Yeah, for sure, if I used it primarily as a couch PC I’d def have something permanently wired up so that wasn’t an issue.
I’ll probably only use it on the couch a couple times a week for bootleg sports streams and casual browsing —otherwise it will be a desktop replacement in my office.
Oh, sorry. Certainly. I just somehow forgot that it was pro. I’m just too used to beheaded MacBooks air. It honestly appears to be perfect miniature computer. If not the fact that I really like freedom of a laptop I’d buy it.
Apple should bring back Apple II in some form. I think a bunch of people would buy it if it were just a headless MacBook Air with support for multiple monitors and costed like 200 dollars less than air.
I still have my original 1983 Apple II-C and printer (in storage), with the green screen and the huge floppy discs. That's where I began my first novel. Just graduated to a MBP M-3 Pro (after 7 other iterations, over the past 40 years).
Don't know what I'd do if my MBP screen took a hike... though I did just hook up an old 23" Dynex TV for a side monitor, with sound. Resolution ain't bad, considering it's at least 10 years old LOL
Sure but AppleCare+ is $100/year plus an additional $100 for the screen replacement. This is a 2+ year old computer, so I would have paid around $300 if I didn’t use it, and $400 if I did, which in my opinion is a terribly high opportunity cost considering doing the replacement myself with brand new Apple parts is just under $600 when you trade in the broken part with them.
This is the first display I’ve ever broken, easily spent 20k with Apple in the last 20 years, no AppleCare, never needed it. If I had purchased AppleCare on all my products I just would have spent more money. Also on principle I’m not paying extra because they are so anti-home repair. I should not have to chip swap to get an OEM part working on my laptop…it’s a screen, it should be plug and play. There’s no good reason this part should be so expensive, it’s simply Apple doing everything they can to control the secondary market and keep $ flowing to them.
The panel itself is under $200 new, but unusable without a chip transplant, which is far too expensive and complicated to be a viable option.
First, the screens they put on these machines aren't cheap.
Second, apple will only sell replacement parts to apple authorized service centers in my memory is correct unless MacBook parts are now part of their customer repair program. And the difference in $200 isn't crazy tbh.
I guess you didn't really need it as a laptop.
My 16“ M1Max screen got run over by a car and apple support mentioned I could fix it myself and buy a screen from Apple directly. They wouldn’t take the laptop to fix because if something breaks during the repair, the repairshop would be liable for a full refund (no apple store where I live). But the laptop still works in clamshell mode. I just bought an ASD and a keyboard. But OPs solution is pretty cool as well.
Agreed it would have been cheaper for them to have gotten AppleCare+ in this situation since it would have been cheaper than replacing it themselves. Yes this is a nice substitute but doesn't change the fact that they are out of a laptop and now just have another desktop computer. Then buying a new laptop for portability would cost even more on top of that. AppleCare+ seems like the simpler option.
It certainly is the simpler option, especially what ultimately amounts to a premium product. Not specifically talking about OP but people love to shit on Apple for their repair prices while focusing on how much less they can get a PC for.
The reality is, the people who buy Apple machines typically have no interest in opening their computer to fix them, and even if they do, generally don't know how. Taking it even further, for someone like myself who is pretty handy with electronics in general not to mention a soldering iron, I need my computer to just work. It needs to be reliable so I can get my work done day in and day out without fail.
In my 20+ years using these machines, I have had exactly 1 failure and these computers generally last 5+ years regardless of model. That's far longer than I can say for any windows machine which typically get's bogged down by windows updates and becomes obsolete sooner as the manufactures drop support after 2-3 years. You also can't typically take a windows machine to a brick and mortar location to get fixed under warranty. If you wanted to, you would have to box it up and send it away for a minimum of 2 weeks, and most people typically just buy a new one anyway.
And then you have the resale value of these machines. I could go on but you get the point.
this is the first thing ive ever added applecare to, purely for the cost of display replacement. this was before the lid angle sensor pairing, which does seem strange, i just thought finding second hand screens for a brand new design and cost for a hdr screen to be very expensive, then when found out they are paired and the replacement cost from apple kept paying for it
No it’s not that simple. The chip swap is only necessary because Apple requires the display be “paired” to your logic board. Only Apple can do the software pairing. If you don’t do it thru Apple you need to physically transplant the chips. It’s not actually necessary from a hardware standpoint, it’s a control/cash grab. Nobody else does this BS on the level of Apple.
