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drsox

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 29, 2011
1,706
201
Xhystos
I'm just about to add a TBD to my MacBook Air but I'd appreciate an answer to this question.
The MBA has a set of black "feet" to raise it up a few mm and the TBD has a metal stand also a few mm high.
Question : Does the MBA fit "over" the stand under the TBD without actually resting on it ?

Thanks.
 

wrinkster22

macrumors 68030
Jun 11, 2011
2,623
7
Toronto
I'm just about to add a TBD to my MacBook Air but I'd appreciate an answer to this question.
The MBA has a set of black "feet" to raise it up a few mm and the TBD has a metal stand also a few mm high.
Question : Does the MBA fit "over" the stand under the TBD without actually resting on it ?

Thanks.

this is a horrible idea.
Why?
-the macbook air is not flat, and a wedge shape
-the felt will make it slippery
-slippery+slope= broken TBD

get an old paperback pook or something.

But that being said, I am not exactly sure what you are asking?
 

drsox

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 29, 2011
1,706
201
Xhystos
MBA sits perfectly horizontal on its 4 feet (on a horizontal surface).
FYI the TOP surface of the MBA body slopes - not the bottom.

Foot of the TBD is also a flat horizontal surface - top surface might be slightly angled (?)

Seems obvious to me that the FLAT MBA could sit on/over the FLAT TBD foot and therefore take up less combined front-to-back space when connected in clamshell mode.

PS Felt is not slippery - it's designed to be a rough surface.
 
Last edited:

jmoore5196

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2009
840
339
Russellville AR
The "foot" of the TBD, as you call it, is NOT flat ... the base has about a 3º rise from front to back. The MBA will slide off the front, with the front lip of the MBA resting on your desk, chair, floor, barstool, porch railing or whatever else you're using as a perch for the TBD. The hinge side of the MBA will be elevated about a half-inch owing to the inclination of the TBD base.

I doubt that felt (or anything else short of an adhesive) will keep the MBA from sliding down the slope of the TBD base. None of the MBA's "feet" will be able to make contact with the aforementioned surface.
 

drsox

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 29, 2011
1,706
201
Xhystos
Yes, I thought the top surface of the foot was angled.
I'll see what happens, but I would think that the friction from the front black feet of the MBA would be enough to stop any further forward movement. So the MBA might be half on and half off.

Since you seem to know - what's the minimum height of the TBD foot (i.e.at the very front edge) ?

If it works I'll post a jpeg.
 

wrinkster22

macrumors 68030
Jun 11, 2011
2,623
7
Toronto
I know everyone here loves their abbreviations...but would someone like to define TBD? The only thing I know is, to be determined.

ThunderBolt Display (TBD)
it replaced the Apple Cinema Display (ACD)

OP: Are you placing the macbook air ON TOP of the foot or BENEATH the foot.
The macbook air is a wedge shape.
Also everytime you want your ultra mobile laptop you have to pick up a 20 something $1000 piece of glass...

get something like this
 

drsox

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 29, 2011
1,706
201
Xhystos
ThunderBolt Display (TBD)
it replaced the Apple Cinema Display (ACD)

OP: Are you placing the macbook air ON TOP of the foot or BENEATH the foot.
The macbook air is a wedge shape.
Also everytime you want your ultra mobile laptop you have to pick up a 20 something $1000 piece of glass...

get something like this

On top of the TBD foot so that I can remove the MBA if I want to use it in non-clamshell mode (i.e. take it somewhere else). Your device looks like a good alternative idea - I'll look for it, thanks.

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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Sounds like you want a crazy setup like mine to hide it away:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1131849/

(Post 194, near the bottom)

Clever idea but a bit too permanent. My TBD will be hard to get to from the back so I need something that is front accessible.
 

gentlefury

macrumors 68030
Jul 21, 2011
2,866
23
Los Angeles, CA
ThunderBolt Display (TBD)
it replaced the Apple Cinema Display (ACD)

OP: Are you placing the macbook air ON TOP of the foot or BENEATH the foot.
The macbook air is a wedge shape.
Also everytime you want your ultra mobile laptop you have to pick up a 20 something $1000 piece of glass...

get something like this

Makes a lot more sense now! Never heard it referred to as a Thunderbolt display...since Apple still calls it a Cinema Display regardless of its inputs.
 

wrinkster22

macrumors 68030
Jun 11, 2011
2,623
7
Toronto
I know everyone here loves their abbreviations...but would someone like to define TBD? The only thing I know is, to be determined.

On top of the TBD foot so that I can remove the MBA if I want to use it in non-clamshell mode (i.e. take it somewhere else). Your device looks like a good alternative idea - I'll look for it, thanks.



I think there was a lot of confusion but I am glad i could help you
 

alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
If you're putting the MacBook Air under the display, I think it would be good to use felt pads just to be on the safe side.

I just hope I read it correctly and you're putting the MacBook on top of the display stand, not putting the display on the lid of the MacBook.
 

drsox

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 29, 2011
1,706
201
Xhystos
If you're putting the MacBook Air under the display, I think it would be good to use felt pads just to be on the safe side.

I just hope I read it correctly and you're putting the MacBook on top of the display stand, not putting the display on the lid of the MacBook.

Yes indeed !

I think I might try a variation on this - put 4 largish felt pads on the surface that the TBD will sit on, but put them just next to the 4 corners of the TBD foot. That way the MBA will sit on these 4 pads.

----------

When did they change the name? Has it been like that since this gen came out?

Yes, AFAIK the TB name has been there since it was launched as an alternative display.
 

Terry78

macrumors newbie
Dec 27, 2007
21
0
Great way to make your Mac look like a PC. Ugly and cheesy to boot.

You're not the OP. Did you forget to take your meds this morning?

But, perhaps you would think that a couple strips of black felt glued to the top of the Apple Cinema's stand would look better than one of these.
 

SteVenRoJjeER

macrumors newbie
Feb 20, 2012
5
0
I think With the front lip of the MBA resting on your desk, chair, floor, barstool, porch railing or whatever else you're using as a perch for the TBD. The hinge side of the MBA will be elevated about a half-inch owing to the inclination of the TBD base.
 

Hamburger

macrumors regular
Oct 31, 2011
125
0
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Oli3000 said:
Sounds like you want a crazy setup like mine to hide it away:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1131849/

(Post 194, near the bottom)

Same setup here, 11" MBA and external hard drive on the backpack. Its perfect.
 
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