If you’re getting buried under hundreds of overlapping tabs and can’t ever find the page you’re looking for, there may now be a surprising solution.
The Spacetop has an excellent 100-inch display, but still fits in your backpack.
Launched at CES 2024, this unusual computer uses an augmented reality headset to give users the largest possible workspace.
But can the Spacetop deliver on its promise, with an eye-watering price tag of $2,150?
With a battery life of just five hours and a potentially slow processor, it’s not clear whether this innovation can compete with standard laptops.
If you’re tired of having too many windows open on a small screen, the Spacetop laptop might be the solution
Although it doesn’t have a screen, the Spacetop claims to have a 100-inch screen using augmented reality glasses
While office workers may have the luxury of using multiple large monitors, those of us who work from home are often stuck with a small laptop screen.
Even the largest laptop screens don’t exceed 15 inches from corner to corner, which doesn’t leave much room for several windows.
To solve this problem, Sightful, the startup behind the Space Summit, has taken personal computing in a completely different direction.
Instead of creating a larger physical screen, Spacetop creates a virtual screen that can be absolutely enormous.
By wearing matching glasses, the user can see the computer screen as if it were projected in front of them.
Measured from corner to corner, Sightful claims this screen would be the equivalent of 100 inches across – more than six times larger than the largest MacBook models.
The user can then use the keyboard and trackpad to interact with the virtual screen, just like with a normal laptop.
Sightful says the Spacetop is aimed at “Road warriors who need to do their best work anywhere, anytime.”
Their website continues: ‘If your work, creativity and productivity are all bigger than 16 inches, you deserve something bigger and better than a laptop screen.’
The idea is that, without the need to carry a large physical screen, people have the freedom to do the same work as they would in an office, wherever they are.
The company also claims that using an AR screen provides a significant privacy benefit.
When you’re working on sensitive documents on the train or in a coffee shop, you don’t want people looking over your shoulder.
Removing the screen also removes the possibility of prying eyes seeing what you’re working on.
Users can wear the glasses and see their screen projected in front of them. They can then use the keyboard and trackpad to operate the laptop as normal
With a price tag of $2,150 (£1,690), the Spacetop is an expensive solution to the problems of working from home
This isn’t the first computer to revolutionize the work-from-home experience.
Last year, Lenovo unveiled a laptop with a screen that could expand by up to three inches simply by pressing a switch.
Companies like Meta and Apple are also pursuing technology that allows people to work completely virtually.
Last year, Apple launched the Vision Pro headset as a revolutionary product that can turn any location into a perfect workspace.
The Spacetop currently aims to occupy a space somewhere between these solutions, combining a physical laptop with a virtual display.
Sightful, the company behind the Spacetop, says the laptop’s processor isn’t suitable for running powerful apps like video editors or design software
In terms of specifications, however, the Spacetop seems a bit underpowered.
The system is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip, the same chip that Meta used for the Quest 2 in 2020.
Furthermore, it only has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space.
This would be pretty good for a VR headset, but for a laptop whose main appeal is the number of programs you can have open at once, it’s a bit lackluster.
Compare this to a new 14-inch MacBook Pro, which costs a similar $2,399 (£2,499) and gives you 18GB of RAM (or unified memory) and 1TB of storage.
The laptop also cannot stream DRM media, so you cannot enjoy Netflix or other streaming services on your 100-inch screen.
For this reason, Sightful’s website suggests the following: ‘If you need to run heavy native applications (like AutoCAD or Premiere Pro), want a great gaming rig, or stream DRM media – then you might still like Spacetop, but Early Access may not meet all your needs.”
The glasses used are a ready-made model, but do offer the possibility to fit prescription lenses for users who normally wear glasses
Furthermore, the AR glasses, the laptop’s main selling point, are actually an off-the-shelf model from augmented reality company Xreal.
On the plus side, these glasses allow prescription lenses to snap on magnetically, so glasses wearers don’t have to balance the glasses to their own specifications.
The glasses also feature an integrated open-ear speaker that plays sound from the computer at a volume that only the user can hear.
However, early reviews of these glasses show that they have a small field of view, which can be frustrating.
Because the glasses have no peripheral vision, the user’s field of vision is completely limited to what the glasses can support.
Due to the limited field of view built into the AR glasses, you can’t actually see the entire 100-inch screen at once
This means you can’t see the whole ‘100-inch’ screen at once and you have to look around to see it.
After a limited early access period, Spacetop is finally being made available for purchase by the general public.
Tamir Berliner, CEO and co-founder of Sightful says: “The feedback we received directly contributed to the refinement of our software.
“This helps us get to the point where we are ready to open Spacetop to the broader public so they can experience the next phase in the evolution of laptops and the value that Augmented Reality can bring to their daily lives.”
The laptop is available for purchase on Sightful’s website and can be shipped internationally.