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axiotron posts

Filed under: Mods, MacBook

Axiotron Modbook upgrade: not quite 2 minutes, but overnight ain't bad

If you have $1,149 to spend, TechRestore can convert your MacBook into an Axiotron ModBook overnight during the work-week. They've put together a little stop-motion video, even, to show you how it's done.

The $1,149 price is good through March 6. Overnight delivery options are an extra $29 to $99, depending on whether you ship it yourself to them, drop it off at a shipping center, or have it picked up.

[Via Gizmodo.]

Filed under: Macworld, Hardware, Portables, Video, Mods, Interviews, Macbook Pro

Macworld 2009: Axiotron Modbook Pro

Simply stated, it's the fastest tablet computer on the planet, and it's a Mac.

Axiotron surprised everyone in 2007 by demoing a tablet Mac, the Modbook, made by transferring the inner workings of a stock Apple MacBook to a new chassis with a touch / pen interface. At Macworld Expo 2008, the Modbook actually shipped. Now Axiotron has raised the bar for all tablet devices by announcing the Modbook Pro, a new model made with the 15.4" MacBook Pro electronics.

I talked with Axiotron's CEO and Chief Engineer Andreas Haas this afternoon. Andreas was with Apple's Newton group and said that he always wanted to get back to a pen-based device. The new device is impressively fast and powerful, and Andreas was willing to show us the insides of the new box. Enjoy the video after the break.

Update:
One of our readers asked about VESA mounting points for the Modbook. We believe there are holes in the Modbook to allow mounting, but we'll double-check with the product managers and let you know shortly...

Continue readingMacworld 2009: Axiotron Modbook Pro

Filed under: Macworld, Mods, The Woz, Apple History

Woz gets a new job

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak seems to be a lot more visible lately.

First, he's been making bad web ads for SCOTTEVEST. Next, we received pictures of Woz whizzing from the deck of his Segway. He was fined US$700 for driving his Prius at 104 miles per hour (167 kilometers per hour) on I-5. At last, we've received news that he's actually using that geek cred of his for the good of mankind.

Yes, Stephen Gary Wozniak has just joined the Board of Advisors of Axiotron, makers of the Modbook (that's the mod that turns a stock MacBook into a Tablet Mac).

Andreas Haas, CEO of Axiotron, was quoted late last week as saying "We're thrilled to bring Steve onto our Board of Advisors. His deep knowledge and experience are an invaluable resource for Axiotron. Steve's forward-thinking and non-conformist approach, his incredibly creative engineering designs and his emphasis on the human aspects of technology have always been an inspiration to me."

We'll be visiting Axiotron and reporting on the newly updated Modbook at Macworld Expo 2009, as well as interviewing some well-known artists and designers who use the Modbook as a creative tool. Stay tuned January 5th through 9th for TUAW's extensive coverage of the Expo.

Filed under: Hardware, Portables, Features, Reviews

TUAW reviews the Axiotron ModBook

Axiotron's ModBook has been making a stir for a while, so we're pleased to have the opportunity to take it for a spin. In case you haven't seen it before, it's a MacBook that's been modified into a slate-style tablet computer, and it's stiff competition for any tablet PC (for many reasons, not the least of which is... it's a Mac). Photographer Peter Boysen worked with us (video after the jump) to put it through its paces as we considered the needs of the artists and designers who are Axiotron's primary demographic.

Read on for the rest of our review, and a video bonus.

Continue readingTUAW reviews the Axiotron ModBook

Filed under: Hardware, Video, Hacks, Odds and ends, Apple, MacBook

Mahalo Daily visits the ModBook folks

Our good friends at Mahalo Daily took this short look at the Axiotron ModBook, which (you've probably seen) is a modified MacBook that's been turned into a tablet computer. I learned a couple of interesting things about the device -- first of all, it's not a touchscreen, it's really a tablet, which means you need a stylus to use it. Also, Apple is approving, if not actually supportive, of these things. They're supplying the MacBook bases to Axiotron as an "Apple Proprietary Solution Provider." One could infer from this that Apple doesn't think there's a big enough market for these to make it worth Apple's making an iTablet anytime soon.

The lovely and talented Veronica Belmont also runs through a few practical applications of the device, which I'd imagine are pretty standard on any Tablet PC -- the big draw here, obviously, is that it's a Mac, and you get all the software and UI-shininess contained therein. I don't know that I'm any more inclined to buy one after watching this (I kind of like my keyboard-laden PowerBook, to be quite honest), but it's cool to get a fun look at them in action.

Filed under: Hardware, Cult of Mac

Pictures of the ModBook Mac Tablet in the wild



We got a tip that some pics of the ModBook, the Macbook-based tablet product from OWC and Axiotron, have surfaced on the MacResource Forums. How convenient for us!

Just one pic that I can find and it's a rendering, not an actual product shot. From the looks of it, it's a "clamshell" mod that essentially flips the display over on the MacBook/MacBook Pro. I'm thinking it won't come cheap, but I bet many people will probably still salivate over it.

Now pardon me while I go wipe the drool off my chin...

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