Maybe Apple’s (AAPL) $500 iPad doesn’t cut it, or Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Note 10.1 is just not precise enough. It’s understandable that those tablets don’t have the horsepower of a MacBook Pro to fit the creative professional’s demanding needs. The Modbook Pro returns as touchscreen MacBook display gutted of its keyboard. Its touchscreen has 512 stylus sensitive pressure points and the base model has a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of Sanshara solid-state drive for $3,499. The Modbook Pro also retains the 13.3-inch display (1280 x 800 resolution) and ports, including USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt found on the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro. Upgrades can be custom ordered with a faster 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and 480GB of solid-state drive space.
You might be asking yourself why anyone would buy the Modbook Pro over the Retina-ready iPad, and we’re wondering that ourselves too. The honest answer would probably be app support. The Modbook Pro is not running iOS, it’s running the full desktop version of OS X Mountain Lion. The Modbook Pro is also not targeting mom and dad. It’s a niche product aimed at creative professionals who want to be able to draw in Photoshop or edit with a stylus with absolute precision. Is the 5.5-pound “tablet” worth the $3,499? We suggest asking a professional.
Preorders start today with Modbook Pro tablets shipping out on or before November 16th. Modbook Pro Inc’s press release follows below.
Modbook Pro to Launch with All Solid-State Architecture
Unique Pen Tablet Computer to Skip Mechanical Drives and Ship with High-Performance Solid-State Drives Only – Ordering Process for Modbook Pro Set to Begin Next Week
Creative technologies developer Modbook Inc. today announced that its highly portable 13.3-inch Mac®-based pen tablet computer, the Modbook® Pro, will forego the traditional internal storage method of hard disk drives (HDDs) in favor of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs). The standard internal storage option on the Modbook Pro will be a 64GB solid-state drive, with upgrades possible to increase internal SSD storage to 480GB.
Modbook Inc. today also announced that the ordering process for the Modbook Pro is scheduled to begin next Wednesday, October 3, 2012. Customers with shipping addresses in the United States will be able to order the Modbook Pro online for shipment as early as mid-November.
An innovative computer modification product, every complete 13.3-inch Modbook Pro* solution incorporates: the original hardware of a new Apple® MacBook® Pro computer running OS X® Mountain Lion (and optionally Microsoft® Windows® 7); a digitizer from the industry leader in pen tablet technology, Wacom®, that offers 512 levels of pen pressure sensitivity; and a ForceGlass™ pen interface with a paper-emulating drawing surface. The Modbook Pro is the ideal portable workstation for creative users.
In pre-production testing of the Modbook Pro, Modbook Inc. found that solid-state drive options offered a number of clear advantages over mechanical drives. SSDs allow users to get their Modbook Pro up and running fast and handle files of almost any size effortlessly. This speed of access and performance is perfect for the demands of creative users who often work with multiple large files at the same time.
In its base configuration, the Modbook Pro will ship with Modbook Inc.’s original 64GB Nishara™-class SATA 3 SSD, offering asynchronous NAND technology that balances storage space, speed and performance. Customers can upgrade to Modbook Inc.’s original Sanshara™-class SATA 3 SSDs with up to 480GB of storage. The top-of-the-line Sanshara drives employ synchronous NAND technology and deliver the best speed and performance available in flash-based storage. Modbook Inc.’s Nishara and Sanshara drives are built from the highest quality components. In addition to their outstanding performance and reliability, these drives offer durability over the long haul – as contrasted with the possibility of mechanical failure with HDDs. The live system of an SSD-powered Modbook Pro operates without any moving parts (aside from its base system’s optical drive), dramatically decreasing the chances for data corruption or loss. Also, the Modbook Pro’s SSDs are fine-tuned to not interfere with its high-resolution pen tablet interface (whereas the electromagnetic field emissions of HDDs are notoriously difficult to control).
“We’re thrilled about the performance edge our Nishara and Sanshara drives will give Modbook Pro users. Once you’ve experienced the near instant-on startup and lightning fast system performance of an SSD-powered Modbook Pro, you won’t ever go back,” said Andreas E. Haas, chief executive officer and chief technology officer of Modbook Inc.
Modbook Pro orders are scheduled to begin next Wednesday. Customers with shipping addresses in the United States will be able to place their custom build orders for the Modbook Pro online, with the first Modbook Pro orders shipping in November. Detailed product specifications, pricing and availability information will be announced next week.
More information about Modbook Inc. and the Modbook Pro is available at http://www.modbook.com.
*The Modbook Pro is an enclosure conversion kit designed to exclusively contain an original MacBook Pro base system manufactured by Apple Inc. Apple Inc.’s one-year warranty on the base system is voided by the conversion and replaced with the Modbook Pro Protection Plan, which covers the entire hardware solution, including the base system.