MacBook Plus: Adding Flexibility and Easy Upgrades to Apple's Notebook Line
- 2006.10.20
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 8GB kit $286 / 4GB kit $143 / 2GB kit $93 -- Free shipping available. LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: OWC Mercury On-The-Go FW400/800/USB2/eSATA Portables High Performance A/V Rated, **Bus Powered** **Up to 500GB in the Palm of your Hand** Macworld Editor's Choice, CNET 'Very Good' - from $75.99!
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
Last week I looked at the upgradeability of Apple's notebooks (see Apple, Please Bring Back Flexible, Easy to Upgrade 'Books). This week I'm going to discuss the requirements for a decently upgradeable machine and talk about how Apple could position such a machine - and why they might not want to sell it on upgradeability alone.
The prime example of an upgradable notebook is the IBM ThinkPad 600E. It's a relatively small and light notebook, and the classic black ThinkPad look makes this 1999 model appear just as modern as the latest T60 to any casual observer.
The Keyboard
I mentioned last week that I had a new keyboard on its way. This was because the cable for the keyboard lies just below the hinge of the screen, so each time the screen is opened and closed, the cable is stressed - and eventually it just gives way. Then the keyboard no longer works. (Apple's had similar problems with screen cables on its PowerBook 100 series as well as the 13.3" WallStreet G3, which was in need of constant screen cable replacement - and the model was short-lived because of it.)
The new keyboard, which I purchased on eBay for about $25 (interestingly enough, PowerBook G3 keyboards are about $5-10 cheaper), can be user-installed.
Yes, there were a number of screws to remove, but IBM provided documentation on exactly how to take apart the computer. A simple visit to IBM's website allows you to download a service manual showing you how to access every part of the computer. (Apple has service manuals but makes it very hard for end users to find and download them.)
The overall procedure of installing the keyboard took about 15 minutes. I had a class at 2:30, started the procedure at 2:00, and took the computer to class.
Apple had an even better idea - making the keyboard simply lift out like on the PowerBook G3 models, the iBooks, and the PowerBooks G4s. An easily replaceable keyboard should be the start of a perfectly designed portable.
Memory Upgrades
Many notebooks today have two RAM slots. On the newer IBM T-series, one is located at the bottom while the other is below the keyboard. On the MacBook, the slots are in the battery compartment.
This is another idea that Apple's come up with which I particularly like. Accessing the battery, RAM, and hard drive from one compartment brings the upgradeable components together and makes the procedure simple for someone who wants to replace either the RAM or the hard drive - or both. (For those interested in aesthetics, this machine looks much cleaner on the underside with only the battery compartment visible.)
Processor Upgrades
That said, I believe that the processor should also be accessible from underneath the keyboard, as on my IBM. This ThinkPad features a removable chip, and nearly any Pentium II chip up to 400 MHz will function in the slot. I've even read on the ThinkPads.com forums that some users have success with special versions of 600 MHz chips (although they don't always run at the full speed).
Regardless, now that Apple is using Intel chips, the ability to replace the CPU with a faster one would be very welcome, especially since the G4 PowerBooks were not designed to accept processor upgrades (something once popular with PowerBook 1400 and G3 owners).
The Device Bay
The most important part is a removable optical drive. The PowerBook G3s had it, and they could accept an extra battery for extended runtime. ThinkPads have had this for a while, and the higher-end Dells also have this option. Since most notebooks only run for 2-5 hours on battery power, a second battery would dramatically increase the runtime for someone who has limited access to electrical outlets.
The MacBook and the IBM 600/T-series illustrates that a small, light notebook doesn't have to be completely upgrade-unfriendly. The MacBook could go further, however.
Hard Drive Upgrades
ThinkPads are mainly purchased by businesses,
because they appreciate the easily interchangeable parts and rugged
construction. MacBooks are consumer notebooks. Their upgrade
options are a far cry from the
original tangerine and blueberry iBooks launched in 1999, where
the hard drive was nearly impossible to access.
Today's consumer needs extensive hard drive space for digital music, photographs, and video. For example, a friend of mine recently bought a white MacBook with a 60 GB hard drive. Her previous notebook, a Sony VAIO, had a much smaller hard drive, but it also had limited capabilities, and she almost exclusively used it for Internet browsing and email. With her MacBook, she's copied her CDs to the hard drive, as well as downloaded some music. At this point, the 60 GB hard drive - which sounded big at first - is already getting full.
She just bought this computer, so buying another one would be ridiculous. When I explained that she could easily replace the hard drive with a larger one, she was surprised and very pleased to know that she had an elegant way to increase the computer's storage capacity without dealing with an external drive or burning DVDs of her data.
A Solution that Feels Good
Perhaps it won't make the computer last any longer, but the ability to change parts when your needs change lets you feel good about your purchase in the long run.
Want a double-layer DVD burner? If you have a machine with a media bay, you can just slide one in.
