The DIY MacBook Air

[J Walk]

I've recently been thinking about the MacBook Air... and how I'd love to get one. However, the $1800 is holding me back a bit. A couple of days ago an idea popped into my head; and thus, the pursuit to create a DIY MacBook Air begins.

The 12" PowerBook G4 was a great machine. So many people were upset to hear that the 13" MacBook was a replacement for the little machine. The ultra-portability was long lost.

Fast-forward to 2008. The MacBook Air was introduced. Many have raved about the machine, but no disputes have been settled. But, the good news is... the portability has returned.

Almost.

The thing with the MacBook Air is that its 13" screen doesn't work well with the portability factor as well as the 12" did with the PowerBook. Apple made it seem like they were being "generous" when putting the larger screen in with the Air, but they were making it less of an ultra-portable machine. It's just not the same.

However, the form factor is amazing. The Air is slim, sleek and beautiful. I think everyone can agree on that. Also, the Air comes in at an astounding 3 pounds, which is really the kicker when comparing it to the PowerBook.

So, how can the PowerBook be MacBook Air-ised? Let me show you...

I think the PowerBook can be made into something marvellous, and almost on par with the Air in terms of weight. This can be achieved by the following:

(a) Replace the hard drive with flash. I recently came across an article at Low End Mac which details one user's experience with this. It allows the PowerBook to become lighter and noticeably quieter. And yes, 16GB can be enough space.

(b) Remove the optical drive. This is a pretty key factor. The optical drive has seen far better days, and Apple has made this clear with the Air. This should also drop down the weight a bit.

(c) Max out the RAM. Even though the 12" PowerBook can only support up to 1.25GB of memory, it should be just enough to give it a slight power boost. While this doesn't affect the form factor of the machine, it certainly plays a factor in performance, which is lacking when compared to the Core 2 Duo found in the Air.

With a bit of dirty work, the ageing PowerBook can be revived into something very Air-like: extremely portable and light-weight.

Right now, I haven't the funds to conduct the project, but I will certainly have my eye out for a used PowerBook.

[baseballboy828]

Good luck. I'd love to see how this turns out. Unfortunately, don't know where you can get a 12" powerbook for cheap. They are still fairly in demand, so the prices have stayed high. I'll let you know if I see one.

[Yuiichi]

Really great sounding project J Walk - I'd love to hear how it turns out too! Just a question though: although removing the optical drive would get rid of some of the weight, what about the slot in the machine? Wouldn't that be sort of ugly as well as bad for it, maybe letting dust into the case? I'm sure you've probably thought of this, but just a question.

[houltmac]

It would be simple enough to cover the opening for the optical drive, and it would save some weight. Alternatively there are kits for adding a second HD (which would then be software RAID'ed if need be) where the optical drive should be. I like the idea of it looking like there is a slot, but you can't put anything in it due to something being behind it. I also like the idea of no one knowing I had a RAID between my legs

A cool sounding project for sure, but if I may point out the major flaws for me:

1. Leopard and 1.25GB RAM won't get you too far, especially on a slow processor like the G4.

2. No 802.11n card means not having an optical drive is more of an issue (although there is gigabit ethernet in these machines so you trump it there).

3. Going from PPC to Intel was a big change, but going back again is worthy of suicide.

4. 1024*768... 'nuff said.

5. The display is just so darned dull.

I guess that's a little picky, but I wouldn't do it now. Still, I'd probably give it a go as a project given the cash. Nice idea.

[J Walk]

Thanks for the heads up, houltmac. I wasn't planning on actually using the PowerBook as my main machine-- it's just a project that sounds like it'd be cool.

I was actually planning on using Tiger instead of Leopard for obvious reasons. It should be a bit better that way.

And, about the display-- perhaps a screen upgrade as well?

[houltmac]

That's something that would be worth looking into, but I'd recommend waiting until there was a machine and then contacting the manufacturer of your preferred replacement panel and checking for compatibility. The connectors can sometimes be a little different and more importantly you don't want to mix up inverter boards or fire can ensue!

[Yuiichi]

Would it be possible to get a denser display in that form factor? Having a higher dpi might let you get a slightly higher resolution?

Although, on second thought, a higher resolution might just display all screen elements too small for actual use. Just a thought though.

[studioprisoner]

i saw a MBA for the first time the other day when i went into an Apple store, and man i'm in love. i need to look over my budget and see how i can get rid of my MBP and get an 24" imac and a MBA. mmmmmmm yes.

[houltmac]

@Yuiichi: As you say, getting a higher resolution on such a small display would make the elements very small and hard to use. That said, 1024*768 is also hard to use, so I doubt it would make much difference.

[J Walk]

After looking into this some more, I am going to try to snatch a semi-working PowerBook from eBay and gather all the necessary parts to complete this project. I'll keep you guys updated.

As for the possible display upgrade-- I think I'll stick with the one already present. 1024x768 isn't that bad.