Vintage Apple iBook G3 Saved From E-waste - Restored And Cleaned

[@eathermask613]

7 months ago I found this channel randomly; it is really a channel that produces quality content. Congratulations Hugh Jeffrey

[@i6ju]

same

[@marionneplays2704]

Same with me to

[@iVolkswagen]

I love the channel too but yikes why do you remember how many MONTHS ago you found the channel? A bit odd...

[@andrive]

Ayy

[@cadenchurchill4296]

Absolutely love Hugh’s channel! Love seeing tech taken apart and learning about how devices work and their repairability.

[@22ndstudios]

Absolutely criminal that it ended up in e-waste but I’m pleased to see it saved and restored! The G3 clamshell is a true design icon along with the iMac G3 and completely broke the mould of what a computer could look like in the era of boring beige boxes and off grey laptops.

[@MiMicheIIe]

I mean - at the end of the day, what's it good for? It's a fun collector's item, but completely obsolete.

[@ZingOnMate]

You have to change the setting in TCP/IP and set the connection to Ethernet built in if you want Ethernet to work on OS 9

[@aussiedude3121]

That what she said

[@ZingOnMate]

@@aussiedude3121 fair enough mate

[@brandon_nope]

@@ZingOnMate lmao

[@MetaDude]

I thought this was the airport version

[@ZingOnMate]

@@MetaDude those versions don’t support wpa2 networks so if you want airport to work you need a wifi network with no security

[@andi]

Now this one is a gem! I actually also have one of these Clamshell iBooks and absolutely love their design!

[@andrive]

Blue is the best imo

[@melplays90]

makes my head spin seeing this as vintage... born in the 90's I now feel old LOL

[@johngullo9420]

Feeling old eh? I was born in 1955. Rotary telephones, manual cash registers, no store scanners AND if your family had a color TV it meant your dad had a good job. A really good job. Being the same age as Jobs I remember the Apple II and the Macintosh coming out. Amazing how fast technology has improved since the 70s. My first Mac was the G3 iMac. Then a Powermac G4. Everything was upgradable.

[@hoekiekevin]

"I was assembled in Taiwan, and restored to my former glory in Australia"

[@captain1334]

this comment is underrated

[@captain1334]

@@hoekiekevin maybe he can if see it

[@araigumakiruno]

thrown in USA

[@PresentationsGiver_llc_inc_co]

SUPRISE, YOUR BEING RECYCLED *puts in plane to brazil*

[@zUltra3D]

iPhones now: "I was assembled in china and can't be repaired"

[@ackman3981]

Before Apple became the "we will not let you upgrade our laptops ever again"

[@Geert890]

You literally have to take off the screen to upgrade the hdd

[@ackman3981]

@@Geert890 - Was work as I have seen to upgrade older Apple products. Compare to now where everything is soldered on. Apple is now "buy the more $$$ version to be able to work, or get the $ version and not able to do any upgrades that would be cheaper if I did them myself"

[@Geert890]

@@ackman3981 yeah it is now, but after this iBook Apple computers became more upgradable instead of less. Current macs are worse of course

[@ackman3981]

@@Geert890 - Apple went from being "easy" to upgrade, to not being able to now. If you want to make sure that your Apple product will last for years and years, most people do not have choice other than spending more than they want to just to get more memory than the way too low base memory that Apple "thinks" that you need.

[@goosenman2]

I've been watching your videos for about a year now. You inspired me to replace the battery in my iphone 7 myself. Bought the parts from iFixit and set about doing it yesterday afternoon. After a bit of struggle getting the screen off, I was able to replace the battery, and even replaced the dust seal. Phone battery health is now back to 100%. Thank you vey much for your videos and inspiration.

[@thetechrefurbchannel]

These videos make me feel so nostalgic. I remember the days when the Internet was such a novelty that I only knew a couple of websites (the ones my dad used to surf on his Pentium 4 PC). Meanwhile me and my brother had an old Pentium 100Mhz PC with Windows 98, an ATI Rage Pro II with 4Mb VRAM and some retro arcade games loaded. I remember playing some TNMT fighting game on that machine, it was soooo awesome.

[@stefangherman8408]

The iFixit as company was born, after an iBook G3 has broken down and founders don't finded any repair manual at that time in 2003.

