Exploring the weird world of 'Headless' MacBooks

This video is sponsored by Pulseway, the only tool IT pros will ever need! Get started for FREE today! www.pulseway.com/land/luke-miani
Over the past year or so I've noticed an increase in so-called 'headless MacBooks'... With display replacements for a cracked MacBook screen sometimes running in the hundreds of dollars- more than the value of many machines, people have turned to running their MacBooks as desktops without a screen attached! This means you can still use your mouse and keyboard (and battery) for a minimal setup. But how practical is this concept? Today I bought a cheap MacBook off eBay to try it out for myself!
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[@lukemiani]

Pro tip: newer Apple Silicon Macs have antennas integrated into the lower case so in the future we won't have to create weird taped together antenna bars in projects like this...

[@fergusyoung6782]

I’m pretty sure this is true of the USB-C retina MacBooks too…? Certainly my 2017 and 2020 13 inch, and my 2018 15 inch has it separate.

[@datdudeinred]

Lol after seeing this they would transfer few more chips onto the display just so no one would be able to do this with next macbooks. Mark my words.

[@moekhdeir]

@@datdudeinred insanely smart idea that you just gave them, thanks! Jokes aside tho I wouldn’t be surprised if they did that or made Macs basically not even turn on when a running main display is not connected :(

[@hishnash]

@@datdudeinred Despite what people think apple is not going out of thier way (spending money) to make things harder to repair they are just not considering third party repair at all. There is no way they would increase the cost of making each laptop for this.

[@tomatosoupwoo]

@@hishnash well many parts are hardware locked, especially on iphones.

[@mbrock5532]

For $60 he got the equivalent of a Mac Mini with the keyboard and trackpad which saves a lot of money, but another thing that I didn't see mentioned in the comments I read is that you also get a battery backup so if the power goes out your computer doesn't go off as well. So, you save money on the cost of a battery backup unit as well. Great video, Luke!

[@eomoran]

Your computer does go out. The monitor will turn off. The benefit is might not lose data

[@queasycarboy508]

​@@eomorani dont want to be mad, but did you kniw that portable monitors exist?

[@kenshn22828]

​@@eomoransame would happen with a mac mini except with the potential data loss. You made an irrelevant point.

[@whyamiwastingmytimeonthis]

@@kenshn22828it is a relevant point, the internal battery is not a fully functional UPS equivalent because you won’t be able to continue using the setup with the monitor powered off. _You_ made an irrelevant point.

[@juss2186]

@@whyamiwastingmytimeonthis The point isn't regarding whether or not the setup is functional without external power, the point is regarding WHAT HAPPENS when you lose power. The Macbook would remain on since it has a standalone battery whereas the mac mini would have no power and would immediately shut off. The mac mini could experience some data loss depending on what you were doing when it lost power. Neither of you made irrelevant points, you're arguing about two different things.

[@AshishBeck]

The guy who sold him the MacBook for $60 watching this right now: 👁️👄👁️

[@thelthrythquezada8397]

lol

[@pureretro5979]

I did this in the early 2000's with an old Powerbook and used it as a server. The integrated battery meant it would keep going for a few hours even after a power failure. It was also small enough to mount on the underside of a desk.

[@paristo]

Yeah. Old laptops are great for servers. Take very little space, and you have the full keyboard access when required. Tug the machine under table on couple screwed metal brackets and you forget it existing. And then you just SSH in them as required. Or use VNC etc to have nice visual remote control.

[@giousy02]

When you said the only downside is you can’t use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth cause of the antenna placement i was like “no way Luke is gonna stop at this”. And like always you didn’t disappoint ❤

[@nearcz533]

I don't get why he didn't use a small usb dongle for WIFI and Bluetooth... Seems so much simpler to do.

[@jarboer]

@@nearcz533one downside is you lose a USB port. The way he did it has really no downsides aside from a bit of extra work

[@mattwilson8509]

@@jarboerbut it’s never leaving your desk anyways. Not really a inconvenience to add a usb hub

[@lukemiani]

You know me 😆

[@richdaley9982]

@@nearcz533I would probably go with a networking dongle too but if you only spend $60 on the machine, you might not want to spend another $20 for a dongle. That said, this machine has a/c wifi and Bluetooth 4 so you could get much more modern specs, especially BT, with a dongle.

[@sir.fender6034]

I did the same thing to a gaming laptop. I ripped the screen off and connected it to a good monitor. Funny thing, the battery life almost doubled with no monitor attached.

[@pulkitdhanraj130]

another good thing is that you can upgrade the screen in a few years without needing to replace the entire machine, cool stuff

[@eomoran]

Shocker

[@aleckravt3848]

You could just close the screen and connect 2nd monitor w/o ripping off the screen.

