Sightful, a startup based in Tel Aviv, is rolling out what it calls the world’s first augmented reality (AR) laptop following nearly three years of under-the-radar development.

Designed for the “work from anywhere” movement, the 13-inch Spacetop takes full advantage of AR to transform the area around users into 100 inches of virtual screen space.

Spacetop’s multi-monitor “Canvas” can display all open apps and windows, overlaid on the real world yet invisible to anyone except the user wearing the customized NReal AR glasses that come with the device. There are no gesture controls to learn, and no external hardware to integrate.

Sightful launched its Spacetop Early Access promo on May 18, inviting 1,000 early adopters to reserve their own machine for $2,000.

“Two worlds sit at a crossroads: Laptops are the centerpiece of our daily working lives, but the technology has not evolved with the modern, work from anywhere, privacy matters, ‘road warrior’ mentality,” said Tamir Berliner, CEO and cofounder of Sightful.

“Meanwhile, augmented reality is full of potential and promise, but is yet to find its daily use case. We are at the perfect moment for a significant paradigm shift in a device we all know and love, and Spacetop Early Access is the first step in that journey,” said Berliner.

Human-computer interaction

Berliner and cofounder/COO Tomer Kahan, both formerly with AR technology company Magic Leap, are spatial computing veterans. Berliner cofounded PrimeSense, which was acquired by Apple in 2013, and Kahan was an executive with N-trig, which Microsoft acquired in 2015.

Sightful, their joint human-computer interaction (HCI) venture founded in 2020, hired more than 60 employees to reinvent the laptop experience. The staff encompasses expertise in product management, UX/UI, core software, cloud, applications, marketing, computer vision, systems and design.

Image - Courtesy of Sightful