This remembers me of the Modbook, back in... check notes... 2008? I'm old. They would take a Macbook, re-case it and transform it into a tablet. Super cool. Looks like they kept doing this for a few iterations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook

$139 (early Kickstarter price) feels surprisingly low if it works like they claim - a wacom with a display is significantly more expensive, lower display resolution, less portable, and totally different ergonomics (for good or bad). Though they are also a second screen.

Makes me wonder if it'll work on other computers. Not as slickly of course, but it'd probably still function, except maybe for the software (if any)...

If this is exciting and you don't need the EMR stylus but you want a project instead of a product for a Macbook: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805921231769.html

If this is exciting because of the EMR stylus but you want a project instead of a product for a Macbook: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46537489, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVscvWAR1s

That looks like a crappy way to work. Holding your arms out in front of you all day sucks.

The baffling thing is that Apple hasn't made the Pencil work on its laptops' (defectively) oversized touchpads: https://imgur.com/gallery/another-baffling-missed-opportunit...

Without deep OS support for this kind of thing, I can't imagine it will feel anything like a native experience. There are already much better touch screen experiences with years of development behind them, in the Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS platforms. There's no need to have a janky hacked together version for macOS to try to make it to the same thing.

Kind of like the Axiotron Modbook from 2008 but cheaper and as an accessory, not a full mod

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook

This is pretty cool. The only (a huge issue imho) is the fact that the macbook screen does "not go all the way", meaning you cant use it as youd normally would draw or write (from a 90 degree angle)

It looks a bit like an IR scanner attached to glass, and quite a nice form factor for one.

Does anyone know of a similar product that would work with actual computers (Windows, arbitrary monitors), not just fruits?

nice, this might raise the pressure on apple to release a hybrid.

well it is cool, but im missing the point of it, why?

Had to laugh out loud when checking this out. So now you're expected to keep two pieces of glass clean in order to a) not see smudges and b) not scratch the original display because there may be dirt on the touch screen and you can't just close your laptop shut anymore if you're in a hurry?

Not even a hint of a price region as well. Can't imagine anyone really asking for this. Just get an iPad.

Edit: Correction on the no price thing, it's relatively cheap for Kickstarter.

This device is obviously a non-starter, iPads exist already, and the laptop form factor isn't right for this ergonomically.

iPad and Macbook should've already converged at this point.

I say that even as a very happy user of a Macbook with the fancy non-reflective screen coating that wouldn't be a thing on a touchscreen.

I expect the new cheap Macbook that's rumoured will be a hybrid.

Nicer windows laptops have had this for a long time and it works great, other than the janky OS and app support. Just being able to lazily scroll content is worth it some of the time, and there are no downsides. Just like having built-in 5G networking, it's a bizarre blindspot for Apple.

My old-ass Chromebook Pixel (retired due to Chrome no longer having worthwhile adblocking) had a perfect form factor for hybrid tablet/laptop use, though not the software - Beautiful 180 degree hinge, 4:3 aspect ratio.

I'm not saying this product is good, it's looks interesting but in reality will suck (due to not being able to just close the laptop) but I found when I used to use a windows laptop the touch screen was great.

You just naturally get used to using it for reading documents/email/slack when you are using the laptop portable.

It's specially good when you are on a couch/shit surface where you would normally use the touch pad awkwardly, it's also great when you are "one hand" holding the laptop and then scrolling/showing someone something. I found it also great in the small ass meeting rooms for zoom calls.

I wish the MacBook had it.

Pretty much every school in the US has students using touchscreen Chromebooks. It's funnyish when a young person tries to touch my MacBook screen to do a quick action, and I have to tell them that it's necessary to go to the touchpad, diddle a little to find the cursor, then do a move action to get to get to the target. Dragging is even more puzzling, touch and drag on a screen vs. move, double-tap or ctrl-click, then drag, then tap to release. I'm sure some will help me with faster touchpad methods, but that aside, I've used Mac laptops for 30+ years, and generally feel that those who perceive touchscreens as a gorilla-arm problem just haven't used a touchscreen laptop. They provide a much more efficient interface for some common actions. Touchscreens are so common now that most Windows and Chrome devices have them as the norm. Always strikes me as a bit strange that Apple-priced Mac laptops lack a feature found in low-price competitors.

I wish there were a way to disable the touchscreen built into my thinkpad, which I never use - except occasionally by accident, when my sleeve brushes it or the like. Why would I want fingerprints on my monitor? Of course I'm not going to touch it.

My significant other uses her touchscreen laptop as a consumption device (for video and prose; a lot of fanfictions!) in the bed (a beefy tablet with a built-in stand resting on her belly, if you will). In that context she's very happy with a touchscreen and is a factor when buying a new laptop (fortunately that Thinkpad X1 Yoga from 2017 is still going strong).