[@IsaacShoebottom]

@@aleckravt3848 If the display was broken, there is almost no chance you could find a screen that isn't terrible for a reasonable price. At least macbooks have the advantage of having fewer SKUs so the displays are available, even at high prices. A random gaming laptop has no such luxury.

[@Spike0189]

Like from 8 minutes to 16?

[@TechTipsUSA]

Note: On many laptops you can use the internal webcam cable as an extra usb port, because integrated web cams are mostly usb devices, you will need to solder on a usb port and figure out which leads are which.

[@LordSandwichII]

This is good to know, as I'm trying to build a "dumb terminal" laptop.

[@WhiteGuyWhoSwims]

Right.. But have you torn a mac down? Have fun ripping that cord apart for a USB. I personally get paid more than... Minimum. So.. to spend 2 hours on an extra USB, that is... what taped? floppy? Nah, ill spend 4.99 on the adapter at good will. (JUST bought a new apple keyboard and magic mouse for 10.99 at a good will, they still retail for over 100$ when the old mouse is now useless)

[@thecianinator]

You're not LTT

[@stuart6478]

why do people always get negative about some cheap trash turned into SOMETHING lol it's pathetic

[@weareallbeingwatched4602]

​@@WhiteGuyWhoSwims dude it is four wires and you can even repurpose the connector. There is probably somewhere in Taipei or Shenzhen that'll sell you ready made cable. Repurposing commodity hardware is really worthwhile from an economic and environmental standpoint. Think of a plastic clamshell with a place and internally routed cable to hold the smartphone built into the hinge (see old olivetti typewriter keyboard covers for reference). I think I'll design one of these, actually. Might even investigate how to repurpose the screen bus, it must be something fairly standards based.

[@gristlelollygag]

The current position of the antenna blocks the airflow, so it would be great if you 3D printed a small housing for the antenna that resembles those on WiFi routers, so it folds out upwards. Then you could keep the camera at the tip of that antenna! You could also replace the default keycaps with a custom mechanical or otherwise keyboard! (You could snap in and out a quieter low profile and a mechanical keyboard if you are using it in a library or smth). You could also use the hinges for a custom keyboard cover when transporting it.

[@joneinarmattiasvisser6113]

I have a wifi antenna I can just plug into usb

[@Gertzerroz]

or just don't remove the screen and connect an external mouse and keyboard that's far better than the trackpad and keyboard on the macbook.

[@vaffangool9196]

​@@Gertzerroz *Magic keyboard isn't backlit* and the magic mouse _suuucks._ MacBook keys and track pad is the far better-and less wasteful-solution.

[@cesarespinozaspain]

A friend of mine did the same thing with a touch bar 13 inch, she also made a DIY desk and made a slot in the front were it sits flush with the top of the desk, it has space in the sides for the connections and room underneath for cooling, but the top of the desk hides it. The result is a slick as hell desk with built in Macbook pro and older studio display. It looks like it came out of a cyberpunk movie.

[@DPfen]

That sounds sweet. Would love to see a photo of that!

[@t20594]

Photos or it didn’t happen

[@gordonoboh833]

@@t20594 was going to say this

[@ypesh]

🎉 definitely would love to see pics!

[@youngken]

Me too, id love to see a photo please😭

[@Evie0133]

headless MacBooks are pretty dope, it's like having a Mac Mini and a Magic Keyboard (w/ Touch ID for some Macs) + Trackpad combo rolled into one, a neat way of reusing MacBooks with smashed displays, and potentially better than the Mac Mini if you prefer your MacBook's IO :D

[@TimurTripp2]

Built-in UPS as well

[@gordonoboh833]

hopefully, the prices don't get inflated because of this headless idea.

[@D38AS3R]

And MacBook speakers are pretty great too! And you'll still have ports available.

[@WarriorsPhoto]

Agreed 👍 🎉😂😅 If we can run these computers for a while longer. That’s a bonus for all of us. ❤ Now to find a used broken MacBook 💻 Pro. 😂

[@leanlifer]

But the thing is a lot of these headless units have their board repaired and probably will not last long. Given M2 Mac mini is so cheap, there isn't much reason to still buy these units.

[@ugniuszukas1776]

For anyone planning to do this i have some tips for you: 1. Macbooks pros from 2016 and never including mba from 2018 have antenas built in at the lower portion of the laptop so when you remove display you don’t have to worry about it. 2. Also on these never models the keyboards backlight stops working when you remove display because it needs the ambient sensor which is in the display. (And theres no way to force backlight on) Other than this its a great way to have macbook experience on a budget😁

[@emberavenge7162]

Do you still recommend doing this? I'm thinking of buying a laptop for programming work and yeah it'd be great to swap between devices on my monitor

[@ugniuszukas1776]

@@emberavenge7162 It depends on the macbook model, and the price you could get it for. I would really recommend m1 air or pro macbooks with damaged screens. Because they are really powerfull and dont have any issues with keyboards.

