The Modbook is a brand of a pen-enabled

Mac Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...

tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers ...

s first manufactured by Axiotron, Inc. from 2008 to 2010, and then by Modbook Inc. from 2012 to present. It is an aftermarket Mac conversion based on certain models of the

MacBook MacBook is a type of Mac laptop computer that is developed and marketed by Apple that use Apple's macOS operating system since 2006. The MacBook brand replaced the PowerBook and iBook brands during the Mac transition to Intel processors, ann ...

and

MacBook Pro The MacBook Pro is a line of Mac laptop computers developed and manufactured by Apple. Introduced in 2006, it is the high-end sibling of the MacBook family, sitting above the ultra-portable MacBook Air and previously the low-end MacBook li ...

product lines manufactured by

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

. Manufactured using the original motherboard and all other core components of a previously purchased, genuine Apple laptop computer, the Modbook is able to run the

Mac operating system Mac operating systems were developed by Apple Inc. in a succession of two major series. In 1984, Apple debuted the operating system that is now known as the classic Mac OS with its release of the System 1, original Macintosh System Software. Th ...

unmodified and maintain the same level of compatibility with any Mac application, as the initial donor MacBook or MacBook Pro system. Commercial sales of the Modbook are, like every Mac conversion before it, protected in the U.S. by the

First-sale doctrine The first-sale doctrine (also sometimes referred to as the "right of first sale" or the "first sale rule") is a legal concept that limits the rights of an intellectual property owner to control resale of products embodying its intellectual prope ...

and similar legal concepts in most other countries. Currently the company's website Modbook.com has been suspended and they have not updated the Kickstarter and Wefunder campaigns in years. After successful campaign funding and website preorders, the Modbook Pro X still has not been fulfilled to customers as of February 2022.

Original Modbook

Originally developed by

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California-based Axiotron, Inc., the Modbook was introduced at the 2007 Macworld Conference & Expo as the first commercially available pen-enabled tablet Mac and won a Best in Show award. The Modbook started shipping soon after the

Macworld ''Macworld'' is a digital magazine and website dedicated to products and software of Apple Inc., published by Foundry, a subsidiary of IDG. History ''Macworld'' was founded by David Bunnell and Cheryl Woodard (publishers) and Andrew Fl ...

2008 and was positively received as the pen-based

macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

based tablet

fans had been waiting for, with all the components of a

and a built-in Wacom

digitizer Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format.Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ ...

for

pen PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

input, in a slate-style form factor. The Modbook used the Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo White with speeds of 1.8 GHz and 2 GHz. Its pen support was based on Penabled Wacom digitizing technology and did not include touch input. The Axiotron Digitizer

Pen PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

featured 512 pressure levels, 2 programmable side buttons plus an eraser. The Modbook also was equipped with a new and improved LCD panel, more suited for use as a tablet computer, offering wider viewing angles and higher contrast colors compared to the original base MacBook display. The "AnyView" display was bonded to the "ForceGlass" screen cover, which was chemically strengthened to improve the durability of the screen and featured an etched surface to improve the response of the digitizer pen. Connectivity options on the Modbook were identical to the underlying MacBook and include two USB 2.0 ports and a single

FireWire IEEE 1394 is an interface standard for a serial bus for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer. It was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Apple in cooperation with a number of companies, primarily Sony a ...

port. Networking was supported with an integrated

Gigabit Ethernet In computer networking, Gigabit Ethernet (GbE or 1 GigE) is the term applied to transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. The most popular variant, 1000BASE-T, is defined by the IEEE 802.3ab standard. It came into use in ...

port, a

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

card that supports the 802.11 a/b/g/draft-n specification and

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

. The Modbook could also be connected to an external display device using a Mini-DVI port (supports DVI, VGA, S-video, and composite video). Other features included a built-in CD/DVD or DVD burner, built-in

iSight iSight is a brand name used by Apple Inc. to refer to webcams on various devices. The name was originally used for the external iSight webcam, which retailed for US$149, connected to a computer via a FireWire cable, and came with a set of moun ...

Camera, built-in Mounting Locks for use with VESA compatible mounting system, and an optional built-in WAAS

Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide ge ...

module.

Conversion process

During the Macintosh conversion process the top segments of the

are removed, which include the keyboard, LCD screen and camera. A glass screen cover, a new LCD screen, a sensor board, the original camera and a chrome-plated magnesium top shell are then installed. This is done either to a new-from-Apple

for a device sold complete to a new owner, or to the customer's previously owned

for an aftermarket modification.

Modbook Pro

Introduced in June 2012, by the newly founded Southern California-based Modbook Inc., the Modbook Pro uses a completely new conversion process and enclosure design to convert a

13.3-inch standard display model into an all black, all aluminum slate-style pen-enabled

tablet. The system's specifications start with a 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 processor with up to 16GB of RAM and either a 1TB hard drive or a 960GB SSD, with a SuperDrive and Intel HD 4000 graphics. The system can be bumped up to a 2.9 GHz Core i7 processor and additional storage options. The Modbook Pro is targeted at

creative professional A creative professional who is also known as a creative specialist is a person who is employed for the extraction of skills in creative endeavors. Creative professions include writing, art, design, theater, television, radio, motion pictures, rela ...

s looking for the power of a

running

, but in a

-enabled

Modbook Pro X

The Modbook Pro X was conceived as a one-off, limited production run, starting off as a successful

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

project at the end of 2014. Through several delays, caused by technical challenges and subsequent Apple updates to the

it is based on, the

project eventually evolved into Modbook Inc.’s next commercial product line, the Modbook Pro X with Touch Bar. No Modbook Pro X machines were delivered to customers. Payments were not refunded.

Modbook Pro X with Touch Bar

The Modbook Pro X with Touch Bar was introduced on September 14, 2017 together with Modbook Inc.’s first

Equity crowdfunding Equity crowdfunding is the online offering of private company securities to a group of people for investment and therefore it is a part of the capital markets. Because equity crowdfunding involves investment into a commercial enterprise, it ...

campaign hosted on the

Wefunder Wefunder is an online service that allows individual investors to crowdfund startup companies. Wefunder uses a provision in the 2012 JOBS Act that allows unaccredited investors to purchase equity in early stage private companies. Foundation ...

platform, and is expected to begin shipping after a successful closing of the campaign. Unlike previous Modbook models, the new Modbook Pro X is a tablet-to-laptop convertible, based on Apple's top-end 15.4-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro models. As of February 2022, Modbook, Inc. has not delivered any Modbook Pro X or Modbook Pro X with Touch Bar machines to any customers. Wefunder, Kickstarter, and individual preorders have not been fulfilled. The website Modbook.com has also been suspended.{{cite web , url=https://deets.feedreader.com/modbook.com, title= Modbook.com news - Account Suspended, accessdate=2023-03-28

References

External links

Axiotron HomepageMac Information & ResourcesThe upcoming Modbook Pro as Demonstrated During Macworld 2009
Macintosh clones Macintosh computers X86 Macintosh computers