The title of this article sounds a bit misleading, doesn’t it? Why do people take off the MacBook screen? The new MacBook has a very nice display, and if you don’t want a screen on your Mac, you’ve bought a Mac mini or Mac Studio, right? But while it really seems silly, removing the MacBook screen is becoming a trend, and the idea is not without foundation.
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Why do people ditch the MacBook screen?
I admit this idea popped into my head when using a MacBook Pro connected to an external monitor, the laptop in front and the screen on the back of the laptop. I like to use the MacBook’s touchpad and keyboard on the larger screen, but I have to raise the height of the screen to avoid the laptop screen blocking the external monitor. I wonder: What if there’s no MacBook display? What if I had the same keyboard and trackpad setup in front of me, with the screen at normal height in the back?
It turns out that other people thought the same thing — and made it happen. The Verge’s Umar Shakir recently wrote about his experience using a MacBook Air without a screen, which he calls “a tablet”. He seems to be having a good time using his keyboard-trackpad-computer combo, connecting to external monitors wirelessly and wired, bringing the device to parties and use it to play Drawful.
In addition to giving you a keyboard and trackpad, another interesting advantage of this approach is sound: Apple’s MacBooks, especially recent versions, have much better speakers than the Mac mini.
There are many other examples of people who have removed their MacBook’s screen or purchased a device that has had the screen removed. Here are some use cases from Twitter:
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. pic.twitter.com/WtxMQk1h8F
— DuanRui (@duanrui1205) March 7, 2022
Most of the time, removing the MacBook’s display doesn’t affect any of its operations. However, you’ll lose wifi on any MacBook with a wifi card embedded into the display’s hinge — but that design seems to be limited to MacBook Pros from 2008 to 2010. And since these models have ethernet jack, so you’ll still have a way to connect to the internet.
But is it worth the trade-off? Removing the screen takes away the biggest advantage of a laptop, which is portability. But instead of the same laptop as everyone else, you get a Mac with a keyboard and trackpad. You can plug it into an external monitor during business hours, connect it wirelessly to your TV to use your computer or watch movies comfortably.
One reason is probably not convincing enough for you to remove the Macbook screen. I mean, you can do it, but I think it should be done in specific cases. For example, if you break your screen, you might consider removing it completely so you can still use the inside of your computer without having to repair the screen or buy an external keyboard. Or you can pick up a cheap but powerful MacBook with a broken screen — a bad screen will bring the cost down a lot, even if the internal hardware is still good.
How to remove the MacBook screen
For Shakir, who removed the display of his personal MacBook Air M1 as well as his cousin’s 2009 15-inch MacBook Pro, there weren’t too many problems. However, he used to be an Apple Store Genius and repaired more than 100 screens during his time there.
I advise you to be as careful as possible. If you want to go this route, determine your MacBook model and seek out a reputable guide to remove the display. iFixit is where I go for instructions, so check to see if they have repair guides for your specific MacBook line, as the process is certainly not the same for all models. If you want to turn your MacBook Air M1 into a slim machine like Shakir did, you can follow the instructions in his article on The Verge.
If you can’t find instructions for your MacBook model or you prefer video tutorials, YouTube is the place for you. Once you’ve found a video that looks like what you need, watch it over and over to make sure it’s correct and to grasp the steps involved before you start working. But I recommend that if you are not familiar with technology, you should take it to a shop to have a mechanic do it.
In addition, you can also see 11 reasons to buy a Macbook instead of a Windows laptop here.
