14 DAY TRIAL // While Apple used its SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing to introduce the unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro at this year's Macworld Expo, Axiotron had its newly-appointed advisor, Steve Wozniak, detailing the capabilities of their new ModBook Pro. Axiotron's business is to take Apple MacBooks and turn them into science-fiction-style Mac tablets.
An update on Axiotron's web site says that pre-orders for the company's newest system will be arriving sometime between May and June – they really don't know for sure. What we do know from Axiotron for a fact is that the new ModBook Pro differs a lot in design from its 13-inch cousin, which Axiotron crafts out of regular Apple MacBooks.
The device is a bit bulkier and square-ish and, unlike the new-generation of Apple portables, the Modbook Pro features a “multibody abstraction design” achieved (surprisingly) through the same process employed by Apple when making its unibodies – that is to say precision machined aluminum. “There are no exterior sheet metal or plastic parts, providing unprecedented structural strength,” Axiotron reveals.
A notable difference between the original Apple MacBook Pro model and Axiotron's Pro ModBook is the user-replaceable battery. The ModBook Pro's battery (although probably not as durable as Apple's) is “easily accessible on the bottom of the device,” and “provides power,” according to Axiotron.
“Introducing the new standard for excellence in tablet computing. [...] The 15.4-inch Modbook Pro is the ultimate tablet computer,” Axiotron said, when the company introduced the new model at the Macworld 2009 Expo. “Constructed from a unibody Apple MacBook Pro base system, Axiotron’s Modbook Pro combines blazing speed and power with new cutting-edge hardware and software features. From its sleek aluminum enclosure to its innovative tablet tools, the Modbook Pro reimagines the tablet computing experience,” the modder added.
Those interested in acquiring a ModBook Pro, or the low-end ModBook should head over to Axiotron's site here. Those who pre-ordered their Pro before January 12 should receive a $400 discount.