[@rainerzufall9627]

Thanks! Do you know if a headless mbp 2021 16 M1 Pro would work?

[@ugniuszukas1776]

@@rainerzufall9627 yes they work perfectly and screens are easy to remove.

[@MrMosoani]

what about A1502's wifi antennas?

[@Widderic]

I found a screen for my 15" MBP Mid 2014 on Ebay for 110 bucks! I've kept this sucker alive for almost a decade. It's been through 3 batteries, some new thermal paste, and an upgraded SSD. And I'm still rocking High Sierra because I wanted to keep using my 32 but applications like Final Cut 7 and Reason 4.

[@NEConforti]

Ran my first "headless" MacBook around 2011, was too broke to afford a full blown rig and wanted to start learning FCP. Simpler times.

[@lukemiani]

Good old Ivy Bridge days

[@NEConforti]

@@lukemiani I miss those days dearly. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the M.

[@Pasi123]

@@lukemiani Sandy Bridge. Ivy Bridge was released in 2012

[@ekinteko]

@@lukemiani Did you get the inspiration for this from the Gameboy Macro? People have been taking a Nintendo DS Lite, ripping off the top screen, to have something slim and tiny to shove into their pockets that can be hacked and play games from the DS, GBA, GBC, Turbografx, Sega Master, NES, and Atari. It's pretty cool.

[@AwesumIndustrys]

We need this form factor to be more sold regularly. Let’s bring back the Commodore 64 and Apple II style of computer.

[@hishnash]

Would be epic, Apple IV (we had the Apple III already). They should have done that rather than the macPro just to troll people. ...

[@TheChipmunk2008]

@@hishnash Steve Wozniak would love that... jony, notsomuch

[@tim-hill]

I thought this looked familiar!

[@hrissan]

Looks like ZX spectrum (Sinclair Z80 computer) from 90-s, very popular in low price segment😹

[@TheChipmunk2008]

@@hrissan 80s

[@RickeyViner]

Your simple answer to a simple situation probably just revolutionized computing. Here is a great idea that can be done by practically anyone. Good job and thanks for sharing!

[@vincentwindels210]

If I were to go so far as to disassemble the MacBook, I wouldn't stop there, and I'd proceed to enhance the cooling performance directly, maybe in a larger or open case. It's possible that you could still use or remove the keyboard separately. I would approach the speakers in the same way. It would involve more effort, but it could really maximize the potential.

[@jadesded]

Especially with a custom/purposeful case like those people who rip apart chromebooks and use their guts like raspberry pi's. Definitely would be a fun productive experiment with a sensible endgoal, unlike removing a screen and then plugging in a monitor to an input that was there the whole time & calling it a build lol

[@manaphyex3964]

I think 'Headless' M1 13 MacBook Air is better than M1 Mac mini. You even don't need to buy a keyboard and a trackpad separately.

[@42cosmonauts]

Lack of a fan could be a factor for people using high performance programs like for video editing

[@JohnSmith-pn2vl]

no, video editing does not need high performance at all, just time, which is not the case with any apple silicon machine because of dedicated chips for that purpose, no issue@@42cosmonauts

[@jacksonkuzmic]

@@42cosmonautsif you need a fan than you could use the 13 inch m1 pro

[@scottphardin]

@@jacksonkuzmicheadless M1 Pro 13. Great idea!

[@moekhdeir]

My 13' M1 Pro had a flex gate problem, I did the same mod last year and I didn't even know that it was a thing. Coolest thing ever! @@scottphardin

[@RaddDronzy]

Headless laptops is the proof that general public cares about the environment more then the trillion dollar company.

[@Metal_Face_Doom]

I just cracked the lcd on my 2019 MBP. It was in mint condition prior to it's fall to the concrete. It's been working fine while tethered to my tv via HDMI cable. I can't wait to remove the cracked screen!!! Thanks for this video! 🙏

[@MadMathMike]

As awesome as this was, what I appreciated the most was the last few minutes of this video. This is right-to-repair. Love it. ❤️

[@petekropf5335]

Didn't think I would enjoy this one as this is something I would not do, well, not before I watched. Thanks Luke, once again providing content for us that we did not know we needed or at least needed to know but do, keep on with the excellent work!

[@mohsscale4220]

Nice idea. Another Mac saved from the dump! Beware of blocking the fan vent with the taped-on antenna, though.

[@efr89]

I think another cool use case is to send the screen via WiFi to your TV. Sure the FPS / refresh rate might not be awesome but for simple tasks that's quite a cool couch setup where you can control everything via the inbuilt keyboard and trackpad and don't need to worry about a HDMI cable you can slip over.

