Man attempts to turn MacBook Air into keyboard PC
By Donald Melanson 
posted August 16th 2010 3:47PM
posted August 16th 2010 3:47PM
The attempted revival of keyboard PCs may not have exactly caught on in a big way, but it looks like modder Bart Reardon is certainly a fan -- so much so that he ripped apart a perfectly functional MacBook Air in an attempt to make his own. While he's not quite finished yet, he has managed to get all the main components to fit under an Apple keyboard and Magic Trackpad, and he's apparently almost ready to replace all the tape holding it together with something more permanent. Hit up the source link below for a look at the complete build process.
It wasn't really perfectly functional to begin with. He mentions in the very first blog post that it was given to him free and that the display hinge and connecting ribbon were severed.
Mac Air Keyboard..... MAK Daddy !
Given how long Apple have let the Air sit on a shelf and gather dust just using a keyboard and trackpad would make a more powerful computer.
@arkweld that makes no sense at all
If you follow the source link you will find that the macbook air was not "perfectly functional".
Yet this has the same functionality as a macbook, if not more
you have too much money on your hands. Clearly you should be buying us all apple computers.
It wasn't perfectly functional, it had a broken screen when he received it (for free) so he thought he'd see what he could do with it.
Say hello to apples next "revolution"
This.changes everything.
@Eli Haj
They've basically done everything BUT a laptop without a screen. They might as well :P
i could imagine trying to return that thing
Oh the lolols i would get
wow, I wonder if Apple will steal this guy's idea and actually release something like this, maybe they'll call it the iBoard
What I don't understand is why if he using the MacBook air at all... He could just attach an iPhone or iPod as the trackpad and use the Bluetooth keyboard with it. He'd also have 3G that way, and could just VGA out to a monitor when he needs it. What's the benefit of gutting a MacBook when a touch screen idevice and Bluetooth keyboard can do all the same shit... He could run Linux or froyo on it if iOS wasn't enough
o. still missing backlight, especially glowing traces on the touchpad.
x. rage smashing it isn't an option. :[
Just remove the screen, the end.
appledore64 bits? *_* ...
i sent this in...
Good stuff. Really well done. He can work at a desk with a large non-laptop monitor, then take it to the living room for watching videos. I can see this filling a niche market (like the Asus... but this is prettier).
he should duct tape a monitor to that keyboard too. just to make it mobile..
@3Stars1Sun don't be a jackass, Allan Harper. Your smarter brother, Charlie Harper of "Two and a Half men" said that!
I made a perfectly good keyboard PC 10 years ago when my lappie screen died, so i just chopped it off and connected a screen to it. I've always been surprised they never rebranded these things back then with a clever marketing spin - they can be pretty small even back then if you discount the battery.
Make me miss my Amiga 500
Im surpised his Macbook Air is still working seeing as the fault rate on these was astronomical, and as its plagued with over heating hes probably better off jsut leaving it open like that anyway !
i have imagined this .... NOW its real :D
thats got negative image of a "sinclair ql" all over it!
Must be just a small move to turn it into a boomerang...
Then the former MacBook Air will truly be floating on air, and if you throw it right, it will come right back at you.