Modbook Maker Axiotron Apple’s Forgotten Victim

It’s so easy to get caught up in the hype and spectacle of one of Apple’s launch events that you let some of the small details fall through the cracks. While the new all-aluminium MacBooks were great news for consumers, they spelled the beginning of the end for Axiotron’s Modbook.

The Modbook, you will recall, is the slightly-more-corporeal manifestation of the mythical Mac tablet. Based around a standard (old-fashioned plastic) MacBook, the wizards at Axiotron fitted it with a pen-based digitiser screen and GPS. Announced at the 2007 MacWorld, it finally began shipping a year later. And not even a year after than, it looks like it’s days are numbered.

While the white MacBooks are still available, this is likely only a temporary measure and Apple is not currently offering a choice of processor speeds as build-to-order options. To counter this shortage of base systems, Axiotron have now introduced their “Modservice” which offers to take a customer’s own MacBook and tabletify it, all for $1,299.

Axiotron has announced that Modbooks based on the aluminium MacBooks are due to be unveiled at some point during 2009. Let’s hope for there sake that Apple doesn’t finally get around to launching a tablet Mac of their own.

• Axiotron’s Modservice
• via Macsimum News