Axiotron, makers of the thing that was closest to being an iPad before the iPad was announced – the Modbook – are not going to give in without a fight. No sir.
They’ve sent out a press release today, announcing a new promotion for buyers of all new Modbooks. Something they hope will make customers think twice before buying an iPad.
A Modbook, for those readers unfamiliar with the idea, is a Macbook that’s been torn in half, then re-assembled with a touch-screen attached. If you provide your own MacBook for them to work on, it’ll just cost you $899. That’s on top of the cost of the MacBook. Or you can just buy the whole thing from them direct, for $1,849.
And Axiotron are clearly trying to put some distance between their product and what they sniffily call Apple’s “one-app-at-a-time media pad”.
No, say Axiotron. The Modbook is a “full-fledged tablet computer” and “the most powerful and affordable slate-style tablet computer system on the market”. Why, they seem to be asking, would anyone waste their money on a puny little iPad?
Oh, and that special promotion to make the Modbook sound a little more appealing? If you buy a Modbook, you’ll get a free additional digitizer pen set (worth $50!), as well as the one that comes with the Modbook anyway.
Hmm. Yeah. Good luck with that.
Giles Turnbull is a freelance writer in England. He also writes for the Press Association and The Morning News. You can find out more at his website, and follow him on Twitter @gilest.
12 responses to “Modbook Makers Fight Back With, Err, Free Digitizer Pen”
ah yes, my modbook- biggest waste of money and effort ever. What a hunkajunk.