[@lili_glitch_lili2389]

Been watching this channel for about 3 years and still has great content

[@wmalden]

I always called this design “the toilet seat Mac”.

[@fabulouis7483]

lol

[@cadenchurchill4296]

I am never going to stop seeing that now 😂🤣

[@Sherdderworld]

You aren’t wrong but I genuinely like it I wish we still designed stuff like this stuff is to sterile now

[@OpenHeadersTV]

How iconic haha 😂

[@bradygiltz5160]

🤣

[@digitaldion]

I have the same laptop - Blueberry iBook, and mind also still works! The battery even holds a charge. They are quite amazing! The keyboards are great, they look great, and they were so stylish in their time! However, they are a little heave by modern standards! Ha ha! Thanks for a great video Hugh.

[@Jbscddnz]

The colours are back with the iMac :D

[@aaronlane8276]

the macbook now comes in different colors too

[@Jbscddnz]

@@aaronlane8276 only gold silver and space gray

[@aaronlane8276]

@@Jbscddnz it's still more colors to choose from now is it

[@itsmejak7888]

@@Jbscddnz and rose

[@Charlie_Loves]

@@aaronlane8276 what’s different or similar about those colors to the new iMacs? Fail lol

[@leonkernan]

Hugh: "If I was around when it came out" Me: We had 486 and Mac Classics in high school...

[@cadenchurchill4296]

I remember when I first started in elementary school they had iMac G3s in the library. Sadly never got to use them.

[@eyemem5080]

Old

[@markbennett6658]

“If I’d have been around in the 90s” .... I was around in the 80s 70s and 60s as well! I think I must be really old? I bought a Blueberry iMac G3 on 1/1/00 and always used ‘dial up’ internet (What’s that I hear you say) via a phone extension (slow). I’m guessing maybe you could upgrade that to WiFi/broadband later on its life? Anybody know? I had to give up on it finally in 2007 when it wouldn’t upgrade to Mac OS 10. Ive still got it and it will boot up on OS 9.2 like Hugh’s to this day

[@the_grand_tourer]

Yep! just spotted your comment as I pressed return on mine.

[@aleguitarist]

'88 here, but I've used my fair share of 286 in school. In Italy even today is not unusual to find old Pentiums with win 95 still in use.

[@javierdediosb4500]

I can feel that happiness while he is removing the adhesive :), good video btw bro.

[@MetaDude]

My father had the Airport version and it still works!! The mousepad doesn't work and the screen is weirdly cracked but intact, The wifi gets abour 1.5mbps speed at max and the game still runs fine as heck!

[@matthiasvanduysen5676]

Hey Hugh, You could try setting the current date and time and then attempt to load the website. If a wrong date/time is detected, some websites might not load.

[@t0raneko]

I bought a G3 powerbook new in 1999. Don't think I've ever had another laptop that I liked as much as that one for all the reasons you mentioned. It would run forever with 2 batteries in the bays and you could buy a charging cradle and have battery life only be limited by the number of batteries you owned.

[@allmannallmann7868]

Hugh Jeffreys : I won't look at the data on the laptop to respect the privacy. Dank Pods: Hold my Pkcell

[@weaselot2213]

GEIR GEIR GEIR

[@Chonksta]

@@weaselot2213 someones been ijn here

[@mynameiscooler7185]

ooh my pkcell

[@garfolino]

I would totally look at the files lol

[@fmefw9892]

THERE ARE RECORDINGS!!!!

[@ivanmotasov9183]

This is in mint condition! A friend of mine found one of these iBooks in the trash a few years ago and gifted it to me, but it was full of cracks, especially in the handle area. To my surprise, the battery was still working after 15 years

[@andusensei]

I love the G3 clamshell so much. A dream project of mine is cramming a modern PC in one of these chassis.

[@PeterEmery]

I owned one of those for 10 months before realising the hinge incorporated a carry handle.

[@mrblond750]

The first laptop I ever owned and still my favorite ever was a Graphite SE 466 Clamshell G3. Wonderful job!

