MSI SketchBook laptop flips keyboard to reveal graphics tablet

If you are someone who uses your laptop for producing artwork then there’s probably a graphics tablet sitting in your bag. But that may not be the case for much longer if MSI’s SketchBook concept makes it to market.




The SketchBook looks just like a normal laptop, but it has a hidden feature. Flip the keyboard over and there’s a large graphics tablet driven by pen input. Check out the video above to see how the mechanism works.



In order to make the concept work MSI have moved the trackpad to directly under the screen on the right hand side of the laptop, and made it circular. That’s not great news if you are left handed or prefer the standard positioning of the trackpad below a keyboard.



There is no news on whether this will make it past concept stage, how much it would cost, or when it could become available. Engadget Spain’s initial reaction was it looked a bit retro and was fairly chunky.


Any artists reading this who use a graphics tablet can correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the keyboard was an integral part of the creation process when using a package like Photoshop. You use the tablet to draw and the keyboard for shortcuts. Am I right?


If so, MSI’s idea is flawed from the outset and would mean you need to carry a separate keyboard around to plug-in and use. For quick sketches the keyboard flip may be a good way to cut down on the gadgets you need to carry around, but I doubt any serious artist would swap their separate tablet for one of these.



A better idea would be a slide out tablet surface so the keyboard remained accessible and the trackpad could remain below the keyboard.