Specifications

• Brand: Axiotron
• Product: Modbook
• Year: 2009
• Device type: Pen-enabled Mac tablet computer
• Underlying Apple model: MacBook A1181
• Model identifier: MacBook 5,2
• Donor manufacture period: Week 20 of 2009
• Screen size: 13.3 inches
• Input technology: Wacom-compatible pen digitizer
• Pressure sensitivity: Tested and working
• Original stylus: Included
• Processor: 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• Processor cores: 2
• Memory: 4GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Memory configuration: 2 × 2GB
• Memory speed: 667 MHz
• Storage capacity: 512GB
• Storage type: Solid-state drive
• SSD manufacturer: Samsung
• SSD model: MZ7LN512HMJP-000L7
• SSD status: S.M.A.R.T. verified
• Operating system: Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8
• Optical drive: Internal DVD writer
• Wi-Fi: Tested and working
• Bluetooth: Tested and working
• Ethernet: Tested and working
• FireWire: Tested and working
• USB ports: Both tested and working
• Camera: Tested and working
• Audio: Tested and working
• Sleep and wake: Tested and working
• Battery: Installed, tested, excellent operating condition - ONLY 48 CYCLES!
• Condition: Used
• Functional status: Fully tested and working

Description

Long before Apple introduced the iPad, Axiotron created something Apple itself did not offer: a genuine pen-enabled Mac tablet. The Axiotron Modbook began life as an Apple MacBook and was professionally converted into a slate-format computer using a custom metal enclosure and integrated Wacom pen digitizer. It was built for direct handwriting, illustration, photography, annotation, and other creative work within Mac OS X.

This example is based on a Mid-2009 Apple MacBook5,2 platform. Its donor hardware was manufactured during approximately week 20 of 2009. It features a 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of DDR2 memory, and an upgraded 512GB Samsung SSD. The SSD reports verified S.M.A.R.T. status.

The original Axiotron stylus is included. The stylus and digitizer have been tested across the display for tracking, calibration, clicking, and pressure-sensitive input.

The unit has also been comprehensively tested. The optical drive, integrated camera, audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, both USB ports, FireWire, sleep and wake, restart, and shutdown functions are working. The installed battery has been tested and remains in excellent operating condition.

The built-in camera has been tested and is working. The Mickey Mouse image shown in the photographs was captured using this Modbook’s integrated camera. The pictured image and subject are shown only as a camera-test sample and are not included with the sale.

The Modbook shows cosmetic wear from age and prior use, including scratches, scuffs, surface marks, discoloration, underside wear, and wear to the rubber feet. It is being offered as a rare functioning vintage computer and technology-history collectible rather than as a modern everyday tablet.

Provenance and Original-System Preservation

This Modbook retains an unusually complete preservation record of its original system.

Before installing the upgraded 512GB Samsung SSD, the original internal hard drive was carefully removed and imaged in full. The resulting disk image was transferred to the SSD so the Modbook’s original operating environment, software configuration, and period system contents could be preserved rather than replaced with a generic installation.

The associated .dmg image files have also been retained electronically as archival backups. The original physical hard drive was separately preserved and is included with this listing.

This preservation process provides three distinct layers of continuity:

• The original system environment transferred to the installed SSD
• Electronic archival disk-image files retained separately
• The original physical hard drive included with the Modbook

For a collector, archivist, or technology historian, this means the system has not merely been upgraded for usability. Its original storage hardware and period software environment have been deliberately preserved alongside the functional SSD installation.

Included

• 2009 Axiotron Modbook tablet computer
• Original Axiotron pressure-sensitive stylus
• Installed 512GB Samsung SSD
• Original physical hard drive
• Preserved original-system image installed on the SSD
• Electronic archival .dmg disk-image files
• Installed 4GB RAM
• Installed battery
• Internal DVD writer
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8
• Apple MagSafe Charger

Shipping and Returns

Ships securely packaged with tracking, full insurance, and signature confirmation. The display will be protected with a nonabrasive screen layer and rigid support, and the tablet will be packed with substantial cushioning inside a strong outer carton. Buyer pays shipping. No returns accepted.

Collector’s Note

This is not merely another white polycarbonate MacBook. It is one of the rare Axiotron Modbooks created during the brief period when independent engineers built the pen-enabled Mac tablet that Apple itself had not yet released.

What makes this specific example especially desirable is that its defining Modbook features are not merely present—they have been tested. The original Axiotron stylus and Wacom digitizer track properly, calibrate correctly, and retain pressure-sensitive input. The camera, optical drive, audio, wireless connections, physical ports, sleep and wake functions, and battery have also been verified.

The later 2.13 GHz MacBook5,2 hardware, maximum 4GB memory configuration, and upgraded 512GB Samsung SSD make this a particularly capable surviving example. The strong original-style battery and included stylus further distinguish it from incomplete, untested, or display-only survivors.

Its original hard drive and software environment have been preserved through a full archival imaging process, with the original system transferred to the installed SSD, electronic .dmg backups retained, and the physical source drive included—an unusually complete provenance package for a surviving vintage computer.

For an Apple collector, digital-art hardware enthusiast, or technology historian documenting the path from the MacBook era to the iPad, this Modbook offers the rare combination of historical significance, originality, verified functionality, and practical display value.