Tablet computing fans fed up with waiting for Apple to release a pen-powered Mac are at long last able to buy one thanks to US-based Mac upgrade specialist Other World Computing. OWC Axiotron Modbook OWC's Axiotron Modbook: a tablet Mac at last Slip OWC $1300 (£795/€1015) and send in your brand new metal MacBook, and the …

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Friday 31st October 2008 15:30 GMT Anonymous Coward

AppleCares not for this, I suspect...

E-peen-enhancing though a tablet Mac might be for the high end Apple aficionado, I can't imagine it'll be any way compatible with AppleCare, which would make it a very expensive gamble on how long a Modbook will last before developing hardware issues.

It is kind of surprising that Apple haven't released an official version, though - god knows there are enough people out there who'd buy it.

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Friday 31st October 2008 20:00 GMT Michael

You'd think it would be a no-brainer

What's that? We've got a strong foothold in the mid-to-high end laptop market, and are popular with people who like gadgets? We've released a range of portable media players and phones with a well regarded and intuitive multi-touch interface? Our deals with mobile network providers could get us an easy entrance into the highly mobile computing market?

Well, I just don't see how those things could ever work together.

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Friday 31st October 2008 20:00 GMT Webster Phreaky

And Again ... it will be a flop

What do you get when you make an already over priced buggy POS MacBook into a REALLY over-priced POS Tablet MacBook that no one really wants?

A Flop.

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Friday 31st October 2008 20:00 GMT Matt Thornton

Who does the maths over there?

I can't think of anything more pointless than this tablet kajigga, but £1345 for one direct from them, or £1400 you paid for your laptop + £800 to convert it? Who would do that?

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Saturday 1st November 2008 21:30 GMT Proton Wrangler

A pretty slick conversion

A friend has had one of these since August. It keeps the bottom shell of the MacBook intact, with the motherboard and peripherals. The top shell/keyboard and display are lopped off and replaced with a digitizer and display similar to the Wacom Cintiq digitizer/LCDs.

I believe they get some kind of accomodation from Apple to buy the base shells sans display which probably lets them offer the new units so inexpensively (relative to the conversion)

Axiotron does not have much software of their own on the beast, relying on Apple's Ink system and Wacom's tablet driver software. My friend does illustration work on hers, and I expect that's what most of them are used for, rather than a specialized vertical application

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Sunday 2nd November 2008 06:35 GMT Andrew Kirkpatrick

I smell Psystar

... hmm, I love the smell of legal action early in the morning

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Monday 3rd November 2008 12:08 GMT Jim

@ I smell Psystar

Why? Psystar are selling non-macs with OS X pre-installed, these guys are selling (mostly) mac hardware.

And, if Proton Wrangler is to believed, they are doing this with the knowledge of Apple.

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Monday 3rd November 2008 12:08 GMT Anonymous Coward

old macbooks only

While extremely expensive they actually work very well, and they include their own warranty.

but its only available on the old style plastic macbooks not any of the aluminum ones.

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Monday 3rd November 2008 12:08 GMT Anonymous Coward

Buy a proper tablet PC

...or you could buy a proper tablet PC (HP 2730p, Gigabyte M912, etc) and stick OSX on it. It works on these and other tablet PCs...

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Monday 3rd November 2008 14:26 GMT James Prior

@ AC "old macbooks only"

So you missed the bit which said:

"Slip OWC $1300 (£795/€1015) and send in your brand new *metal* MacBook, and the company will convert into a tablet it's calling the Axiotron Modbook."

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Wednesday 5th November 2008 21:39 GMT Proton Wrangler

plastic macbooks only, for the moment

To be clear, a close perusal of the axiotron.com site confirms that they presently offer this only for the original macbooks, but they hope to have a revised shell casting available in "mid-2009" to serve the new ones. El Reg has had a bit of a cock-up on the press release comprehension front.

So far as Apple is concerned, for OS X licensing this _is_ an Apple-labeled product, just resold in a modified case. Axiotron sells through distributors in the US and Canada, with each responsible for warrenty service.

Reading their forums, I see the Axiotron CEO was an Apple engineer on the Newton and some other products, and the company is an Apple Premier Developer, though I'm not sure if that signfies more than dropping a few grand on ADC membership.

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