Outside of foldables and 2-in-1s, the basic concept of a laptop hasn't changed much over the last few decades. Your standard clamshell has a keyboard and a screen and it folds into a book shape. Sightful, a Tel Aviv-based startup with $61 million in venture funding, is looking to change that with its first product, the Spacetop.
While it still uses the clamshell form, when you open the Spacetop, there's a pair of AR glasses waiting for you (these are a customized version of the Nreal Light) instead of traditional screen. Spacetop claims this puts a 100-inch screen at your disposal, but the reality is slightly more complicated.
To start, Sightful founders Tamir Berliner and Tomer Kahan (formerly of Magic Leap) told me that while the Spacetop is ready to start shipping today, you have to apply for early access. The company wants people who they think can use this the way envisioned — using lots of windows, largely web apps — trying the Spacetop first. People who need more powerful hardware, like gamers, will be asked to wait. Once an applicant is approved, they will pay $2,000 for their hardware. Yes, you need to be approved at this point for them to take your money.
The keyboard and touchpad feel like they belong to a laptop (they're produced by laptop manufacturer Wistron). But in the demo units I tried, the keyboards felt a bit loose. There are two USB Type-C ports on the side of the laptop, which can be used for peripherals or to attach a physical display. There's also a very small e-ink display on the unit, though Sightful was only using it to show off its logo.