[@sunpapa9107]

Hey Luke...I've been rebuilding these for a few years for family and friends. I place the antenna in a piece of White PVC with a couple of Black end caps. I stuff the LCD hinges into the end caps and screw them back down like normal. It comes out looking real professional and it works great. I call my Frankenstein Apple creation "The Mac Skinny"

[@mattsanchez4893]

What a great idea and video…love the step by step and your enthusiasm, why I like this channel !!! Also amazing how easy it was to work on/ upgrade those old machines.

[@lukemiani]

Glad you enjoyed! These older machines sure have a lot of potential even today!

[@crystalchaos462]

I basically did this for a few years with my white MacBook when the screen went bad. The Mini-DVI port was anything but sturdy though. The best option was to get a mini-DVI-to-HDMI cable instead of using one that was adapted because the box portion of the setup was too heavy for the connection over long-term use.

[@sammy0boi]

Fantastic video! You inspired me to try with an old MacBook I had with a broken screen - now I have a headless Mac with Wi-Fi!! 🙌🏻😊

[@artprojectsnz]

Genius! LOVE that you can 'upcycle' a Mac - mine go for years and years and I often try and repurpose - but this is so dope!! Well done. JPMusic.

[@Viperbird17]

Very cool. Thanks for your take on right to repair. You've earned my subscription

[@Max-ts5mw]

My 2014 MacBook Pro kernel panicked one day and when I turned it back on the display looked similar to the one in the video. I used it as a desktop for years and eventually passed it onto a family member when I got an M1 MacBook Air

[@PurpleSucks.]

That's. Not. Normal.

[@connerlucas8277]

​@@PurpleSucks.but its smart and keeps ewaste out of out of landfills plus cheap

[@Techlevel1534.]

@@connerlucas8277true

[@ladder3257]

@@PurpleSucks.yup, it’s better than normal

[@kkkkjjjj4517]

I hate this class system. Why cant your family member get the new macbook air and you keep using your old shit. Its like that lord from Braveheart who gets to sleep with your wife before you do

[@roman2374]

I’ve seen someone who integrated a headless MacBook into a desk so you have the trackpad and keyboard integrated into the surface of the desk top and a nice display with that, was the cleanest set up I think I’ve ever seen 😮

[@ammardawi8431]

thank you for this brilliant and creative idea!

[@Ybalrid]

what I find funny is that by doing so you replicate the "wedge" form factor of the early personal computers! (apple 2, c64, atari, amiga...) from the 80's

[@walpoleandworcester]

I’ve heard about these and it’s amazing what people are able to do with spare MacBook parts! Glad to see these older machines be reused into something like this.

[@klauszinser]

It's very good that you brought this up. I did not expect that it's working that easy (that you can just remove the display).

[@jakoblist]

Great idea! May be to leave on the broken display as a cover for keyboard and use the wifi and camera could be an option.

[@nyc90]

I'd be curious to see this done with a modern Mac, if it's still possible. You could have power, display, and ethernet over a single usb-c cable making for a pretty sleek desktop solution.

[@jcw1569]

Yes, I did this with a 2020 MBP with a blown LED fuse.

[@HeTake123]

Yes, and it's actually easier on those models because the antenna bar is located in the top-case as a separate part.

[@cosettapessa6417]

@@jcw1569m soc or intel?

[@jcw1569]

@@cosettapessa6417 apple silicon

[@the2wheelmillennial117]

I’ve done with an m1 air

[@Shabbir-A.]

we even did not bother to take the display off. we just hooked up monitor and started using that 2015 machine. It work so nice.

[@ChristopherGavin]

A master-class, thanks Luke!

[@This-nerd-house]

I have my old 2012 MBP running like a beast 24/7 as a home server. It runs Plex mainly, used to run home assistant until I upgraded to a Synology. But the MBP is still active and running some random things along with Plex. Docked in a vertical stand, use an external monitor. Also pulled the battery out after it started puffing up. 11 years old and this thing is still a beast!

[@johnm8133]

Hi Luke, I just did the same thing for a mobile recording system. I repurposed the Wi-Fi antenna assembly same way you did, yes with black tape as well 😂, but plan to create a nicer 3D printed solution soon. I mounted the headless MacBook Pro 15 2014 in a custom rackmount sliding drawer. I’m using a portable display that I mounted above the rack case that folds out of the way for transport. Fun project, used parts I had lying around to create a great mobile pro audio mixing and recording system. Spent $70 on MacBook Pro, no SSD 😢, but put a 2TB in it for not much money.

[@karinalebedeva7335]

I think that what you are doing is a great example of how people and companies should approach this issue. I find it a very sad trend that now electronics are ridiculously difficult to fix. It’s easier to buy a new one to replace the broken one. I think that the only flexible devices to fix and upgrade are PCs where you can have access to all components. And for more mobile devices sometimes it’s even difficult to change the battery.

