January 2, 2009 Rumours surrounding Apple’s plans are in abundance right now, but what awaits us at the last Apple MacWorld keynote address next Tuesday is still no certainty. There’s a lot of speculation about the possibility of an iPhone Nano being announced, and a more recent rumour has been kickstarted by TechCrunch (which it reports to have substantiated from three sources), suggests there’s a much larger iPod Touch in the works, with a seven inch or even a nine inch screen (up from the current 3.5 inches). Ironically, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who recently joined the board of Axiotron, producers of the only existing Mac tablet, the 13.3-inch Modbook, will be presenting new hardware for the company at Macworld too. Could a nine inch upspecced iPod Touch with its multitouch interface become the weapon with which Apple finally goes to battle in the low priced netbook market?
For those who can’t wait until the anticipated announcement regarding the larger iPod Touch, which isn’t expected until deep into 2009, the Modbook from Axiotron, or whatever gets announced by the company’s latest addition to the board, Steve Wozniak, could be worth a look. That's the Modbook in the main picture.
At Tuesday’s unveiling event, Axiotron will offer a window into the company’s unique product development process and showcase new hardware and software products and technologies. From the press release, “Mr. Wozniak will present his vision of how Axiotron’s approach may represent a bridge between past breakthroughs and future innovations.”
Axiotron’s booth will feature artists, designers and software representatives who will highlight the improved and enhanced Modbook at numerous hands-on demonstration stations. Macworld attendees will also get a first look at Axiotron’s latest innovations, including Quickscript™, the company’s new handwriting recognition software.
Axiotron CEO Andreas E. Haas commented, “His excitement about our Modbook has been both gratifying and inspiring. As fellow Newton MessagePad enthusiasts, Steve and I share the desire to bring back some of those powerful pen tablet features that have been dormant for so long, and I am delighted to present some of what we have been working on.”
Mr. Wozniak, a recipient of the National Medal of Technology, developed the much-admired Apple I and Apple II personal computers that propelled Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) to a position of leadership in technology innovation and helped to launch an entire industry.
The Modbook is based on the Apple Macbook and prices start at around $2300, or if you have an existing MacBook, it can be turned into a Modbook by the company’s Modservice for $1300 upwards.