MacBook Air mod

[iDX]

I replaced the aluminium MacBook Air bezel with a MacBook unibody glass lens cover.

See pictures!

[NC MacGuy]

Having had one of each as well as a uni-body MBP, I can only ask WHY?!?!?!?

[mac man 007]

Does it Make it any more heavier with the glass ?

[Unprocessed1]

Having had one of each as well as a uni-body MBP, I can only ask WHY?!?!?!?

I guess its a matter of taste. At least the nice mba screen remains. It looks pretty cool. :)

[rw3]

I want the black keyed Wireless Keyboard!!!

[byke]

one of the main reasons i bought a MBA rev B was because of the screen not being glossy / glass

[anim8or]

Where did you find the keys for the wireless keyboard?? Did you fit them yourself??

[elppa]

I can completely see the Air looking like that in the future. Uniformity across the line. That's a mighty impressive mod.

[NC MacGuy]

I can completely see the Air looking like that in the future. Uniformity across the line. That's a mighty impressive mod.

Personally, I think it would be more impressive putting the Air bezel on a MB.

I'm also curious as to the weight. The Air's hinge is reported to have issues on some units and adding the extra display weight I'm sure won't help.

[bugout]

that looks awesome.. bravo!

[tsubikiddo]

Bravo *applause*
Good work, I too can totally see this happening further down the line from AAPL

[jnc]

you destroyed your MacBook Air... er, w00t?

[joelypolly]

That looks great. Like everyone else is asking how does it affect the weight of the air?

[swb1192]

Where did you find the keys for the wireless keyboard?? Did you fit them yourself??

definitely a third party, not modded. look at the return key.
and somehow it lights up?

[NT1440]

That looks great!:eek:

[swb1192]

I didn't even notice the MBA had a different bezel.. o.O

[MattZani]

I Like it, and im loving that keyboard!

Also, whats wrong with the Enter Key? its a fullsize european version, the best kind.

[AreYouAMac]

I like it. Looks better than OEM

What now with your MBA bezel?

You should consider to sell it to a UMB owner as they might like that look.

[mhnajjar]

There is no way that Apple would do this since it is so UGLY!
:eek: :eek: :eek:

Did I say UGLY? However, Nice work that you did if you like it! :rolleyes:

[xparaparafreakx]

And now the rumor mills will use this picture as proof of the Air with black.

[LAS.mac]

I think it's much better than with the grey bezel. I was actually a bit disappointed seeing MBA and MB face to face, because the black bezel looks much better to me.

[mcpryon2]

When it comes to modding I don't think "why" really matters. Awesome job. I'd kind of like to see a black pinstripe around the top of the palmrest...perhaps a TRON logo somewhere?

Nice mod!

[efegue]

I want a illuminated wireless keyboard too :(
Great mod, good job!!

[maflynn]

Nice mod, I can't say its not my taste because I have a unibody MBP and love the bezel look ;)

[aleksandra.]

I would completely understand doing the opposite... in fact, I can imagine myself attempting such a thing, were I to get a Macbook. I think Air is the only beautiful Mac notebook right now not just because it's super slim, but because it doesn't have this ugly black thing around the screen.

[dehory]

I'm really sorry to be putting down something which obviously took a fair bit of time/effort/money, but I have to add my voice to the chorus of WHY?!s.

[Mactagonist]

How did you get the MB bezel and glass off without cracking it? I was under the impression that it was rather difficult to do.

[imax2k2]

Bravo Good job!

Though I like the plain silver looks too, this would be a anomaly wherever u'll carry it.

[wlvn]

Is it possible to do the same mod on my 17" aluminum MBP using the 17" unibody MBP bezel instead?

[jnc]

Is it possible to do the same mod on my 17" aluminum MBP using the 17" unibody MBP bezel instead?

Aren't they COMPLETELY different designs?

[alphaod]

Okay… thread revival: I destroyed my MacBook Air bezel; would this assembly be easily done? I'm assuming it's just double taped on right?

[mmulin]

one of the main reasons i bought a MBA rev B was because of the screen not being glossy / glass

WTF, all MBAs have glossy screen. Perhaps not as glossy as the MBP but they are definitely not matte.

[Scottsdale]

WTF, all MBAs have glossy screen. Perhaps not as glossy as the MBP but they are definitely not matte.

Come on. The glass display is extremely glossy and reflective compared to the MBA. The glass makes it nearly impossible to see the display with bright backgrounds and rooms. The MBA's display is far superior in most light settings except black. I like the glass displays better in a pitch black room while watching a bright movie.

I assume the black keys came from a BlackBook top case? Anyone else try this? I actually like the white keyboard mod better on the MBA. I really wish Apple would use aluminum capped silver keyboard. The black keys are a complete distraction in my opinion.

In fact, if I could change ONE part of the design on the MBA, I would choose silver colored aluminum keys to match the al. unibody frames.

Let's hope the OP finds this old thread...

[chrono1081]

This thing is....



BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Great job OP!!! Wow does that look great!

