Flashback: the phone that was a tablet that was a laptop that failed

At CES 2011 Asus unveiled the EEE Pad Transformer TF101 – a tablet that could transform into a small laptop thanks to the optional keyboard dock. This was nearly a decade before Apple decided to do the same with the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro. But Asus’ ambitions were much greater than a simple 2-in-1, it was going to create the only computing gadget you’ll ever need.

This came only a year later – enter the Asus PadFone. The name isn’t subtle, it’s a phone that can turn into a tablet using the appropriate tablet dock. And that tablet could attach to a keyboard dock, much like the…