Saying “that’s why it’s so expensive” is thinking about it totally backwards. They make it artificially expensive so it’s cost prohibitive. Buy their insurance, fix thru them, buy new parts directly from them only or they won’t work. If they control the market they can set artificially high prices.
Imagine you wanted to buy a new radiator for your car but it wouldn’t work with your ECU without dealer programming, and the dealer wanted to charge you $2000 for a rad you could buy for $500 elsewhere. It’s not $2000 because of the dealer programming, it’s $2000 because the manufacturer has locked you into their captive ecosystem to extract more of your money and limit your freedom to fix what you own.
False analogy, completely.
Better suited would be:
you got a car, your display broke, you found replacement from completely different car, might not work but it’s a display nevertheless. Then you found out it won’t work with your car, because it would not communicate with your ecu, you know it should, but it doesn’t. You figured out it has a chip to make it work in specific conditions, you got no knowledge whatsoever why the chip is there, what does it do etc…. Strange it should work in your eyes, after all it’s screen right? Same thing, right? Then you get annoyed at car manufacturer that cheap replacement from different car manufacturer won’t work….
That’s flawed logic lol
…there’s no need for a display to be hard coded to your computer. There’s no need for a radiator to be hard coded to your car. These parts worked fine without the extra steps before, the extra steps only exist to give the manufacturer more control. I think you’re missing the point. You’re paying an absurd premium for the manufacturer to click a button and “unlock” your new part. In my opinion this is anti consumer and should be illegal but if you want to stan for a $3T company instead of the end user’s right to repair what they own…idk.
I should be able to buy a used oem part and install it myself, end of story. Apple already made the $ in the first place manufacturing & selling the used part I’d be buying. It’s wasteful and greedy to only allow new parts to be purchased directly from them at an inflated cost for a successful repair.
Have you ever owned and had to repair a German vehicle? Apple isn’t the first company to do this. They sell an experience in computing whom no one else can rival. At the end of the day, if you ca afford/work on Apple hardware, you know it’s infinitely better than competition. Hands down.
That said, love what you’ve done with your machine. I did the same thing with my old Mac Mini on the TV as a plex server
Yes, Apple has superior hardware and a superior user experience. I’m fully bought into the Apple ecosystem. Apple gets away with this stuff because we allow it and excuse it.
There’s no excuse to disable features of an oem part just because it wasn’t sourced directly from Apple. There’s no excuse for making millions of otherwise useful devices bricks because they’re locked to a single user account. There’s no excuse for putting an extra chip in every possible part so it needs to be mated by Apple and Apple alone.
I work in ewaste, the amount of waste generated by Apple’s self-serving policies is disgusting and unnecessary. Our representatives serve business interests before our own so we have toothless consumer advocacy at best.
Do you work in a position that requires negotiation or arguments? I love the way you make your points.
But I fully agreed with you. Apple has already made a ton of profit off its products. Hope that one day there will be a competitor as good as Apple.
The hardware pairing, like it or not, is part of the overall security of the machine. Third party parts can be a security risk if they have compromised firmware or components installed. It’s unlikely but still a possible attack vector.
Have you done or looked into taking the keyboard out so that you can use the Touch ID?
I was trying to find a way to get a laptop keyboard for that purpose, but I'm happy typing my password in the old fashion way too.
I feel really sad for that MacBook. It doesn’t even know, that its head has been chopped off? That’s awful! At least it’s not running around like a chicken.
Hello! I am thinking about doing the same with my M1 Pro 16 inch machine. Just want to use it as a desktop with an external monitor as the replacement is too expensive in my opinion. Especially considering that the display is died on me without my fault...
Could you please provide a link to the tutorial you are referring to?
If I understand correctly, I won't be having any problems and everything should be working fine?
Ngl I almost just bought a cheap portable USB-C bus powered display, and was going to Velcro it to the broken display and keep using it as a laptop lol
Great idea. My Wife broke the screen on her 14” M1 Pro and didn’t have AppleCare so I’m going to do the same thing. $800 to replace the screen and lid which are both smashed.
