The Brilliant Reason People Are Tearing Screens Off Apple MacBooks
A hack that saves you money and a trip to the landfill.
A cracked or otherwise messed up display has sent many a laptop to the e-waste Dumpster in the sky.
But a growing trend detailed by news outlet reveals that people are actually seeking out machines with busted displays on eBay and other sites. The reason? For lack of a more technical description, the guts and brains of a MacBook live in the bottom portion of the machine. So by simply popping off the display half and connecting to an external monitor, you can have a working MacBook for a fraction of the price. Digital Trends notes that an M1 MacBook Air with a broken display can be bought on eBay for $400. Compare that to a certified one from , and you see why tech-savvy folks with an extra monitor and some cords are giving this a go.
More and more people are buying a MacBook Pro without a screen to use as a Mac mini. Not only does it have a trackpad and keyboard, but it also has better speakers, and the main price is particularly affordable.
— DuanRui (@duanrui1205)
This is not perfect, however. As with any Apple device, once you open it up and start playing Dr. Frankenstein, you void any kind of warranty. And, unlike a fully-functioning laptop, this isn’t exactly portable. Your local coffee shop might be less inclined to let you sit there working on your screenplay all day if you have a giant monitor and wires running all over the place. But if your plans revolve mostly around working from a home office, the monetary and environmental savings of rescuing old machines puts this hack in the brilliant category.
Related: Avoid This Major Leadership Blunder That Got Steve Jobs Ousted From Apple
A cracked or otherwise messed up display has sent many a laptop to the e-waste Dumpster in the sky.
But a growing trend detailed by news outlet reveals that people are actually seeking out machines with busted displays on eBay and other sites. The reason? For lack of a more technical description, the guts and brains of a MacBook live in the bottom portion of the machine. So by simply popping off the display half and connecting to an external monitor, you can have a working MacBook for a fraction of the price. Digital Trends notes that an M1 MacBook Air with a broken display can be bought on eBay for $400. Compare that to a certified one from , and you see why tech-savvy folks with an extra monitor and some cords are giving this a go.
More and more people are buying a MacBook Pro without a screen to use as a Mac mini. Not only does it have a trackpad and keyboard, but it also has better speakers, and the main price is particularly affordable.
— DuanRui (@duanrui1205)
This is not perfect, however. As with any Apple device, once you open it up and start playing Dr. Frankenstein, you void any kind of warranty. And, unlike a fully-functioning laptop, this isn’t exactly portable. Your local coffee shop might be less inclined to let you sit there working on your screenplay all day if you have a giant monitor and wires running all over the place. But if your plans revolve mostly around working from a home office, the monetary and environmental savings of rescuing old machines puts this hack in the brilliant category.