[@turle8645]

I can’t believe you’ve come so far! I’ve been watching since your iPad 2 restoration video from 2017

[@ahmedsajid7112]

Not only does he repair gadgets, he also recommends good cleaning tools to use for these devices

[@Bludgeoned2DEATH2]

This brings back memories of my elementary days using these computers and learning to type using MacMavis

[@jo9732]

I loved these when they first came out. I had an idea that I would have one or two in different colors. The concept is such a great idea but this day and age Apple would never put something out that was this fun and user-friendly

[@tombuck]

I miss these wacky designs- great restoration!

[@ericchristensen5385]

About 4 years ago I found this same exact model and color in pristine condition at a garage sale in North Carolina, USA. If I recall I paid 25 USD. I still have it and turn it on every so often. The only issue is the battery is completely dead and requires AC to be plugged in for it to work.

[@holton345]

I loved this era. Your video made me smile. Thanks.

[@MACISUS]

I have a stack of about 8 working i3 clam shells of your interested in more as well as some other vintage macs. Thought I’d offer! I also have some original apple posters too. 😄 That ram was the bane of working in a Mac shop. Some of the worst I’ve ever dealt with. Crazy that it’s still working 20 some years later! Great restore.

[@victornoagbodji]

Thanks for the video! Very impressed by how this laptop held up.

[@aronmckinney553]

I found this channel about 2 years ago and I’m still here

[@mahaelluri6825]

I found it 2 years ago too and I’m also still here and I’m probably gonna stick around until I die

[@cidsx]

Ahh a throwback to when you did that lime iBook. Well done, -former- arianator.

[@samdavidh]

former arianator? 😂😂

[@ghejnuni]

I hope he's still an arianator.

[@jstyxx4110]

@@samdavidhOn some of his older videos he had the background on the phones he refurbished be photos of her.

[@Chonksta]

@@samdavidh in old vids all repaired devices Wallpapers were photos of Ariana Grande

[@cidsx]

@@ghejnuni same. I'll be disappointed if he no longer is but he doesn't really show his love for her anymore 😞

[@huleeyaxerssius7]

There's this one Compaq Presario laptop from around the time, that took inspiration from these iBook G3 clamshells, that being the Presario 1400. Notably, when you open the lid you can see this, it also had a few different color "options", with these rubberized panels on it you could get about 6 or so different colors for, besides the standard black. Those being rubber from the time, of course don't hold up that well. I have a couple of those 1400's a black & blue one, are some nice machines & yes, as mentioned they took inspiration from these clamshell G3's. Back in those days, computers, laptops & the like had uniqueness to them, now it's just generic whatnot these days. Which makes retro computing & electronics for that matter, quite the interesting & fun thing indeed.

[@PeterdaPanda]

1999 - 6GB of storage is plenty 2020 - 6GB of storage fits only a few movies. 1999 - 512MB RAM is plenty 2021 - 512MB RAM for 2 to 3 Chrome tabs.

[@QUANTUMJOKER]

I acquired a graphite clamshell iBook SE (non-FireWire) a couple of weeks ago, and went a bit nuts with upgrades. On the day I got the iBook, I installed a 64 GB Compact Flash card for an SSD. About a week later, I replaced the stock CD-ROM drive with a DVD-ROM drive. Over the last couple of days, I performed the glowing Apple logo and translucent screen bezel mods, transplanted some better-condition case parts from a dead blueberry iBook, and fixed some minor case/structural issues from the initial SSD procedure (the screen hinges would creak alarmingly due to misaligned tabs, and the left seam of the top case didn't quite go back together, but I fixed both of those problems). The iBook now runs beautifully and looks awesome, and I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out (and I'm proud of myself for returning to fix the aforementioned issues/mistakes).

[@r3ndszergazda]

I had one of these.. Holy cow, were they slow machines even when they released

[@sootmassi]

FINALLY! I've been waiting for this since the First Apple laptop vid.

[@Hesterde]

Good to see your video quality improving and I'm so happy you have opened your online store

[@ceebee23]

iBook remember them being released and they seemed soooooooo cool!!!!!!

[@Quakeinc14]

I remember as a kid wanting this laptop so bad. Nostalgia overload.

[@TheSpotify95]

This was a pretty nice restoration! I rteckon that those older Macs will be rather sought after at some point, if not already now. Good job!

