I Ordered A Modbook!

Part of doing the Proko Anatomy of the Human Body for Artists curriculum involves using a tablet to digitally draw over images.

To do this, I'm currently using a Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch Small tablet and Adobe Photoshop. It's become frustrating, however, because I've never gotten used to my hand drawing in one place and me looking in another.

So when I discovered that there is a Mac-based tablet AND computer, I was excited! This is the ONE gadget I genuinely need—and want—more than anything else (OK, except a smartphone. I was REALLY excited when the smartphone came out and I didn't have to carry both a flip phone and a palm pilot.)

Why hadn't I heard of the Modbook before? It's been around since 2008 and is a brand of a pen-enabled Mac tablet computers. It's an aftermarket Mac conversion based on certain models of the Macbook and Macbook Pro product lines manufactured by Apple.

Despite having just purchased a new iMac, I decided that the Modbook is worth the price since it will allow me the tablet and portability I so miss with the iMac. It will also make doing storyboards and animation a lot easier than my current system.

As I often do, I impulsively purchased one! Here's what I ordered:

I was impressed that Modbook contacted me 2 1/2 weeks after the order was placed to inform me that a vendor issue was delaying the harddrive. As a result, I was upgraded from a 480GB harddrive to a 750GB. Now that's what I call customer service!

In my haste to order, however, I didn't notice that the Mac OS wasn't the most recent. In fact, it's several generations behind. And I didn't notice this until weeks after placing the order.

I sent a concerned email to Modbook and they got back to me promptly. They explained that my order's current delay is due to them working on getting the most current OS operating on the computer. I wrote them back to please take the time they need to get this right because the computer will be of little use to me without the most recent, or close to recent, OS.

As of this writing (Dec. 17) I still have not received my Modbook ordered on Oct. 13. This does NOT bother me. This computer could be exactly what I need and I'm willing to wait as long as necessary for it to be right.

When I do finally get my Modbook, I'll make an unboxing video. Keep a lookout for it!