[@jorper2526]

This is why everyone should consider Framework Laptops if they are purchasing a new laptop, IMO. Will it beat out a new macbook in efficiency? No. But it has the benefit of having sanely priced replacement parts and tutorials for everything. You can even upgrade the entire system board to a new generation. Oh, and what do you do with the old board?.. Well, you can buy.. Or 3D print a case for it and stick it behind a TV as a small media device. OEMs, Apple included need incentive to change their practices which just creates e-waste.

[@Carlito_Sway]

I have done this- or something similar- with two different Macbooks (an ooold, pre-unibody MacBook Pro and a 2012 MacBook Air) and I've had great results! In each case, the screen cracked but the computer otherwise functioned fine. The old MBP was the core of my music production and arranging business from 2008-2020, and the Air is still in service as an ersatz HTPC! I didn't bother to remove the dead screens- I just run in clamshell mode and use a wireless keyboard and mouse- but as long as the computers stay cool and the batteries don't explode, they work pretty darn well!

[@notmyname6452]

Scooped up a m1 air recently (broken screen), and was stuck on the fence trying to decide if it's worth the 200 to fix it up. Talk about perfect timing with this video. There's still enough value to warrant the replacement but I love the execution here. Very tempted to sell my Mac mini and switch to this type of setup. Super clean. There's definitely an opportunity for someone to start a little business selling the antennae covers. I'll be your first (or I guess second) customer.

[@aedav]

Maybe if you use a heat shrink sleeve instead of electric tape you get a cleaner look, and it’s not that expensive. Just be careful not to apply too much heat as to damage the hinge or the antenna components.

[@budgetkeyboardist]

I've thought about doing this before, but thought I'd screw it up. Great video as always. One additional thought - I use an Apple wireless keyboard and a magic trackpad on my desktop Mac, and I definitely prefer to have the trackpad to the right side of the keyboard instead of underneath it. But I have no problems using a laptop.

[@jaa928]

You can do it! Luke's videos and iFixit or others make it accessible, if not easy.

[@druthedj]

No ways!! This is actually quite clever!! Definitely gonna try this with one of my older damaged MacBooks

[@pulkitdhanraj130]

Another advantage I can think of is that this setup has a UPS by default, so in case of a power failure it could be useful

[@EugeneKreger]

Would be interesting to see if keyboard and trackpad could be used separately as input devises on another machines (for example, on Windows/Linux), so that you can switch between different OS's (and hardware) using MacBooks input devices.

[@theabyssaldemon]

Hi Luke, you've convinced me to try my hand at doing one of these headless MacBook projects. Most headless Macs I've seen are older, and I found a banging deal on a 2020 w/touchbar with only the two usb-c ports on it. Do you know of any limitations on newer MacBooks for this?

[@Studders01]

Another great video. Thanks Luke

[@QuadHealer]

Enjoyable useful information. I would personally just get a keyboard and mouse, but it is good to know there are other options. Thank you for this video.

[@sterol72]

It is Apple’s entire business model to make you buy a new machine when your new one is broken. Apple green washes like all the other big corporations. Your last video proves the point of how hard they make it to repair or upgrade. Very difficult to break through the walled garden. Really sad state of affairs as we drown in all the e-waste. Thanks for your and Rossman’s advocacy on this subject!

[@level16gmbh83]

You are absolutely right. I have been selling new Apple computers and repairing Macs as a certified technician for over 14 years. I hear time and time again from my customers that they have been told at the Apple Store that their Mac is obsolete at 5 years or more of use. This is how Apple sells new computers, but it is simply a lie and anything but honest or in the interest of the environment. In my consultations with customers, I communicate quite differently because judging a Mac by age is wrong. I judge a Mac by its compatibility with the current operating system. And even that doesn't matter if the customer still gets on well with an older macOS version and can do everything with it. So I repair Macs much more often than I sell new ones because that is more economical for the customers, as long as the performance of their Mac is still sufficient. In fact, most users only use Safari, Mail, Photos, Pages/Word, and a few other apps. Nothing that would require enormous performance. And very few people need an M2 for that if the CPU was hardly used to capacity with an i5/i7.

[@athaphian]

@@level16gmbh83 It baffles me that customers shell out 1500+ dollars for a macbook while they could perfectly live with a 250 dollar chromebook...

[@rustyschackleford5800]

What's really most important to Apple is the price of their stock. They have to extract as much money from customers as possible, every quarter, to protect shareholder value.

[@zakofrx]

All while they scream at public for hurting the world while claiming they are the pure ones saving it... Like electric cars not being repaired and keeping silent about needing new battery packs all the time for extreme prices.. They could use Hydrogen with a normal engine but that would mean people could fix their cars and fill them as they want for travel over any distance... They instead want to make new cars into current phones.. No repair, your every bit of info monitored and your controlled by the product creator..