[@hinahasssan]

Watching since 2018 never regret it!!! Epic work Hugh

[@shadowtheimpure]

The G3 clamshells are such unique machines and a piece of history. I remember one of my high school teachers having one of these on his desk. EDIT: The only reason I put flash storage in vintage machines is for reliability. A good example is my Windows XP laptop. I got hold of an MSATA to PATA adapter in a 2.5" hard drive form factor and installed a 64GB SSD.

[@Andy01833]

It’s so cute I would love a laptop like that now obviously working with a modern iOS! Just think how beautifully retro would be..

[@arnlol]

Ahh, I really liked when you said you wanted to keep the hard drive due to the way it sounds like. It seems so many people that are into retro computing are replacing them with CF cards nowadays, losing the character of hearing the drive spin and the sounds of it seeking.

[@MarcABrown-tt1fp]

Well any working hard drives from that era are becoming increasingly rare, sad but they will all inevitably cease to function.

[@TCIR]

CF is functionally better. If i wanted to replace a hard disc with a flash card i would any day. While hard drives are cool, they die quicker and have less storage.

[@peporgan]

Completely agree, I love the hard drive sounds of my iBook Clamshell.

[@ericjenks9596]

I just started running an emulator to get some old software working for a camera I own. Still waiting on the connecting cable to see if it works, or if I have to hunt down a g3 or g4 mac. Glad you saved this one!

[@the_grand_tourer]

9:36 !! "If I was around in the nineties" ... thanks for making me feel very very old ... the first Mac I used was the Mac Classic, B&W screen, within a few months, I got to use one with a colour !! screen, the whole 9inches (diag) of it !! Operating system booting off ... wait for it ... a 1.4mb floppy disc !!!

[@JogieGlenMait16]

Videos like this always reminds me that gadgets just come and go.

[@NauerDIY]

Those Clamshell have huge value and are collectible. In 2021 no geek would trash those iBook

[@michaegi4717]

Nice to see that some folks like this. I bought a similar model (guess processor is litte bit faster) in 2000. I still own it and it runs fine. But it is not really usable. Now I think about selling it or retrofit a modern RaspberrPi to make it usable again. Do anyone know how hard it is to fit a RasPi inside?

[@jasminejohnston6393]

I want an iBook G3 Clamshell. You can’t use it to surf the web anymore but I can always like type up documents or something with it

[@veepeecee8630]

I loved these Macs ! I use to have them when I wss in elementary! But it was the desktop version! Not the laptop. That is so beautiful!!! U should restore the desktop version next!

[@pacoblancosmith]

I have 3 of these I saved from eWaste recovery as well! No power supplies and I believe the hard drives were disabled as they were from a school upgrade back in the day. eBay prices are all over so not sure where to sell them.

[@SpaceWithSam]

Awesome restoration Hugh, keep it going!👍😎😸🥰😀

[@ChrisEpp]

Me opening up mine right after watching this video and realizing it doesn’t have an Airport card 😅😭

[@ChrisEpp]

Gaming York I can, just a bummer I’m missing wireless

[@E50AK]

@@ChrisEpp You aren't missing much. It won't work on most modern wifi networks anyway!

[@F_I_J_I_W_A_T_E_R]

It's totally the nostalgic drive noises that make him keep the drive, definitely not the fact there are over 50 screws you need to keep track of to replace it. Riiiiight.

[@stonersiren]

i've always wanted one of the colorful clamshells, imo they're the most iconic apple product

[@Becky5205]

3:04 sounds like a dosimeter without the alarm. Love it.

[@ryanconklin1440]

This is the episode I have been waiting for

[@stefank.9602]

You always save me when I cant sleep 🙏🏻 Love your videos m8 keep it up ❤

[@vgmotovlogs]

Great content 👍🏻 now I am addicted to your channel ❤️

[@JorgeJuniorr]

I would love to see transparent electronics making a comeback.

[@sulliops]

"It's something you can't replicate with flash storage or a modern hard drive." *looks at my enterprise-grade NAS drives clicking away like mad*

[@bitamina]

i love aesthetics of the old tech ngl

[@berlinbluestar]

Hi, I have the same problem with the question mark folder. But I can’t find the CD for the software. Is there another way to do it?

[@metraforce441]

Apple watching their older laptops being extremely easy to upgrade: *Wait what we did was illegal under Apple standards! Never again! Me need profit!*

[@nisrina_nazihah]

The fact that the Apple iBook G3 can easily be upgraded compared to the current MacBook Air or Pro, really blow my mind.