Apple already has a base-level MacBook with no interchangeable optical drive and fairly limited upgradeability.
But what if they added a "MacBook Plus" that featured a media bay that accepts either a second battery or an optical drive? College students would be all over this model, and sales of second batteries would most likely be fairly high. If a MacBook already gets four hours on battery power, imagine getting eight hours! That's more than a day of lecture time. People who travel would also appreciate this model, as eight hours of battery life would allow nonstop use on a flight from New York to London.
Apple could sell the MacBook Plus on the basis of long battery life alone (selling anything electronic based on upgradeability is a bad idea; it's like saying, "Buy this model and you can ignore our upcoming ones"), and maybe give this machine a 14" screen.
The MacBooks would remain at the bottom, from US$1,100-1,500,
and the MacBook Pros would be at the top. The "Plus" would fit in
snugly in US$1,500-2,000 range and would have the potential to sell
very well. 
Recent Apple Archive articles
- iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
- Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
- Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
- Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
- More in the Apple Archive index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Macintosh LC, Oct. 1990 - only 3" tall, the LC was the least expensive color Mac in 1990.
- List of the Day: Mac OS 9 List covers Mac OS 9 as both a freestanding OS and as Classic mode in OS X.
- October 15 in LEM history: 90: Mac IIsi, LC, and Classic - 97: Yale threatens to drop Mac support - 99: Decelerate your Mac - Time magazine on Jobs and Apple - 01: Is Microsoft the enemy? - 02: Confessions of a Mac to PC convert - The IT job market - 03: Microsoft's holding pattern - 04: October 1990: The first low-end Macs - Dual core 'Books - 07: When to pick Tux - SteelSeries 4D the best mousepad ever? - Irrational rantings of an Intel hater
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- The October 2008 MacBook Value Equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.15. Apple changed the entire MacBook lineup on Tuesday. How do close-out prices compare to the new ones?
- G3 and Low End G4 Mac Performance Comparison, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.15. Factors that impact performance are the version of CPU, the size and speed of the Level 2 cache, and how much RAM is installed.
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Apple Design, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. Apple has produced some beautiful computers and iPods over the years, but also a few of the ugliest and most ungainly computers ever seen.
- 3 Reasons to Use a Mac, and Pismo Troubleshooting, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. Why one Windows user is also a Mac user, a Pismo that can't see its AirPort card, and sources of kernel panics.
- Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15. Used 1.83 GHz, $649; 2.0 SD, $750; refurb 2.1 GHz, $849; 2.4, $1,049; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,175 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15. Used 2.0 GHz Core Duo, $1,000; 2.16, $1,100; refurb, 2.4, $1,349; new, $1,444 after rebate; refurb 2.5, $1,499; new, $1,644 a/r; refurb 2.6, $1,799; new, $2,594 a/r.
- Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15. Used 1.6 80 HD, $1,200; refurb, $1,349; new, $1,549; 1.8 120, $1,999; 1.6 128 SSD, $2,299; used 1.8 64 SSD, $1,800; new, $2,100.
- MacBook (Unibody), 10.14. The MacBook gets the same aluminum treatment as the MacBook Pro - and dedicated GeForce 9400M graphics.
- 15" MacBook Pro (Unibody), 10.14. The new MacBook Pro's case is carved from a block of aluminum for increased strength.
- MacBook Air (GeForce), 10.14. More storage, a video port, and GeForce 9400M graphics improve the MacBook Air.
- MacBook White, 10.14. Entry-level white MacBook gets a SuperDrive, retail price reduced to US$999.
- Death of the iPod 'Way Off in the Future', Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 10.14. Someday Apple will decide that the iPod is no longer profitable and discontinue it, "but that day looks to be way off in the future."
- Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14. Used 20" 1.83 GHz, $599; 2.0, $730; 2.16, $800; 24", $950; refurb 17" 1.83, $699; 20" 2.0, $949; 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates on new.
- Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 DVD, $200; CD-RW, $240; 700 Combo, $250; 900, $369; 14" 600, $230; 900, $449.
- Best Classic iPod Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14. Used 60 GB color, $150; used 30 video, $140; 80, $170; refurb 80 classic, $169; new 120 GB, $240; refurb 160 GB, $249; new, $280. New & refurb include shipping.
- Will Apple's Rumored $800 Notebook Be a Netbook?, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 10.13. Netbooks are hot, and with the economy in turmoil, Apple needs to offer a netbook for the OS X crowd.
- Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. Used 667 MHz Combo, $480; 867 MHz, $530; 1 GHz, $590; SuperDrive, $900.
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
- Best Xserve Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. Used G4/1 GHz, $999; G5/2 GHz, $1,499; new 2.0 4-core Xeon, $1,900; refurb 3.0 4-core, $2,299; 2.8 GHz, $2,599; 3.0 8-core, $3,499; 3.2, $3,699.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