[@vetrixfx9264]

@@level16gmbh83 i think its funny how "fast" Macs get obsolete (officially). I mean I still could use a 2010 laptop normally for these tasks you mentioned, if it came with an i5 (maybe even higher-tier C2D) when upgraded to an SSD and more RAM, as long as it runs Linux or Windows. 2010 MacBook Pros didn't get a new macOS since 2017 and the last security update was 2020. Atleast with Intel Macs you have the option possibility to install Windows/Linux, but I don't wanna know how this will work out with Apple Silicon Macs

[@crowlsyong]

Man, this is pretty great. Thanks for putting this out in the world and for mentioning right to repair. Have a nice day.

[@tfmg8223]

I have made a few headless MacBook's and there awesome to run! I was actually thinking about starting a little side hustle where I find broken MacBook's, "de-screen" them and then resell them as goofy lil desktops!

[@aettic]

I agree that 3D Printing a nice housing for the wifi would be awesome. Beyond that, I wouldn't change a thing. I love this idea, and honestly I think it looks super cool without the display. Also didn't know you could turn an old iMac into a display - I've got one sitting around and that would be the perfect fate for it if the board ever fails.

[@gaboro24]

Nice work. If you were printing a case for the antennas, it would be interesting to save and integrate the camera as well, from a bottom-up angle like you can find it in some huawei laptops.

[@vitaminjuk]

Yeah, I was thinking he should have kept it to be a nostril-cam too! Oh well

[@kartikkaushik9811]

Apple screens are ridiculously expensive because Apple does everything in their power to limit/destroy the repair market. They claim to care about the environment until it comes to letting people fix their stuff for a reasonable cost

[@oidbio2565]

Welp my comment is that I have an older MacBook which was top of the line in its day (so SSD) and I just couldn’t get rid of it but now I will use it for what it was intended instead of just a door stop! Thank you! Hopefully, I can deal with the antenna as beautifully as you did in this video! Addendum: Just saw your PRO TIP about the location of the antenna relocated to the base and now I will definitely be sporting a headless MacBook!

[@starman5757gg]

I did the same, only got the body without the screen- already 'headless ',lol. Then bought the antenna from China. Works great. Thanks for your cool vids, I've followed your advice many times.

[@TheBigBazzy]

It's weird how much I love this setup! It may become my first Apple computer!

[@jadesded]

with that spirit I'm surprised you're not already an apple user

[@pathfinderpolska]

Can you connect an iPad pro as an external screen and 3D print a hinge that will stand for the iPad?

[@IDonShipCh]

I did the same on my 2007 MBP several years back. Its backlight was basically broken making the screen 98% dark and I could only see what was on the screen if I shone a flashlight through the apple logo from behind 😂. I removed the screen and used it as a stationary Mac for a while and it worked like a charm. It was a fun little project and it looked nice and clean on my desk too as all the cables were connected to the keyboard chassis and no computer case was visible.

[@Memespark]

Thanks for this idea 😍😍👍🏻 I would definitely do it

[@dennisud]

Apple has always had a need to control their products, even after they have sold it or their warranty expires. I'm highly anticipating whether they will be forced to become more customer friendly in allowing their future products easier to fix by their customers. Love how this one went. That black section that originally housed the hinges, camera and antenna hookups, can't that section be used or 3D copied to make that area more clean.

[@zizlog_sound]

Apple needs to become customer friendly to begin with.

[@RandallMeredith]

I think Apple should make laptops with the option of no display and save the consumer money who already has a monitor.

[@Mo.Faried]

I loved that you didn't give up on the antenna. Actually I believe all the laptops should be modular and this idea is not new, even in mobile phones, but companies find this idea will be thwarting to innovation and will make them lose the edge to other compatitors. Some companies are better at durability, like thinkpads, others focus on wieght reduction, and some other focus on the design and has their own silicon like macs now.

[@randomfakealias]

I was looking for this video for months. Many thanks.

[@hi55us2]

Love the subtle dig at Apple towards the end. They really need to make their products more repairable, could become a huge selling point.

[@pontiacg445]

No it wouldn't, and no they don't. It's a fashion accessory and therefore any logic and reason surrounding it goes right out the window. Any other laptop is plastic and can bounce around loose in the trunk of a car for a decade and be just fine, a macbook blows the screen out if you set a coffee mug on top of it and everyone knows it. People with less brains and more money will still buy them, they make them less repairable every generation and they still sell. Or do you actually think it's some big secret that they make them intentionally fragile and also hard to repair?