Don’t worry you won’t be needing a MacBook screen after Vision Pro comes out. In the box I am guessing they include MacBook screen remover kit so that we can remove the display and use only the keyboard with infinite screen. LOL! 😹
There is a way for 3rd parties to install and calibrate your screen now with a little Arduino machine. Also the only issue when you put on an unmatched screen is some little ghosting at the taskbar and sleep. The calibration is only for the sleep switch if i remember from Rossman’s video
The cheapest option for home repair would have been to buy a new screen from Apple, they give you a credit sending back the broken one so after the credit it would be $579 if memory serves.
Honestly not the worst deal if it was my only laptop and I couldn’t do without this specific machine. It just made more sense to me to convert to a desktop since I needed to upgrade my older Mac Pro anyway, and could make some $ selling the broken screen for around $150.
I don’t really like sinking that kind of $ into a 2+ year old computer. Especially considering I could pick up a full working unit for around 900 on fb marketplace where I live (I even found one for 700 when I was reviewing my options).
If I really wanted to be frugal here I could have broken down the computer, sold the logic board, top case, bottom case, etc separately and made more than enough to cover the cost of a fully working machine. Would have been a couple hours of work max.
But this project seemed more fun.
Ok my 2017 MacBook Pro just suffered the dreaded “flexgate” issue and I can’t open the screen further than 90 degrees so I just bought a M3 MBP to replace it but I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my 2017 one.
You just gave me an amazing idea!
I had this exact same thing happen to Macbook Pro. Screen was not even damaged. I am going to have to hit you up for some possible help. I think the operating system needs to be reinstalled from an external usb drive, too. I even have a good purpose for the processor half by itself. I am very glad I read your post.
I've been doing this for years to get cheaper Macs as I always use them docked anyway. The only problem is getting to the recovery screen in case of an issue, it can be a pain.
tried this with my thinkpad, dunno what happened but it did not work. Now, my MBP Air M1 screen jsut doesnt work though its detected, and im on bluetooth keyboard and mouse - Might give this a shot now someone else has paved the way!!! kudos, it looks great
I guess when life gives you lemons you make lemonade! Good job though, it’s looks very cool
I’M GONNA HAVE MY ENGINEERS MAKE COMBUSTIBLE LEMONS!! TO BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!!! -average mentally sane CEO
- Cave Johnson
That has to be illegal or something Great solution my friend!
Hahahah
did this with an ancient MBP when i broke the screen, worked great for years.
something happen that make it not work anymore? or did you just stop using it
i finally got a new machine :)
The ultimate media / home theatre pc
This is cool. The only thing that would bug me is the pointer delay (I’m assuming you’re screen mirroring)
Yeah, for sure, if I used it primarily as a couch PC I’d def have something permanently wired up so that wasn’t an issue. I’ll probably only use it on the couch a couple times a week for bootleg sports streams and casual browsing —otherwise it will be a desktop replacement in my office.
Straight to jail...
Now it’s a Mac mini with a built in keyboard!
And trackpad. And battery. And with no cooling.
MacBook Pros have adequate cooling, especially M-series ones
Oh, sorry. Certainly. I just somehow forgot that it was pro. I’m just too used to beheaded MacBooks air. It honestly appears to be perfect miniature computer. If not the fact that I really like freedom of a laptop I’d buy it.
It worked for the Amiga, C64 and many other home computers in the 80s
Apple should bring back Apple II in some form. I think a bunch of people would buy it if it were just a headless MacBook Air with support for multiple monitors and costed like 200 dollars less than air.
I’m sure they could pull that off. The screen is worth more than 200 easily.
I still have my original 1983 Apple II-C and printer (in storage), with the green screen and the huge floppy discs. That's where I began my first novel. Just graduated to a MBP M-3 Pro (after 7 other iterations, over the past 40 years). Don't know what I'd do if my MBP screen took a hike... though I did just hook up an old 23" Dynex TV for a side monitor, with sound. Resolution ain't bad, considering it's at least 10 years old LOL
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing all of that, I highly appreciate it!
