the comment of the year, has to.

[Chris Przybycien @ Dec 26th 2007 8:14PM]

*cough*Power Computing*cough*

[Liam @ Dec 26th 2007 8:13PM]

I know Apple are hardly going to get their lawyers on what is basically a field test of technologies they must be considering themselves, and gets them loads of money. But how are the guys making this covering their own asses?

[jilie @ Dec 26th 2007 8:22PM]

and how do you type with thaat modded macbook?

[blaktornado @ Dec 26th 2007 8:41PM]

External Keyboard? :P

[jilie @ Dec 26th 2007 9:21PM]

yes because you love travelling with a tablet mac and a external keyboard in the bag... very straightfoward--

[bobartig @ Dec 26th 2007 11:42PM]

You could get an apple bluetooth keyboard, which would add minimally to your overall baggage, but you would likely have to carry alternate input devices of some kind to fully use a modbook.

[wickedpheonix @ Dec 26th 2007 9:21PM]

Well, good luck competing with the official thing about to release on the same day that this ships...

[Miles @ Dec 26th 2007 8:34PM]

Why would anyone buy this?
Apple is just going to come out with a better tablet that has multi-touch, and a higher res.
Lame.

[Wwhat @ Dec 26th 2007 8:41PM]

Hefty grain of you-know-what? so salt is the banned word for 2008 then? Does that mean they'll start using 'hell' again? Or is the list just expanded.
Questions questions.

[Ireland @ Dec 26th 2007 8:52PM]

That Modbook is going to look awfully goofy next to the 11", Multi-touch, Mac touch tablet Apple themselves are set to release at some point in 2008.

[michael @ Dec 27th 2007 1:19AM]

Of course. Dreams and wishes.

[Ireland @ Dec 27th 2007 11:35AM]

If you don't wish for things you're not alive.

[Barry @ Dec 26th 2007 8:56PM]

They're rushing this to market to (hoping and praying) make their money back before Apple drops a UMPC tablet at macworld.

Writing's on the wall: Intel's 45nm 1.5 watt x86 chip is on the way, and Apple's probably got an inside track on it. Think iPhone without the phone, but with a 7-inch capacitative touch screen. 5-7 hour battery life. HSPDA. 32gb SSD. Oh, and an actual SDK.

[jilie @ Dec 26th 2007 9:25PM]

@Barry
"Think iPhone without the phone, but with a 7-inch capacitative touch screen. 5-7 hour battery life. HSPDA. 32gb SSD. Oh, and an actual SDK."
again?! another device with half the features of any other similiar device?

[Barry @ Dec 27th 2007 2:03AM]

You're right, the iPhone is a total failure. Nobody wants one. What was I thinking?!

[Jesse S @ Dec 26th 2007 10:38PM]

It's useless to anyone who actually uses a pdaphone for work. It is useful to people who want a crappy phone, video, and music player all wrapped into one.

[Michael LaFramboise @ Dec 27th 2007 1:54AM]

Oh Jesse S, how could we forget that everyone who uses their phone for "work" needs to edit pie charts and spread sheets on it...

[Matthew Fedder @ Dec 26th 2007 10:08PM]

Why is Other World Computing in quotes? They're a legitimate company; and I've bought Mac peripherals from them for years.

[PSM @ Dec 26th 2007 11:06PM]

Agreed. OWC is great. I had never heard of them until earlier this year when I discovered their hard drive enclosures. They've got a good selection of Mac-related products that you don't find at mainstream stores.

[Logboy @ Dec 26th 2007 11:33PM]

hmmm sounds like vaporware to me. I'm gonna get this AND one of those Optimus Maximus keyboards...I promise.

[Michael @ Dec 26th 2007 11:40PM]

So uh, with the news that Apple is working on WGA-like authentication to make sure that OSX isn't running on non-Apple hardware...

[Logboy @ Dec 28th 2007 8:49PM]

Exactly. I can't see Apple licensing software to run on this thing either.

[HAHAHA @ Dec 27th 2007 12:25AM]

There is no words to the fuck 'modbook', it's so ugly! HOAH~~ Apple? Why the so-called 'touch- macbook' comes from Axiotron & OWC? Shit the ModBook!

[barrywoods @ Dec 27th 2007 2:58AM]

Dude, don't hold it in. It's not healthy.

[Jon Doe @ Dec 27th 2007 2:28AM]

Just get a Tablet PC. There. I've been wanting to do that to tard users who keep telling people to just get a Mac.

[Jon Doe @ Dec 27th 2007 2:33AM]

Everyone bookmark this discussion thread so we can all come back here in 2008 and laugh our asses off when Apple doesn't release ANY of the suggested hardware.

[Jambalaya @ Dec 27th 2007 2:42AM]

The Modbook is aimed at a niche market apparently not understood by most of the posters here.

Think "mobile high end content creation that requires accurate stylus input" instead of "note taking by legions of cubicle jockeys".

For those that can't master rudimentary penmanship, Jobs will give you a big ol' iTouch and Macworld. Then you can watch all those Fox movies on iTunes that Apple has just set up to sell you. Everyone will need one because they'll be too small to share. It'll be loads of fun typing your e-mail on it while staring straight down, too. Can you say "chiropractor"?

By the way, the Modbook IS Apple hardware - just modified for a specific purpose. No worries about Jobs' little monopoly ruining the Modbook party.

[Jeff Lewis @ Dec 27th 2007 5:12AM]

Or lowering the price... because you know, first you have to buy a MacBook... then add stuff to it, and tear it apart and put it back together... Rather than just build one from scratch...

[deniz @ Dec 27th 2007 4:06AM]

im confused. how is this a legal product? i thought os x can only be installed on apple hardware(legaly)?

[Jeff Lewis @ Dec 27th 2007 4:49AM]

It is. Modbooks are MacBooks they've taken apart and reassembled into Modbooks...

[shoman24v @ Dec 27th 2007 9:23AM]

Ever use a Sony UX?

[rob @ Dec 27th 2007 10:04AM]

Did anyone else notice that the tablet is running Tiger and not Leopard?
So, this would be running an OS that is 'out of date'.
Hmmm.

[Bubba @ Dec 27th 2007 10:12AM]

OMG! MAC fanboys world rejoice.

Uh oh, I see the (-)votes coming

[Jambalaya @ Dec 27th 2007 4:08PM]

From Jeff Lewis - Or lowering the price... because you know, first you have to buy a MacBook...

Too true. This Modbook thing won't ever be cheap and I've heard it's the reason Axiotron won't make it in 15 or 17 inch MacBook Pro sizes. Conversely, Apple products are pretty expensive in and of themselves. Add in the fact that Apple outdates its products every six months by upping processor speeds or adding ram capacity makes staying current a pursuit of the expendable income crowd exclusively.

From rob - Did anyone else notice that the tablet is running Tiger and not Leopard?
So, this would be running an OS that is 'out of date'.

Just checked the OWC website. Looks as if the Modbooks will be based on current issue Apple equipment. 2.2 Ghz, 4.0GB memory, Leopard. It appears OWC/Axiotron aren't buying laptops in advance or buying up back stock.