4 ms·

Intricuit: A touchscreen add-on for Mac laptops

33 points by nvahalik 10mo ago

NSPG911 10mo ago
well it is cool, but im missing the point of it, why?
- razingeden 10mo ago
  pushing pixels. I never liked Wacom tablets or the (Fujitsu) touchscreen on my laptop. worked in design and graphics environments that gave me a few of them for free and it wasn’t for me. This is one of the ideas I wish worked well for me but I loathed it. And would maybe revisit. Still clutching to the mouse and still clutching to photoshop 30 years later, I’d change either one out if I enjoyed their replacement.
Groxx 10mo ago
$139 (early Kickstarter price) feels surprisingly low if it works like they claim - a wacom with a display is significantly more expensive, lower display resolution, less portable, and totally different ergonomics (for good or bad). Though they are also a second screen. Makes me wonder if it'll work on other computers. Not as slickly of course, but it'd probably still function, except maybe for the software (if any)...
- Onavo 10mo ago
  You won't get any of the subtle display animations and UI niceties for a capacitive touchscreen on desktop. It will function like those old Nokia touchscreens/Windows Mobile stylus point and click.
  - deleted 10mo ago
    [deleted]
  - Groxx 10mo ago
    I'm good without the animations, thanks. I disable them everywhere already. Small touch targets is true, but with how expansive UIs have gotten since Windows Mobile it's FAR less of an issue and I've used it just fine in the past (external touch display). The most difficult target is usually the window close button, but the consequences for missing that are nearly zero, and practically everything else is more than large and space-buffered enough if you don't close your eyes before reaching for the screen. And that's before liquid glass redesigns.
- chocochunks 10mo ago
  Wacom is a big name brand. You can get pen displays from brands like XP Pen and Huion for not much more (https://www.amazon.com/XP-PEN-Artist12-Battery-Free-Multi-Function-Sensitivity/dp/B07GNK18VJ https://www.amazon.com/XP-PEN-Artist12-Battery-Free-Multi-Fu...). And they are true second displays. If all you want is a pen tablet then those are much less expensive.
  - Groxx 10mo ago
    That one is still twice the price and half the resolution, and I don't see anything about touch. I mostly agree though, Wacom is far from the cheap option.
phplovesong 10mo ago
This is pretty cool. The only (a huge issue imho) is the fact that the macbook screen does "not go all the way", meaning you cant use it as youd normally would draw or write (from a 90 degree angle)
VerifiedReports 10mo ago
That looks like a crappy way to work. Holding your arms out in front of you all day sucks. The baffling thing is that Apple hasn't made the Pencil work on its laptops' (defectively) oversized touchpads: https://imgur.com/gallery/another-baffling-missed-opportunity-by-apple-p2ydM7R https://imgur.com/gallery/another-baffling-missed-opportunit...
- jofzar 10mo ago
  I'm not saying this product is good, it's looks interesting but in reality will suck (due to not being able to just close the laptop) but I found when I used to use a windows laptop the touch screen was great. You just naturally get used to using it for reading documents/email/slack when you are using the laptop portable. It's specially good when you are on a couch/shit surface where you would normally use the touch pad awkwardly, it's also great when you are "one hand" holding the laptop and then scrolling/showing someone something. I found it also great in the small ass meeting rooms for zoom calls. I wish the MacBook had it.
  - Zanfa 10mo ago
    > I'm not saying this product is good, it's looks interesting but in reality will suck (due to not being able to just close the laptop) It's one of those situations where the more seamless they make the experience, the quicker the user will end up totalling either the laptop screen / hinges or the touchscreen. Given the position of the connector and how people generally close laptops, it's the perfect lever to crack something.
  - pimlottc 9mo ago
    Sometimes it feels like the entire world forgot about using the pgup/pgdn keys for scrolling
    - VerifiedReports 9mo ago
      To be fair, those keys are missing from many (most?) laptops. Certainly Apple laptops, which also lack the much-more-important Delete key (instead, they only have a Backspace key mislabeled "delete").
wooger 10mo ago
This device is obviously a non-starter, iPads exist already, and the laptop form factor isn't right for this ergonomically. iPad and Macbook should've already converged at this point. I say that even as a very happy user of a Macbook with the fancy non-reflective screen coating that wouldn't be a thing on a touchscreen. I expect the new cheap Macbook that's rumoured will be a hybrid. Nicer windows laptops have had this for a long time and it works great, other than the janky OS and app support. Just being able to lazily scroll content is worth it some of the time, and there are no downsides. Just like having built-in 5G networking, it's a bizarre blindspot for Apple. My old-ass Chromebook Pixel (retired due to Chrome no longer having worthwhile adblocking) had a perfect form factor for hybrid tablet/laptop use, though not the software - Beautiful 180 degree hinge, 4:3 aspect ratio.
- nottorp 10mo ago
  > iPad and Macbook should've already converged at this point No thanks. Unless you mean the iPad should also be running a general purpose operating system fully under the device owner's control...
jasonvorhe 10mo ago
Had to laugh out loud when checking this out. So now you're expected to keep two pieces of glass clean in order to a) not see smudges and b) not scratch the original display because there may be dirt on the touch screen and you can't just close your laptop shut anymore if you're in a hurry? Not even a hint of a price region as well. Can't imagine anyone really asking for this. Just get an iPad. Edit: Correction on the no price thing, it's relatively cheap for Kickstarter.
pidgeon_lover 10mo ago
It looks a bit like an IR scanner attached to glass, and quite a nice form factor for one. Does anyone know of a similar product that would work with actual computers (Windows, arbitrary monitors), not just fruits?
ggus 10mo ago
This remembers me of the Modbook, back in... check notes... 2008? I'm old. They would take a Macbook, re-case it and transform it into a tablet. Super cool. Looks like they kept doing this for a few iterations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook
noodlebird 10mo ago
nice, this might raise the pressure on apple to release a hybrid.
starkparker 10mo ago
If this is exciting and you don't need the EMR stylus but you want a project instead of a product for a Macbook: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805921231769.html https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805921231769.html If this is exciting because of the EMR stylus but you want a project instead of a product for a Macbook: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46537489 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46537489, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVscvWAR1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVscvWAR1s
gxonatano 10mo ago
Without deep OS support for this kind of thing, I can't imagine it will feel anything like a native experience. There are already much better touch screen experiences with years of development behind them, in the Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS platforms. There's no need to have a janky hacked together version for macOS to try to make it to the same thing.
podlp 10mo ago
Kind of like the Axiotron Modbook from 2008 but cheaper and as an accessory, not a full mod https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook

33 points by nvahalik 10mo ago

NSPG911 10mo ago

well it is cool, but im missing the point of it, why?

razingeden 10mo ago
pushing pixels. I never liked Wacom tablets or the (Fujitsu) touchscreen on my laptop. worked in design and graphics environments that gave me a few of them for free and it wasn’t for me. This is one of the ideas I wish worked well for me but I loathed it. And would maybe revisit. Still clutching to the mouse and still clutching to photoshop 30 years later, I’d change either one out if I enjoyed their replacement.

Groxx 10mo ago

$139 (early Kickstarter price) feels surprisingly low if it works like they claim - a wacom with a display is significantly more expensive, lower display resolution, less portable, and totally different ergonomics (for good or bad). Though they are also a second screen. Makes me wonder if it'll work on other computers. Not as slickly of course, but it'd probably still function, except maybe for the software (if any)...

Onavo 10mo ago
You won't get any of the subtle display animations and UI niceties for a capacitive touchscreen on desktop. It will function like those old Nokia touchscreens/Windows Mobile stylus point and click.
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]
- Groxx 10mo ago
  I'm good without the animations, thanks. I disable them everywhere already. Small touch targets is true, but with how expansive UIs have gotten since Windows Mobile it's FAR less of an issue and I've used it just fine in the past (external touch display). The most difficult target is usually the window close button, but the consequences for missing that are nearly zero, and practically everything else is more than large and space-buffered enough if you don't close your eyes before reaching for the screen. And that's before liquid glass redesigns.
chocochunks 10mo ago
Wacom is a big name brand. You can get pen displays from brands like XP Pen and Huion for not much more (https://www.amazon.com/XP-PEN-Artist12-Battery-Free-Multi-Function-Sensitivity/dp/B07GNK18VJ https://www.amazon.com/XP-PEN-Artist12-Battery-Free-Multi-Fu...). And they are true second displays. If all you want is a pen tablet then those are much less expensive.
- Groxx 10mo ago
  That one is still twice the price and half the resolution, and I don't see anything about touch. I mostly agree though, Wacom is far from the cheap option.

