The Modbook can do a lot of things a regular MacBook can’t. We still don’t recommend that you take it for a float in the pool!

Take away a MacBook’s keyboard, and add a touchscreen display, and behold the Modbook. Literally a retrofitted MacBook, this Apple-sanctioned tablet Mac shares the same features and performance. But the Modbook does more—and less—than Apple’s portable. The Modbook’s touch-sensitive screen responds well to the included stylus, making it a great digital sketch pad for artists. With the right software, the Modbook makes a useful in-the-field device for doctors, insurance representatives, and other specialized mobile users. A built-in GPS module even tracks the Modbook’s location. But efficient work, even in graphic and other media applications, often requires buttons—or the keyboard that this tablet lacks. A narrow segment of users will find the Modbook ideal; it’s the only tablet computer that runs OS X, after all. But we wish it had just a few more features.

The Modbook offers a spec sheet identical to that of the current Apple MacBooks. At press time, the Modbook ships with either 2.1 or 2.4GHz Intel Core Duo processors. It has the same camera, the same ports, the same amount of RAM, and the same performance. In a mad-scientist move—and aren’t they the best kind?—Axiotron removes Apple’s LCD and grafts its own onto the touch-sensitive display that sits where the MacBook’s keyboard would ordinarily be. The resulting form factor is slightly thicker than the MacBook that donated its guts, but the Modbook essentially looks like a MacBook with an inside-out display. The screen is sharp and clear, sharing the same size and resolution as Apple’s LCD. Unlike the MacBook screens, however, the Modbook sports a matte display. The screen is noticeably dimmer than Apple’s stock display, but, hey, it’s a touchscreen. Thankfully, the viewing angles on the Modbook screen are better than those on Apple’s MacBook
display, making it possible to use the tablet while it’s flat on a table.

Powered by the same technology that’s built into all of Wacom’s pen tablets, the Modbook’s touch-sensitive surface responds accurately to its stylus, fluidly moving the pointer around the screen. In Photoshop and Painter, we scribbled and brushed creations with greater ease than is possible with a mouse—or even a drawing tablet. Because the ModBook’s touchscreen and stylus can respond to 512 levels of pressure, you have almost unlimited flexibility working on it in graphics apps, and you can easily change the size and shade of strokes. A light touch creates thin, wispy lines, while a more forceful hand results in dark, thick lines. And, as with Wacom’s other tablets, the battery-less stylus flips over to turn into an eraser—just like a traditional pencil.

Other creative programs (audio editors, for example) feel snappy and new with the stylus input. We had fun tuning GarageBand songs and tapping the onscreen piano.

Still, despite the fact that the tablet is designed to leapfrog a QWERTY keyboard, we missed having even a few buttons. You can forget hitting the spacebar to start playback in most audio and video editors, for example. Command-Z, Command-A, and other essential key commands don’t exist. Even with painting and photo retouching, we constantly had to reach for palettes and menus, when we’d normally rely on muscle-memory, tapping out keyboard shortcuts to zoom, change tools, and otherwise adjust settings. A few user-programmable buttons would have vastly improved our experience and productivity.

One workaround for the somewhat limiting interface is Apple’s Ink handwriting recognition. The software digitizes clean handwriting and uses gesture motions to activate often-used commands. The Modbook also includes a floating onscreen keyboard, which we often pecked at to enter URLs, passwords, and other critical text. One of the two stylus side-buttons comes preset to toggle this window.

Although the stylus interface gives new control options a mouse can’t replicate, it also has shortcomings. Accuracy is impressive over the vast majority of the Modbook’s surface, but the mouse pointer can drift away from the stylus tip near the screen’s edges. There were also plenty of occasions where we just wanted to tap the screen directly with a finger, but the Modbook’s screen only responds to the stylus. For tasks like launching videos, scrolling through webpages, or entering details in a custom database, fingertips would be a more convenient option.

Mac users might be glad to have a tablet laptop at all, but some Windows-based tablet PCs include all of the Modbook’s missing features at a similar price: hard buttons, a keyboard that lives behind the screen and is accessible by pressing a button and swiveling the screen around, and fingertip recognition. And the 5.5-pound Modbook feels heavy and a bit clumsy, especially compared to keyboardless Windows-based tablets.

The bottom line. The Modbook is a competent drawing tablet and Mac laptop mashed together. But the lack of any physical buttons, a keyboard, or a finger-readable touchscreen limits its audience.

COMPANY: Axiotron

CONTACT: www.axiotron.com

PRICE: $2,279 or $2,479

REQUIREMENTS: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, 5,400-rpm 1202GB hard drive, Combo Drive, Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory, 13.3-inch TFT LCD display with Wacom touch-sensitive digitizer, two USB 2.0 ports, mini-DVI port, analog audio-in & out, iSight, 802.11n AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 5,400-rpm 160GB hard drive, SuperDrive, Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory, 13.3-inch TFT LCD display with Wacom touch-sensitive digitizer, two USB 2.0 ports, mini-DVI port, analog audio-in & out, iSight, 802.11n AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Touch-sensitive screen effectively tracks stylus on majority of the surface. Built-in GPS module adds unique abilities. Only tablet Mac available.

Cursor drifts from stylus tip slightly at tablet edges. Doesn’t respond to fingertip touches. Lack of any hard buttons slows down all work.