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How to get the touchscreen Retina MacBook Pro of your dreams

Published Jul 30th, 2014 2:15PM EDT
Best Kickstarter Projects Modbook Pro X

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Apple has never been all that keen on the idea of releasing a MacBook with a touchscreen, even if it has been toying with the idea of releasing a larger “iPad Pro.” Just because Apple isn’t going to release a touchscreen MacBook, however, doesn’t mean that a bold entrepreneur on Kickstarter won’t give it a shot. A new Kickstarter projected called Modbook Pro X is trying to raise $150,000 to build a massive MacBook-tablet hybrid that even utilizes one of Steve Jobs’ most hated accessories — the stylus.

The proposed device will feature a 15.4-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels, or 220 pixels per inch. You can use it as either a laptop or a tablet and it will also come with a stylus that “offers 2,048 pressure levels, pen tilt and rotate functionality, programmable dual side-switches, a digital eraser and replacement nib set.” Additionally, the Modbook Pro X will be “configurable with up to a 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, integrated Intel Iris Pro Graphics with an optional NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M GPU, and up to 32GB of 1600MHz random-access memory.”

The new Kickstarter just launched on Wednesday, so it obviously doesn’t have all that many backers yet. Oh, and if you want to make sure you get your own copy of the device, you’ll have to pledge $4,000, which means that you probably won’t see all that many people carrying it around. Once it’s released, the Modbook Pro X will retail for a wallet-incinerating $4,600 as a standalone device and $5,000 with a custom keyboard.

Can the Modbook Pro X get enough people with tons of disposable income to pledge enough to make its dream come true? We’re certainly eager to find out.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.