TheModbook is a brand of a pen-enabledMactablet computers first manufactured byAxiotron, Inc. from 2008[1][2] to 2010,[3] and then byModbook Inc. from 2012 to present. It is anaftermarketMac conversion based on certain models of theMacBook andMacBook Pro product lines manufactured byApple.
Manufactured using the original motherboard and all other core components of a previously purchased, genuine Apple laptop computer, the Modbook is able to run theMac operating system unmodified and maintain the same level of compatibility with anyMac 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 theFirst-sale doctrine 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.
Originally developed byLos Angeles, California-basedAxiotron, Inc., the Modbook was introduced at the 2007Macworld Conference & Expo as the first commercially available pen-enabledtablet Mac and won a Best in Show award.[4][5][6][7]
The Modbook started shipping soon after theMacworld 2008[8][1][2] and was positively received as the pen-basedmacOS based tabletApple fans had been waiting for,[9] with all the components of aMacBook and a built-inWacomdigitizer forpeninput, in a slate-style form factor.
The Modbook used the AppleMacBook Core 2 Duo White with speeds of 1.8 GHz and 2 GHz. Its pen support was based onPenabled Wacom digitizing technology and did not include touch input. The Axiotron DigitizerPen 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 thedigitizer pen.
Connectivity options on the Modbook were identical to the underlying MacBook and include twoUSB 2.0 ports and a singleFireWire port. Networking was supported with an integratedGigabit Ethernet port, aWi-Fi card that supports the802.11 a/b/g/draft-n specification andBluetooth. The Modbook could also be connected to an external display device using aMini-DVI port (supports DVI, VGA, S-video, and composite video). Other features included abuilt-in CD/DVD or DVD burner, built-iniSight Camera, built-in Mounting Locks for use withVESA compatible mounting system, and an optional built-inWAASGlobal Positioning System module.[10]
During theMacintosh conversion process the top segments of theMacBook 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-AppleMacBook for a device sold complete to a new owner, or to the customer's previously ownedMacBook for an aftermarket modification.
Introduced in June 2012,[11] by the newly founded Southern California-basedModbook Inc., the Modbook Pro uses a completely new conversion process and enclosure design to convert aMacBook Pro 13.3-inch standard display model into an all black, all aluminum slate-style pen-enabledMactablet.[12][13][14] The system's specifications[15] 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 atcreative professionals looking for the power of aMacBook Pro runningmacOS, but in apen-enabledtablet computer.[16]
The Modbook Pro X was conceived as a one-off, limited production run, starting off as a successfulKickstarter project at the end of 2014.[17][18] Through several delays, caused by technical challenges and subsequent Apple updates to theMacBook Pro it is based on,[19] theKickstarter project eventually evolved[20] intoModbook 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.
The Modbook Pro X with Touch Bar was introduced on September 14, 2017 together withModbook Inc.’s firstEquity crowdfunding campaign hosted on theWefunder platform, and is expected to begin shipping after a successful closing of the campaign.[21] Unlike previous Modbook models, the new Modbook Pro X is atablet-to-laptop convertible, based on Apple's top-end15.4-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.[22]
... The idea is to offer creative professionals a way to work on a "real" computer while still offering them a tablet-like experience—a sort of Frankenstein between the iPad and a normal MacBook Pro ...'