[@d4n93r]

He actually used more than a micro fiber cloth. Colour me impressed.

[@waltberger7885]

Wow im getting old, i remember when these came out lol

[@jefferyjones8399]

Sometimes I wish Apple still cared about upgradability

[@PeterYacono]

Very nice machine. Well done.

[@the-shork]

Ah dang, I was really looking forward to seeing how that thing comes apart, because I have tried to disassemble one unsuccessfully

[@bmloveofficial]

I know these wouldn't be useful for everyday use but I would love to get one as a collectible... maybe eventually... I still love this design... I wish Apple would go back and give us something with this design again

[@frozenfar7231]

old cars make me nostalgic, old tech makes me appreciate what we have today. this is not that old but if you have any old tech around the house please make sure to recycle them, you're not going to use them, and someone else probably going to throw them in the trash which hurts the environment really bad.

[@AveragePootis]

You forgot the "if" because i still use my vintage computers, its preserving computing history and a nice hobby

[@frozenfar7231]

@@AveragePootis you are right on that but i am afraid that is not for most cases

[@pcar928fan]

I have the grey SE version of this still. Not sure what it can be used for anymore though...

[@Sam-gw3gc]

I work at an e-waste place so I see old laptops like this sometimes but all of them that I have seen so far are very damaged and missing components

[@mortenborg]

Had the tangerine version, probably one of my favorite Macs of all time - such an 'friendly' feel. Really wish Apple would take more chances now, sooo tired of all the current aluminum squares.

[@DarkChewie]

To this day Do not understand why they did not remake this laptop, in my opinion was the best design, Do not understand why this clean and transpartiparte look was exchanged for these aluminum freaks, if Apple launch a laptop in this style again, it will be the first Apple product I buy in years, and I will make a point of buying.

[@troyjeremy3717]

LOVE your videos! Just ordered one of these for myself! So excited to get it. re: Hard drive replacement....Do you think you could just cut the metal to get to the hard drive instead of having to disassemble the whole thing? Does SSD create less electromagnetic noise or whatever that metal is there for?

[@danielcrompton7818]

I love computer restoration videos!

[@ZeitreisenderDrache]

Is the battery still working ?

[@birdgirl8390]

I wish computers looked as cool as they used to back then

[@DemeDemetre]

Well, most tech looked like crap but this and the iMac g3 look cool!

[@davidsalmons80]

Always love your videos Hugh!

[@goexplore55]

Hey Hugh! I have a question do you think you can use 4K in your videos?

[@frederickglass1583]

Good lord, I remember when these were available. If you had one of these in the late 90s to 2000s, you were likely "rich" at the time

[@neon-gh9sr]

You think that laptop is upgradeable? In my hp from 2011, you have direct access to the ram, cpu, ssd, fan, and wifi card without removing a single screw. (It uses a spring loaded latch)

[@thecataclysmotv]

"After dropping my cleaning solution everywhere i can clean off the top lid." the way he said it in that monotone voice made me gaggle lmao

[@timjohnson2748]

Technically they didn’t Come out till 2000 and on I know because my aunt bought one in 2000 in the same exact color when I was little ;)

[@Spice-berries]

The IBook clamshell must be the most iconic Mac ever.

[@LazerKermit]

How does this man not have 1 million yet????

[@TheGlitchyMario]

You cured my boredom.

[@FivesCt-to4yz]

Do you feel need of any extra bits in your pro tech tool kit? Or its wiser to purchase Manta tool kit?)!))

[@BCProgramming]

For Browsing on such a laptop, you would want something like Classilla. I'm able to browse the web (slowly, but reliably) on my iMac G3 with it, so should work with the iBook G3.

[@GurjasSinghSehmbey]

Old is actually Gold

[@PROGETTO302]

Do you think it is possible to "restomod" such model using newer apple macbook internals & screen ?

[@BradGryphonn]

Geez, that is a flashback for me.

[@JonMichaelDeShazer]

7:00 The 802.11b standard wasn't approved by the IEEE until September 1999. Wireless Access Points weren't popping up in people's houses until 2002 or so. That's why it wasn't standard in this G3.