[Spanky Deluxe]

Wow, that really is beautiful. My only qualms with the MBA right now are the lack of a glass bezel, glass trackpad and 4GB of RAM.

The bezel on the MBAs looks a bit cheap and old fashioned, in my opinion. I've been using a unibody MacBook Pro for a year now and far prefer the glass bezel, I prefer seeing the odd reflection of something rather than the screen getting washed out like on a matte display. The MBA's screen is certainly a happy medium but I would prefer the glass.

[alphaod]

Yes I agree it is beautiful which is why I ordered a bezel myself since I destroyed mine and a MacBook Air one is hard to find.

Of course I ordered one that says MacBook Pro :D

[SnowLeopard2008]

There's a reason why Apple didn't add a panel of glass to the already super weak MBA hinge. I really don't get why people do stuff that smarter people who designed the product tried to prevent.

[ayeying]

There's a reason why Apple didn't add a panel of glass to the already super weak MBA hinge. I really don't get why people do stuff that smarter people who designed the product tried to prevent.

Are you sure they're smarter? lol :p

But you do have a point. Glass is heavier and would be thicker than a piece of aluminum plate.

I personally don't find the hinge on the Air to be "super" weak, it's weaker cause of the thinness but mine has survived many open and close without any warping, breakage, etc.

[SnowLeopard2008]

Are you sure they're smarter? lol :p

But you do have a point. Glass is heavier and would be thicker than a piece of aluminum plate.

I personally don't find the hinge on the Air to be "super" weak, it's weaker cause of the thinness but mine has survived many open and close without any warping, breakage, etc.

It's weak when compared to other notebook hinges. Other notebooks are thicker and have less aesthetically pleasing designs, but the hinges are much stronger. Look at the ThinkPads.

[antonioanmar]

Great mod.But i really prefer the original look of the MBA because the aluminum border looks better on the thin screen, the black glass gives it a thicker look to it, and for me one of the nice things of the MBA look is that all of it offer a very light and thin appearance.

[alphaod]

There's a reason why Apple didn't add a panel of glass to the already super weak MBA hinge. I really don't get why people do stuff that smarter people who designed the product tried to prevent.

Well I couldn't find the MacBook Air bezels. This is a great solution. I'm not paying $100 for a strip of aluminum.

Besides if it doesn't work out, I'd probably have to shell out $600 for a new display assembly.

[IgnatiusTheKing]

definitely a third party, not modded. look at the return key.
and somehow it lights up?

It's not a third party, it's just not North American.

[jamesryanbell]

Black Bezel always - ALWAYS - looks better. It's not even close.

[alpinadvl]

ILLUMINATED KEYBOARD !

If anyone has any info on this please tell me/us how you can do this or where you can get it from... I have been looking for something like this for a while (that is in line with mac -tastes)

Looks Great (keyboard) !

To the OP: I also can appreciate the work you did to swap the bezels, but I wouldnt have done it personally.

NEED MORE INFO ON THE KEYBOARD PLEASE !!!

[Rai Saix]

I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO KNOW HOW YOU DID THIS. The screen on the MBA is one of the only things holding me back from getting one. I love the MBP screen so much, and can't believe how someone could not love it.

[Shodan]

It's simple but delicate.

Remove the screen enclosure from the body, get a thin blade and starting from the bottom of the bezel, insert the blade through to the LCD side and just slowly move the blade around - dodging the camera and watching out that you do not gash the screen or cut the rubberised sealant.

Once removed, grab the Glass Bezel and apply using the same form of tape that was used for the original bezel and voila.

I like it, very stylish.

I few people are asking the question why - for a start that is the wrong question and a question you should be asking yourselves - why not.

It's a small project, he now has a very unique MacBook Air and one that will in certain light conditions actually look better than that of the normal glossed screen.

[alphaod]

I warped my bezel. I could not find the replacement part for my MacBook Air. Saw this and ordered the part. I opted for the "MacBook Pro" bezel.

Okay I don't know if the OP addressed these issues, but here are the ones I have:
1) It's not a perfect fit. The MacBook Air bezel is actually about 1 mm bigger which means the clear space in the middle of the glass for this replacement bezel is a very tight a fit. There actually might be maybe 1-3 pixels cut off on the top. Yes that's significant.
2) The mic is blocked because the MacBook/Pro 13" mic is not in the display while on the MacBook Air it is.
3) The ambient light sensor is 100% blocked. Good thing is it doesn't change randomly; bad news it won't change the display brightness automatically.
4) The glass is significant in weight. I can only see the hinge breakdown accelerate. It will hold the angle up at this point.
5) The MacBook Air display was definitely not designed for a glass on top; any bit of dust or move will cause the screen to ripple as the glass adds pressure and weight onto the MacBook Air panel.
6) The bezel support was not designed for the added weight of glass therefore the tape does not stick very well.

Otherwise it looks great and does the job.

[applesupergeek]

Good job but it does look atrocious to me.

What would be indeed great is if you attempt to place the air's bezel on the 13" mbp. Now that would be super.

[alphaod]

I think folks need to look at the bigger issues with this modification mostly due to the weight and the fit.