phplovesong 10mo ago

This is pretty cool. The only (a huge issue imho) is the fact that the macbook screen does "not go all the way", meaning you cant use it as youd normally would draw or write (from a 90 degree angle)

VerifiedReports 10mo ago

That looks like a crappy way to work. Holding your arms out in front of you all day sucks. The baffling thing is that Apple hasn't made the Pencil work on its laptops' (defectively) oversized touchpads: https://imgur.com/gallery/another-baffling-missed-opportunity-by-apple-p2ydM7R https://imgur.com/gallery/another-baffling-missed-opportunit...

jofzar 10mo ago
I'm not saying this product is good, it's looks interesting but in reality will suck (due to not being able to just close the laptop) but I found when I used to use a windows laptop the touch screen was great. You just naturally get used to using it for reading documents/email/slack when you are using the laptop portable. It's specially good when you are on a couch/shit surface where you would normally use the touch pad awkwardly, it's also great when you are "one hand" holding the laptop and then scrolling/showing someone something. I found it also great in the small ass meeting rooms for zoom calls. I wish the MacBook had it.
- Zanfa 10mo ago
  > I'm not saying this product is good, it's looks interesting but in reality will suck (due to not being able to just close the laptop) It's one of those situations where the more seamless they make the experience, the quicker the user will end up totalling either the laptop screen / hinges or the touchscreen. Given the position of the connector and how people generally close laptops, it's the perfect lever to crack something.
- pimlottc 9mo ago
  Sometimes it feels like the entire world forgot about using the pgup/pgdn keys for scrolling
  - VerifiedReports 9mo ago
    To be fair, those keys are missing from many (most?) laptops. Certainly Apple laptops, which also lack the much-more-important Delete key (instead, they only have a Backspace key mislabeled "delete").

wooger 10mo ago

This device is obviously a non-starter, iPads exist already, and the laptop form factor isn't right for this ergonomically. iPad and Macbook should've already converged at this point. I say that even as a very happy user of a Macbook with the fancy non-reflective screen coating that wouldn't be a thing on a touchscreen. I expect the new cheap Macbook that's rumoured will be a hybrid. Nicer windows laptops have had this for a long time and it works great, other than the janky OS and app support. Just being able to lazily scroll content is worth it some of the time, and there are no downsides. Just like having built-in 5G networking, it's a bizarre blindspot for Apple. My old-ass Chromebook Pixel (retired due to Chrome no longer having worthwhile adblocking) had a perfect form factor for hybrid tablet/laptop use, though not the software - Beautiful 180 degree hinge, 4:3 aspect ratio.

nottorp 10mo ago
> iPad and Macbook should've already converged at this point No thanks. Unless you mean the iPad should also be running a general purpose operating system fully under the device owner's control...

jasonvorhe 10mo ago

Had to laugh out loud when checking this out. So now you're expected to keep two pieces of glass clean in order to a) not see smudges and b) not scratch the original display because there may be dirt on the touch screen and you can't just close your laptop shut anymore if you're in a hurry? Not even a hint of a price region as well. Can't imagine anyone really asking for this. Just get an iPad. Edit: Correction on the no price thing, it's relatively cheap for Kickstarter.

pidgeon_lover 10mo ago

It looks a bit like an IR scanner attached to glass, and quite a nice form factor for one. Does anyone know of a similar product that would work with actual computers (Windows, arbitrary monitors), not just fruits?

ggus 10mo ago

This remembers me of the Modbook, back in... check notes... 2008? I'm old. They would take a Macbook, re-case it and transform it into a tablet. Super cool. Looks like they kept doing this for a few iterations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook

noodlebird 10mo ago

nice, this might raise the pressure on apple to release a hybrid.

starkparker 10mo ago

If this is exciting and you don't need the EMR stylus but you want a project instead of a product for a Macbook: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805921231769.html https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805921231769.html If this is exciting because of the EMR stylus but you want a project instead of a product for a Macbook: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46537489 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46537489, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVscvWAR1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVscvWAR1s

gxonatano 10mo ago

Without deep OS support for this kind of thing, I can't imagine it will feel anything like a native experience. There are already much better touch screen experiences with years of development behind them, in the Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS platforms. There's no need to have a janky hacked together version for macOS to try to make it to the same thing.

podlp 10mo ago

Kind of like the Axiotron Modbook from 2008 but cheaper and as an accessory, not a full mod https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modbook