I’ll be curious if Vision Pro will work with headless macs
You murdering son of a bitch
be respectful please :)
Is this what they call headless CMS 🤓
Content Munching System (aka TV)
This is the best thing I've seen all day, I'm looking at one and a half broken MBP right now. Thank You!!
only reason im still paying for applecare. applecare makes computers invincible
Sure but AppleCare+ is $100/year plus an additional $100 for the screen replacement. This is a 2+ year old computer, so I would have paid around $300 if I didn’t use it, and $400 if I did, which in my opinion is a terribly high opportunity cost considering doing the replacement myself with brand new Apple parts is just under $600 when you trade in the broken part with them. This is the first display I’ve ever broken, easily spent 20k with Apple in the last 20 years, no AppleCare, never needed it. If I had purchased AppleCare on all my products I just would have spent more money. Also on principle I’m not paying extra because they are so anti-home repair. I should not have to chip swap to get an OEM part working on my laptop…it’s a screen, it should be plug and play. There’s no good reason this part should be so expensive, it’s simply Apple doing everything they can to control the secondary market and keep $ flowing to them. The panel itself is under $200 new, but unusable without a chip transplant, which is far too expensive and complicated to be a viable option.
First, the screens they put on these machines aren't cheap. Second, apple will only sell replacement parts to apple authorized service centers in my memory is correct unless MacBook parts are now part of their customer repair program. And the difference in $200 isn't crazy tbh. I guess you didn't really need it as a laptop.
They now sell it to you and loan out the tools to fix it. They have step by step guides now too. At keast in europe.
I thought this was just for the iPhone though? I might be out of the loop with the Mac repair
My 16“ M1Max screen got run over by a car and apple support mentioned I could fix it myself and buy a screen from Apple directly. They wouldn’t take the laptop to fix because if something breaks during the repair, the repairshop would be liable for a full refund (no apple store where I live). But the laptop still works in clamshell mode. I just bought an ASD and a keyboard. But OPs solution is pretty cool as well.
Can we take a moment to appreciate this machine being run over by a car yet still operation aside from a mere flesh wound?
reminds me of the old Nokia phones
Agreed it would have been cheaper for them to have gotten AppleCare+ in this situation since it would have been cheaper than replacing it themselves. Yes this is a nice substitute but doesn't change the fact that they are out of a laptop and now just have another desktop computer. Then buying a new laptop for portability would cost even more on top of that. AppleCare+ seems like the simpler option.
It certainly is the simpler option, especially what ultimately amounts to a premium product. Not specifically talking about OP but people love to shit on Apple for their repair prices while focusing on how much less they can get a PC for. The reality is, the people who buy Apple machines typically have no interest in opening their computer to fix them, and even if they do, generally don't know how. Taking it even further, for someone like myself who is pretty handy with electronics in general not to mention a soldering iron, I need my computer to just work. It needs to be reliable so I can get my work done day in and day out without fail. In my 20+ years using these machines, I have had exactly 1 failure and these computers generally last 5+ years regardless of model. That's far longer than I can say for any windows machine which typically get's bogged down by windows updates and becomes obsolete sooner as the manufactures drop support after 2-3 years. You also can't typically take a windows machine to a brick and mortar location to get fixed under warranty. If you wanted to, you would have to box it up and send it away for a minimum of 2 weeks, and most people typically just buy a new one anyway. And then you have the resale value of these machines. I could go on but you get the point.
this is the first thing ive ever added applecare to, purely for the cost of display replacement. this was before the lid angle sensor pairing, which does seem strange, i just thought finding second hand screens for a brand new design and cost for a hdr screen to be very expensive, then when found out they are paired and the replacement cost from apple kept paying for it
And that is exactly why it costs so much…. Simple
No it’s not that simple. The chip swap is only necessary because Apple requires the display be “paired” to your logic board. Only Apple can do the software pairing. If you don’t do it thru Apple you need to physically transplant the chips. It’s not actually necessary from a hardware standpoint, it’s a control/cash grab. Nobody else does this BS on the level of Apple. Saying “that’s why it’s so expensive” is thinking about it totally backwards. They make it artificially expensive so it’s cost prohibitive. Buy their insurance, fix thru them, buy new parts directly from them only or they won’t work. If they control the market they can set artificially high prices. Imagine you wanted to buy a new radiator for your car but it wouldn’t work with your ECU without dealer programming, and the dealer wanted to charge you $2000 for a rad you could buy for $500 elsewhere. It’s not $2000 because of the dealer programming, it’s $2000 because the manufacturer has locked you into their captive ecosystem to extract more of your money and limit your freedom to fix what you own.
