I’m a little skeptical about its practicality, but a company dubbed Sightful has unveiled “Spacetop: the World’s First Augmented Reality (AR) Laptop.” But you can’t easily get your hands on one yet.
Created by a team of more than 60 spatial computing experts, including veterans from Apple (well, kinda), Microsoft, and Magic Leap, Spacetop represents the next generation in personal computing and the first application of Augmented Reality that seamlessly fits into users’ daily lives, according to Tamir Berliner, CEO and co-founder of Sightful.
Berliner was the co-founder of Primesense Israeli 3D sensor company. Apple acquired the company in 2013. I haven’t been able to find if he actually worked for Apple after the acquisition.
But back to the laptop: with customized hardware and a proprietary spatial environment, the Spacetop purportedly leverages AR to remove the physical constraints of standard laptops. Berliner says the result is a first-of-its-kind product that allows users to carry with them a massive, private, virtual workspace designed and customized by the user.
Boasting a 100-inch-plus virtual canvas, Spacetop features purportedly include:
- Intuitive Augmented Reality: Spacetop operates as a laptop. Users enjoy a familiar but dramatically expanded experience in AR with no complicated gesture controls to learn, and no external hardware or software awkwardly integrated with non-AR devices.
- Limitless Digital Workspace: Spacetop users carry a multi-monitor setup as large as their work requires, whether sitting on a couch in their home, working over breakfast at a local cafe, or squeezed into an airplane seat on a cross-country flight.
- Privacy by Design: The Spacetop work environment, called the Canvas, and the user’s work are completely invisible to those who are not using the device. No more wandering eyes from nosy neighbors, no more privacy screen filters.
The Spacetop comes with 8GB of memory, 256GB of storage, and 2560 x 1920 resolution. It weights 3.3 pounds and runs the Spacetop OS. An open-source Android OS, the selection of apps leans heavily on productivity (office apps, basically).
The Spacetop Early Access program is now open with 1000 early adopters invited to join. Those interested in being the first to receive their Spacetop can apply at www.sightful.com.
