iBook modder finds a novel home for iPad
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted June 9th 2010 2:52PM
posted June 9th 2010 2:52PM
Remember the original iBook? And we're not talking about Steve Jobs's favorite, Winnie The Pooh. (Or was it Gramsci's Prison Notebooks? We always get those two confused.) We're talking about the classic, colorful clamshell laptop. Well, one loyal customer still has his -- and for this delightful mod he's retrofitted it as an iPad case. We were impressed with how much of a 'near fit' Apple's beloved slate was (along with the keyboard connection kit), although the modder admits that a little work will have to be done before the thing can be closed properly (and without damage to the hardware inside). All in all, we think it's a pretty sweet idea, but then again we have always been suckers for old school hardware. Get a closer look after the break.
Complete your computing need with your toilet seat in your toilet.
@pika2000
You see, what separates Apple from Microsoft is that Apple has what's called "taste"...
@sonicyoof Apple loves the taste of eating your money
@pika2000
All I can say is...
This iBook mod is gross.
@Eli Haj it really does look like a toilet seat now that I think about it, ROFL!
@pika2000 I don't get the point. The iPad has about same CPU power as the original iBook...
@McPOW
Not really. Those clamshell G3's topped out at 466MHz. The iPad has a 1GHz processor. ;) now the later model G3's with the white case, those topped out at 900MHz.
I found those things ugly yet fascinating at the same tie.
In some ways they still look cool.
@Ninjakid4 Yet still ugly I should dd.
@Ninjakid4
Are you F***n kidding me!!?
The damn thing looks like a clam shell -.-
@Ninjakid4 I think that was the point...kind of like some Scions or the Honda Element. They make it drastic and bold to try to make it cool
now really, if your gonna do that why not just get a laptop?!?
@willsurg Couple of reasons:
1) Because you have too much money and not enough sense to buy a laptop that'll cost less than an iPad.
2) Because you can.
It would be ok in a 12" Powerbook as they were quite stylish. Not so much in plastic old iBook. The keyboard wouldn't fit in the Powerbook though, you'd have to do some real modding and not just glueing standard parts to a piece of plastic.
except the Ibook had flash...
@oldpass56
...and you could put any app on it you wanted.
What do Winnie-the-Pooh and Alexander the Great have in common?
Same middle name.
Those ibooks looked so Fischer-Price even when they came out. Very clever, and utilitarian. Once they add design an OSX lite for the ipad, this will be very usable item.
@Marc B
What's clever and utilitarian about it? The only thing usable is the iPad.
But the ipad has way more processing power than that iBook
@shift123 OS9 still kicks iOS 4's ass.
It seems to me there was a reason that Apple moved past those designs. Let go man, just let go.
The original iBooks were extremely comfortable to use. Unfortunately over the years laptops and netbooks have become so thin, hot and squared off that they are no longer comfortable to be used on the "lap". A company really should take the original ibook's form factor and make a laptop dock similar to this for the iPad.
This is actually quite cool, massively impractical but cool
Oh, don't forget the handle!
Now they need to put in a battery into the iBook so it will charge the iPad at the same time.
i guess an apple macbook would do the job much better.
The original eMate 300 base on the Newton OS was better and the original iBooks were created to replace them when Apple discontinued the Newton OS
fugly
Yo dawg...
I still have my iBook G3 Firewire SE, and re entry upgraded it's memory. But considering that I use my iPad 3G more than my MacBook pro, this mod mint be fun to do with my older hardware.
"iBooks modder finds novel home for iPad"
Going on that headline, I assumed the story was going to be about the turtle-necked-one cramming an iPad up an unauthorized modder's nether region at the Apple WWDC.
Boy, do I feel foolish.
@Pinkerton
re: "Boy, do I feel foolish."
Your joke kinda died on the vine there... I'll still give you a /golfclap slow applause for trying. Thumbs up for effort!
Oh I get it.. "Novel" as in book. Very humorous, good show!
*Smokes a pipe*
iBook G3 - 1024x768
iPad - 1024x768
And Steve was ranting about how awesome his screen resolution is earlier this week? Hahahahaha.
@Joanna D While the iPad screen does leave something to be desired, the iPad is much cheaper than the iBook was new ($500 vs. $1100). Also the iPad should get OS X, with iPhone 4 getting all the same features, the iPad is becoming a giant iPhone.
"the all new padBook" LOL
What a crappy, botch-job mod. Seriously, I'm as incompetent as they come with a dremel, but even I could have done better than that...
The iPad just got bigger.
inb4 bezel
Don't make joke on Gramsci, respect...
When will they release something that will fit in the iPad?
AS if it wasnt ugly enough.
They should have used a white iBook, since it looks better and it's easier to get a borked one (thanks to ATI for the high fail rate).
http://membres.multimania.fr/skyline13300/ibook3.jpg
*sniff* I miss my orange toiletseat mac! (At least it wasn't that minty blue thing...)
Hahaha!!! iCrapper. Another first for Steve Jobs and Apple.
The idea is goooooood, but the execution coud've been better.
Sadly, unlike the iPad, the MacBook actually ran Flash!