[@bigsean6045]

Amazing video Luke! I was happy when you didn't simply give up and used ethernet but tried to make wi-fi work as that is in the spirit of this channel. The only downside to what's shown in the video is that it completely blocks out the fans and the cooling so I can imagine that Intel chip running really hot. I'm sure you'd figure something out though

[@Thomas_Bannon]

That's the factory location of that clutch cover so it's not blocking any more that it would with the screen still on.

[@XPimKossibleX]

@@Thomas_Bannon With the screen on it's not actually touching, it's a round thing that lets air through above and below. Not ideal but it's the only vent on the device...

[@toddverbeek5113]

I’ve done this sort of thing a few times over the years, with assorted laptops. The most recent example (sort of) was a Surface Pro with a cracked screen. This completely wrecks the touch and stylus input, but with the keyboard/trackpad attached it was still a reasonably useful desktop computer, and aside from the crack, the super-sharp display still worked. So I added a big external monitor, a proper wireless mouse, and VOILA: a dual screen desktop computer!

[@gergemall]

Are you serious? So creative .❤ Dude… I've been a long-time fan and you've outdone yourself. Luke, I'm serious. What incentive you've shown me. Genius.

[@Epicgamer_Mac]

Yes I believe Apple needs to make parts more available. While this is a cool mod that I’d certainly do to retain a machine’s usability, I would much prefer a full MacBook as I could connect it to a monitor the same way. Also Luke, where do you get the background music for your videos?

[@ishredder4006]

scarcity breeds more profit.

[@hishnash]

Providing parts for 10 year old Macs is not as easy as you might think. The production lines that produced those screens have long since moved on, so if you wanted to fire them back up there would be a large overhead in cost making the per screen cost much much higher than would be acceptable (as the number of displays they would produce would be low). For this situation of old devices what would be better would be to provide the schematics and CAD files etc with a license to that third party vendors could go out and make alternative parts (not OEM). With the specs having a license that others could target (legally) im sure some companies would figure out how to make little adaptors to that you could attache more commodity display panels without needed to fire up a dedicated production line again.

[@bb5242]

Apple gives not a shit about making their crap fixable

[@hishnash]

@@bb5242 Not true apple care a lot about this, but only when it is themselves doing the fixing. When you get a warranty replacement you are not getting a new product you are getting a refurbished product (in a new case) that fixability saves apple a LOT of money compared to taking a new product of the production line and giving it to you. This is why apple prefure skews (lots of them) over glue, it saves them money in the long term.

[@ishredder4006]

@@hishnash exactly

[@patrickmunyi]

Great video. As for the makeshift wireless housing, try not to cover the cooling vents 😃

[@Austin-sw4vo]

Great demonstration Luke. Imma heading to the store and getting the screen replacement. And if it's overpriced I would try your guidance. Hopefully not thing worse happens.

[@lovedeathdisco]

love the A1398 and as someone who loves trackpad and hates mouse, this would be super ideal for certain studio applications in the future. sick hack, never seen it, thanks for sharing.

[@mirceamihai94]

2016 and later macbooks have the antennas separate from the display so you can remove the display assembly and keep the antennas.

[@HeTake123]

Except the 2017 Air and 12-inch MacBook =)

[@mirceamihai94]

@@HeTake123 The 2017 air is in every way the 2015 one so it does not count as being 2016 amd later. The 12 inch MacBook uses the housing of the speakers as its antennas and are not connected to the display in any way. The in-display antennas died with the 2015 macbook pro and air. I rest my case.

[@HeTake123]

@@mirceamihai94 You're right about the 12 inch MacBook, but wrong about 2017 Air ;)

[@musiqtee]

I’m pretty sure (been for a while…) that this is an example of the kind of “economy” we are entering into. Right-to-repair is one aspect, but so is “right to own”. We should not accept hardware ending up as leased-forever IP like software from the likes of Adobe or Avid. 👍

[@gizmostudios]

Great idea, very nice! I did something similar with an 2012 mbp with a dead display connector on the logic board. I took out all the components and just hooked the logic board directly to a LCD monitor, effectively turning it into a modular iMac. What I like better about your solution is that you retain all the Macbook's original functionality like WIFI/BT and the battery to be able to move it around while still powered on. I do see an issue with your WIFI module placement though, you're now blocking the ventilation of the machine. Instead of housing the components in a solid enclosure I'd suggest to go with a (plastic) mesh instead so not to block the airflow. I think 3D printing is the way to go or you could consider using wood and drill an array of holes in it to let the air through. Thanks for sharing and definitely an inspiration to do something cool with old parts!

[@floatingshoppinglist5193]

genius. props to the person who came up with this "trend" or good idea

[@Astr0Dad]

People have been doing this with laptops for over 20 years. I guess apple users have just discovered this now 😅

[@hishnash]

Even better than 3D printed plastic would be a nice bit of hard wood, you could hide the antenna inside and it would look sweet!. Maybe even extract the face time camera as well and put it down there with a little bump so that it looks in your direction (all be it up your nose) it would be a very nice modification.