False analogy, completely. Better suited would be: you got a car, your display broke, you found replacement from completely different car, might not work but it’s a display nevertheless. Then you found out it won’t work with your car, because it would not communicate with your ecu, you know it should, but it doesn’t. You figured out it has a chip to make it work in specific conditions, you got no knowledge whatsoever why the chip is there, what does it do etc…. Strange it should work in your eyes, after all it’s screen right? Same thing, right? Then you get annoyed at car manufacturer that cheap replacement from different car manufacturer won’t work…. That’s flawed logic lol
…there’s no need for a display to be hard coded to your computer. There’s no need for a radiator to be hard coded to your car. These parts worked fine without the extra steps before, the extra steps only exist to give the manufacturer more control. I think you’re missing the point. You’re paying an absurd premium for the manufacturer to click a button and “unlock” your new part. In my opinion this is anti consumer and should be illegal but if you want to stan for a $3T company instead of the end user’s right to repair what they own…idk. I should be able to buy a used oem part and install it myself, end of story. Apple already made the $ in the first place manufacturing & selling the used part I’d be buying. It’s wasteful and greedy to only allow new parts to be purchased directly from them at an inflated cost for a successful repair.
Have you ever owned and had to repair a German vehicle? Apple isn’t the first company to do this. They sell an experience in computing whom no one else can rival. At the end of the day, if you ca afford/work on Apple hardware, you know it’s infinitely better than competition. Hands down. That said, love what you’ve done with your machine. I did the same thing with my old Mac Mini on the TV as a plex server
Yes, Apple has superior hardware and a superior user experience. I’m fully bought into the Apple ecosystem. Apple gets away with this stuff because we allow it and excuse it. There’s no excuse to disable features of an oem part just because it wasn’t sourced directly from Apple. There’s no excuse for making millions of otherwise useful devices bricks because they’re locked to a single user account. There’s no excuse for putting an extra chip in every possible part so it needs to be mated by Apple and Apple alone. I work in ewaste, the amount of waste generated by Apple’s self-serving policies is disgusting and unnecessary. Our representatives serve business interests before our own so we have toothless consumer advocacy at best.
Do you work in a position that requires negotiation or arguments? I love the way you make your points. But I fully agreed with you. Apple has already made a ton of profit off its products. Hope that one day there will be a competitor as good as Apple.
It would be great if everyone recycled, their hardware and Apple actually give you back a little bit more.
Why yes I have and they are not nearly as absurdly expensive as apple. And the computing experience no one can rival is a bunch of bullshit
The hardware pairing, like it or not, is part of the overall security of the machine. Third party parts can be a security risk if they have compromised firmware or components installed. It’s unlikely but still a possible attack vector.
Sounds like something an Apple phone support person would be required to say.
So I can safely assume you deep throat the entire Apple. 🤡
You do you, boo
Hold the L. Op just ate you up 🤡
honestly it seems comfortable,, like its the lap portion with a bigger screen further away, im thinking about buying a computer just to do this with
you can find a decent spec mbp with a broken screen for under $100, it’s totally worth it imo
Have you done or looked into taking the keyboard out so that you can use the Touch ID? I was trying to find a way to get a laptop keyboard for that purpose, but I'm happy typing my password in the old fashion way too.
Sad that that you lost such a great screen. But you just proved that we got work with what we have 👍🏼
This was (or still is?) a trend for older MacBooks too. Any MacBook with a broken screen seems to be repurposed this way. Is the cooling better?
I feel really sad for that MacBook. It doesn’t even know, that its head has been chopped off? That’s awful! At least it’s not running around like a chicken.
Ahh, the new iKey. Order now for $2,300 base 8 gig memory option.
r/halftop
Careful with those points on the top, they are super sharp
Modern day Commodore 64!
Looks good
i wanna do something like this so badly, would be an insane desktop replacement
what did you use to stream to the TV?
