If you find yourself buried in hundreds of overlapping tabs and can never find the page you’re looking for, there might now be a surprising solution.
The Spacetop boasts an outstanding 100-inch display – but still fits in your backpack.
This unusual computer, which was launched at CES 2024, uses an augmented reality headset to bring users the biggest possible workspace.
But with an eye-watering price tag of $2,150 (£1,690), can the Spacetop deliver on its promise?
With only five hours of battery life and a potentially slow processor, it isn’t clear whether this innovation can square up with standard laptops.
If you are tired of having too many windows open on a tiny screen the Spacetop laptop might be the solution
Even though it doesn’t have a screen, the Spacetop claims to have a 100-inch display by using augmented reality glasses
While office workers might have the luxury of using multiple large monitors, those of us working from home are often stuck squinting at a tiny laptop monitor.
Even the largest laptop screens tend to be no larger than 15 inches from corner to corner, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for different windows.
To solve this problem, Sightful, the startup behind the Spacetop, has taken personal computing in a completely different direction.
Instead of making a bigger physical screen, Spacetop creates a virtual screen that can be absolutely massive.
By wearing an accompanying set of glasses, the user can see the computer’s display as if it were projected out in front of them.
Measured corner to corner, Sightful claims that this screen would be the equivalent of 100 inches across – more than six times larger than the biggest MacBook models.
The user can then use the keyboard and trackpad to interact with the virtual screen just as they might a normal laptop.
Sightful says that the Spacetop is aimed at ‘Road warriors who need to do their best work anywhere and everywhere.’
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 will be free to do the same work they could do in an office wherever they are.
The company also claims that there is a significant privacy advantage to using an AR screen.
If you happen to be working on a train or in a coffee shop on sensitive documents, you don’t want people to be able to look over your shoulder.
Removing the screen also removes the possibility that any prying eyes can see what you are working on.
Users can wear the glasses and see their screen projected out 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 try and revolutionize the work-from-home experience.
Last year Lenovo revealed a laptop with a screen that could expand by up to three inches, simply by flicking a switch.
Companies like Meta and Apple have also been pursuing technology that allows people to work completely virtually.
Last year, Apple launched the Vision Pro headset as a revolutionary product capable of turning any location into a perfect workspace.
The Spacetop is currently aiming to take a space somewhere in between these solutions, combining a physical laptop with a virtual display.
Sightful, the company behind the Spacetop, says that the laptop’s processor is not up to running high-performance apps like video editors or design software
In terms of specifications, however, the Spacetop seems a little undersized.
The system is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip, which is the same chip Meta used back in 2020 for the Quest 2.
It also only has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
This would be pretty good for a VR headset but for a laptop that has its primary appeal in how many programs you can have open at once, it is a little lacklustre.
Compare this to a new 14-inch MacBook Pro, which costs a comparable $2,399 (£2,499) and gives you 18GB of RAM (or unified memory) and 1TB of storage.
The laptop is also unable to stream DRM media, which means you won’t be able to enjoy Netflix or other streaming services on your 100-inch display.
For this reason, Sightful’s website suggests that: ‘If you need to run heavy-duty native applications (like AutoCAD or Premiere Pro), want an amazing gaming rig, or need to stream DRM media – you may still love Spacetop, but Early Access may not meet all your need.’
The glasses used are an off-the-shelf model but they do have the option to fit prescription lenses for users who normally wear glasses
Additionally, the AR glasses which are the laptop’s key selling point are actually an off-the-shelf model from augmented reality company Xreal.
On the plus side, these glasses do allow for prescription lenses to magnetically clip in so that glasses wearers won’t have to balance the glasses over their own specs.
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 suggest that they have a small field of view that may be frustrating.
Because the glasses have no peripheral vision the user’s field of view is totally restricted to what the glasses can support.
Because of the limited field of view built into the AR-glasses, you won’t actually be able to see the entire 100-inch display all at once
This means that you won’t actually be able to see the entire ‘100-inch’ display all at once and will have to look around to see it.
After a restricted early access period, the 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 has directly informed the refinement of our software.
‘Helping us get it to the point where we are ready to open up Spacetop to the broader public so they can experience the next stage in the evolution of laptops and the value that Augmented Reality can bring to their everyday lives.’
The laptop is available for purchase at Sightful’s website and can ship internationally.
