Sightful, a human-computer interaction company, is set to launch its inaugural product, Spacetop, which is being described as an “augmented reality laptop” without a screen. Instead, Spacetop consists of a hardware deck and a full-sized keyboard all of which is paired with tailored NReal glasses. As Engadget reported, the glasses project tabs onto a virtual 100-inch screen directly in front of the user, while remaining invisible to others.
In terms of specifications, Spacetop is equipped with a Snapdragon 865 processor, Adreno 650 GPU, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. This places it in the same category as some smartphones that are capable of driving AR glasses. However, Spacetop itself is not smartphone-sized, measuring 1.57 inches in height, 10.47 inches in width, and 8.8 inches in depth. It weighs 3.3 pounds which again is in the same league as many laptops available on the market.
Sightful aims to target the work-from-home-or work-from-anywhere segment with its Spacetop device. The company recognizes that while laptops play a central role in our daily work lives, the technology has not evolved to meet the needs of the modern “road warrior” mentality and the increasing demand for privacy. On the other hand, augmented reality holds immense potential but is yet to find its practical application in everyday use. Sightful sees this as the opportune moment for a significant paradigm shift in a device that is familiar and widely used.
Initially, Spacetop will only be available for purchase by 1,000 early adopters through an application-based program. Pricing and availability details are yet to be disclosed. The success of this project will be closely watched, as it seeks to address the challenges that many other similar endeavors have faced in the past.