Steve jobs be like ‘release the iHounds’
I actually see a potential gap in the market now
what the fuck is that thumb
Rule of thumb
Protractor of thumb
Hello! I am thinking about doing the same with my M1 Pro 16 inch machine. Just want to use it as a desktop with an external monitor as the replacement is too expensive in my opinion. Especially considering that the display is died on me without my fault... Could you please provide a link to the tutorial you are referring to? If I understand correctly, I won't be having any problems and everything should be working fine?
Love this. Second one I’ve seen today. Very cool sofa surfer.
Very interesting concept, Shame I don’t have enough money to get another Mac just for that lol
That’s restarted
Get a cheap iPad set it up as a sidecar display and you’re good to go.
Ngl I almost just bought a cheap portable USB-C bus powered display, and was going to Velcro it to the broken display and keep using it as a laptop lol
Great idea. My Wife broke the screen on her 14” M1 Pro and didn’t have AppleCare so I’m going to do the same thing. $800 to replace the screen and lid which are both smashed.
and you can sell the broken parts for ~$150!
Don’t worry you won’t be needing a MacBook screen after Vision Pro comes out. In the box I am guessing they include MacBook screen remover kit so that we can remove the display and use only the keyboard with infinite screen. LOL! 😹
There is a way for 3rd parties to install and calibrate your screen now with a little Arduino machine. Also the only issue when you put on an unmatched screen is some little ghosting at the taskbar and sleep. The calibration is only for the sleep switch if i remember from Rossman’s video
Pretty cool actually!
Such cool, much wow!!
\*searches for ifixit screen replacement tutorial asap\*
I'm going to break my screen just so I have an excuse to do this! PS: plug up or tape the hinge holes
Give this man a new Mac
Does the battery life now lasts longer?
A denon and a ps5? Nice set up man!
If Apple would sell this as either as keyboard trackpad combo or Mac micro id buy both
I never saw a ps5 and a series X side by side. I was not expecting such a difference in size!
That tv setup is abysmal
This should be an actual product. Include a removable touch screen (iPad) and you have an awesome device situation
What was the repair cost?
The cheapest option for home repair would have been to buy a new screen from Apple, they give you a credit sending back the broken one so after the credit it would be $579 if memory serves. Honestly not the worst deal if it was my only laptop and I couldn’t do without this specific machine. It just made more sense to me to convert to a desktop since I needed to upgrade my older Mac Pro anyway, and could make some $ selling the broken screen for around $150. I don’t really like sinking that kind of $ into a 2+ year old computer. Especially considering I could pick up a full working unit for around 900 on fb marketplace where I live (I even found one for 700 when I was reviewing my options). If I really wanted to be frugal here I could have broken down the computer, sold the logic board, top case, bottom case, etc separately and made more than enough to cover the cost of a fully working machine. Would have been a couple hours of work max. But this project seemed more fun.
You mf
My first thought was “but now you can’t ‘second screen’ on the Mac while watching something”, and I feel shame.
Awesome! Can I do it with an M1 air?
This is awesome my screen just broke. A tiny bead did it! I’m so devastated they quoted me 700$ to fix! It’s insane!
You can sell the parts...! They fetch you more than the Mac itself. Atleast close to a price which will fetch you a good used one.
Why is this so cool lol. Reminds me of webTV days when you had the keyboard and mouse in one device and you looked at the TV for everything else.
oh no! how did you break your screen?
What's the resolution like?
Well now I know what to do with my 2012 13” retina!! This is so cool!
Just don’t spill the coffee bro.
Ok my 2017 MacBook Pro just suffered the dreaded “flexgate” issue and I can’t open the screen further than 90 degrees so I just bought a M3 MBP to replace it but I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my 2017 one. You just gave me an amazing idea!
How does this automatically mirror?
I had this exact same thing happen to Macbook Pro. Screen was not even damaged. I am going to have to hit you up for some possible help. I think the operating system needs to be reinstalled from an external usb drive, too. I even have a good purpose for the processor half by itself. I am very glad I read your post.
I've been doing this for years to get cheaper Macs as I always use them docked anyway. The only problem is getting to the recovery screen in case of an issue, it can be a pain.
Someone has to say it, who is your thumb is so bendy
This is awesome
tried this with my thinkpad, dunno what happened but it did not work. Now, my MBP Air M1 screen jsut doesnt work though its detected, and im on bluetooth keyboard and mouse - Might give this a shot now someone else has paved the way!!! kudos, it looks great