[@larrycroft470]

this dude is without a doubt THE LUCKIEST MacBook hunting person on ALL OF E BAY....he never gets screwed and always gets super deals. Reminds me of those infomercials where everything ALWAYS GOES PERFECT....He is super skilled make NO mistake about it. Plus he has used his love for computers to make a good living for himself. I admire him greatly - even though he is one of those young people who believe everything the MSM says instead of realizing 99% of them lie 100% of the time in one form or the other...

[@k.b.tidwell]

It's like gamblers, man. They never tell you about all the times they lost. Only the wins.

[@chuckaeronut]

I’ve gotten plenty of similar deals working on my collection! I’m up to a beautiful 1 GHz TiBook, my M1 MBA, M1 Max MBP, two Late 2013 rMBPs, a 2011 17” quad-core MBP, and a 2008 17” Core 2 Duo MBP. All have been exactly what I’ve ordered.

[@chuckaeronut]

Oh and I forgot my 2015 and 2017 MacBook Airs, which I use as headless servers due to their builtin UPS (battery woot!) and ability to internally use super cheap, super big, super fast, super available mass-market nvme SSDs using a cheap little adapter.

[@krajca666]

I have done this with my Dell 2 years ago and it still works no issue. For missing wifi I actually used a cheap wifi dongle (may not be the fastest option but works just fine).

[@Rachel-qy4hc]

With the broken Mac as a Display it looks very cool ^^ Also when you mentioned that you can connect it to your TV, it came to my mind that you could do that via airplay in case you also got an apple TV 🧐

[@DPfen]

Why not use a USB dongle for wifi? And isn't that taped hinge covering up the vents from the case?

[@trevor4533]

Was thinking of that too, But as he said around the 7:11: mark "Because ugly" lol.

[@drawingfan9024]

It shouldn’t cover the vents any more then the original display did

[@humorss]

headless conversion is very common for old laptops, you can make them thin and beautiful with custom case. acrylic or sheet metal. And a lot of higher spec-ed laptop still runs very well with a ssd upgrade.

[@GeorgieChaos]

Two minor form-factor adjustments I'd like to see: IIRC a major part of the ventilation is housed behind the monitor hinge so I'd be interested to see how the custom piece takes that feature into account. Also, at risk of stating the obvious, there's a free hinge bracket just going spare at the top of the headless unit. Seems like the perfect place to mount a flip-down foot bar to raise the back edge for improved cooling and a more ergonomic typing angle.

[@richardc5100]

The next Linus

[@_..-.._..-.._]

The _best_ Linus. Hopefully the Linus that _doesn’t_ become the villain.

[@richardc5100]

@@_..-.._..-.._ let’s hope he doesn’t ask for donations one day for something he could cover himself like a different KZbinr in the Apple tech space.

[@andreaspalluto2841]

you just gave me an idea... i just did that to an hp 360, and resolved the wifi bt problem with antenas and stuff, but using the original antenas is a great idea, and i'll try save the camero too. nice video

[@britneyfreek]

if i’m not mistaken the antenna connectors are standard. there are antenna cables that you can buy and desktop antennas to connect to. so that can be made to work.

[@robgreenstein5917]

I've taken the WiFi antenna from the Retina display and mounted it in the body of the MacBook. Works great!

[@natedole8276]

What an interesting concept!

[@Rkcuddles]

Thank you for this, I hope folks listen to your message

[@thecapone45]

This is so cool. It reminds me of something I’d want to do back in my tech high school days. I LOVED figuring stuff out like this. (:

[@user-wk8ie8sc4q]

I recently had problems with the display on the m1 air after 3 years of using it and it economically makes more sense for me to just buy a new one because the repairs are too expensive. While I wont take off the display I will continue to use it even when I receive my newer model by connecting it to an external display. Helpful video overall

[@threeswept]

I did this with a ThinkPad x280 (8th Generation i7, 16GB RAM) and it works great. I need to change the thermal paste, but I'm really happy with it because it's always better to recycle electronics whenever there is a chance to do so. Plus, laptops idle at very low wattages making them perfect for server usage, and without a lid, thermals usually benefit greatly. I removed the battery for safety reasons (keeping a laptop server online 24/7 with a battery is not a great idea) but I've gotta say, it's a great project and a lot of fun if you like to tinker with technology. It does suck that it's not easy to get Wi-Fi working, but for server usage, you likely already want an Ethernet connection anyways. It's a great option for people looking to start a homelab without a lot of money for sure.

[@elizaknight6980]

This is amazing idea. I might do this to my old laptop later.

[@TurfSurf]

I never thought about that! Great idea!

[@FactChitanda]

Dope video bro!

[@normski4ash]

Brilliant ! I love it ! Great idea...