It has been revealed that the world’s only Mac Tablet maker at the moment, Axiotron, has been forced to hand over the “TabletMac” trademark to Apple. In usual Apple manner, the Mac maker feels it is the only company entitled to have the term “Mac” next to the term “tablet,” and probably for good reason too.

Axiotron has built its business around taking apart original Apple MacBooks, converting them into solid, one piece, touch-screen tablets, capable of pen-input. The “ModBook,” as it is referred to now, is currently available for just $699 (requires the owner to bring in their own MacBook), while ready-to-go units start at $1,199.00. The device is mostly aimed at designers.

Axiotron originally started marketing what it now calls “ModBooks” as “TabletMacs.” The company referred to its product as “TabletMac” in at least one official document – the press release announcing its availability. Axiotron moved even to trademark the dubbing, and it did. An excerpt from the original press release has been reproduced below.

“Solution hardware manufacturer Axiotron, Inc. today appointed veteran Apple sales partner Carbon Computing as the exclusive Canadian distributor for the Axiotron ModBook™, the one and only TabletMac™ computer solution, and welcomed leading Mac health care software developer Edge Health Solutions, Inc. as the first Gold-level ModBook Solutions Partner.”

However, MacRumors reports, sometime in the past year, the trademark was transferred from Axiotron over to Apple. The latter is now listed as the owner of the trademark, whether it is just protecting “Mac,” or whether it is actually planning on introducing its own tablet Mac. Apple fanatics should not be disappointed at the TabletMac name – Apple is almost certainly just securing its notoriety. Its own tablet is likely to have a catchier, more original name.