How to mod a MacBook Nano (Black&White), pics-a-plenty!

[NATO]

I've had an Acer Aspire A150AW netbook and to be honest, although I got OS X onto it (and working very, very well it must be said), I just didn't really like it that much after using it for a few weeks. It just felt a bit cheap and nasty compared to what I'm used to.

In addition, although it's small in terms of its width and depth, it's actually not very slim. Personally I'd rather have the MacBook Air because of its immense thinness than a netbook which is smaller but thicker. In addition, a 13.3" screen is a usable size screen for an extended time, whereas those 9 or 10" screens can get a little hard to work with for all but an hour or two.

 

[min_t]

Apple is waiting for the new ARM chip from PA Semi that will go into the macbook nano. Relax, it'll be out X-mas 2009.

 

[mrr]

The funny thing is that the MSI WIND at 10.3"x7" 1.6ghz $350 is NEARLY THE SAME SIZE as the 1997 Macintosh POWERBOOK 2300c at 10.9" x8.5" 100mhz $3700. What short memories people have!! Powerbooks were small and then got big, and now we want them small again.

I just purchased the MSI WIND and I like the keyboard and hardware for the price with the exception of the wonky Windows XP. Maybe I will do a OSX mod if I can figure it out.

What I really would like is a 10" MacBook AIR. THAT would be really SWEET. Apple could do it on a MINUTE. I would pay a $1,000 - $1,300 premium of that. Now that I am dreaming, I would like to see a TABLET, with natural writing input like the NEWTON, that would include a BLUETOOTH keyboard. In fact, WHY IN THE HELL DOESN'T THE APPLE IPHONE SUPPORT THE APPLE BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD? And don't get me started in CUT & PASTE...

 

[unixphone]

ummm wonder how much he spent on doing that. I am graduating this december and would like to make a macbook nano like him
aluminum macbook nano looks good to me. P i want the damn apple logo though)

 

[illegallydead]

impressive specs for that little machine! With the exception of the CPU, it's as good for better than my '07 MB

Something tells me that if Apple does enter this market, they will do so in typical Apple fashion: sexy as hell, ludicrously overpriced for it's components, but very well put together. I would say the difference between any ordinary netbook and and netbook would of course be the overall feel of quality (or maybe that's just the better-than-though aura apple loves to have).

To those bickering about the iPhone/MBA issue: the iPhone is not enough of a netbook as it is no good at word processing. It can surf the internet just fine, but you try taking notes in a lecture or something on an iPhone
Also, the MBA is not a netbook. It is god-awful expensive, and is the same thing as a MB, just more pricey and less spec'd. Those complaining about the weight difference between the two need to grow a pair . That said, a small (10"-ish screen) MB would be sweet in that it just that much more portable. Apple does not seem to understand that while the MBA is portable in the respect that it is kinda lighter, the fact that it is 13" diagonal means that it will no just fit into a sack/purse kind of thing.

The problem Apple has in general hardware wise is that they have to compete with the ENTIRE PC market. People who love OS X (rightly so ) want the kind of machines they had/have in PC's. Apple does not / can not produce all the niche's that the 10's to 100's of PC manufacturers out there can fill. So, without licensing OS X for usage on non- hardware, they/we will always be limited in their offerings, as they are one company that has to keep some sort of focus. So while the whole "Mac Experience" of hardware and software that are pretty polished and work wonderfully with each other is wonderful in some respects, it also necessarily limits the quantity of niche products that can be filled since Apple is either smart enough business wise as to not spread itself thinly into all those markets, or arrogant enough as to think that they know what we want. Personally, I would dare say that it is a little of both...

OK, speech finished, feel free to continue griping/arguing/shooting holes in my argument

 

[specialbuddy]

This has been done several times now... This is just the only guy to go so far as to actually make the label / logo look authentic....

As far as the actual OS X hack, this is old news. Just high-rez pics. The MSI Wind is a nice little machine though, especially with OS X almost working at full capacity with its hardware. I'm pretty sure they just got the headphone / speaker sound to work, according to Wired. I don't have the link.

I might just shell out for one of these though, and put Leapord / upgrades on it myself. I've been really wanting to try one of these babies out. It'd sure as hell make all those people running around with the Inspiron Mini's shut up.

Other people have modded the wind.

All kinds of pics
http://forums.msiwind.net/post44132.html

 

[illegallydead]

The funny thing is that the MSI WIND at 10.3"x7" 1.6ghz $350 is NEARLY THE SAME SIZE as the 1997 Macintosh POWERBOOK 2300c at 10.9" x8.5" 100mhz $3700. What short memories people have!! Powerbooks were small and then got big, and now we want them small again.

I just purchased the MSI WIND and I like the keyboard and hardware for the price with the exception of the wonky Windows XP. Maybe I will do a OSX mod if I can figure it out.

What I really would like is a 10" MacBook AIR. THAT would be really SWEET. Apple could do it on a MINUTE. I would pay a $1,000 - $1,300 premium of that. Now that I am dreaming, I would like to see a TABLET, with natural writing input like the NEWTON, that would include a BLUETOOTH keyboard. In fact, WHY IN THE HELL DOESN'T THE APPLE IPHONE SUPPORT THE APPLE BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD? And don't get me started in CUT & PASTE...

haha because then what could they possibly introduce in the next-gen iPhone as a "revolutionary new feature"
As for tablet: doubt it. without LOTS, and I mean LOTS of R&D for a completely new way of interacting with computers, the process of communicating information to the computer is best left to "analog" (i.e. keyboard) methods, as the handwriting is, as of yet, pretty awkward.

 

[koobcamuk]

After Apple has been showing so much emphasis on profit margins and reducing the lineup - why on earth do people think they'll release a $400 OS X machine. A portable laptop is the MacBook air in Apple's eye. They obviously won't make a cheap "netbook" - cheap is exactly what jobs is against. The cheapest things could get would be like an iBook, i.e. the white MacBook.

P.S. Watching you guys comment on what Apple should make is like watching Homer Simpson design a car... and the company (Apple in this case) would follow a similar fate if you did...

 

[kellen]

Apple should come out with something like the netbook. The MBA is basically a thinner MB, they need something with a smaller footprint.

Plus with the economy I think a lower priced notebook would help with sales. However it doesn't seem like the time has came for apple to cannibalize sales of higher end computers by those buyers who stretch to meet their needs.

When the time comes sales are down, a cheaper notebook will probably appear. Good way to disguise a less expensive notebook as a netbook, then you won't be labeled as cheap.

 

[chewy5000]

Am I the only person that thinks its just a crappy PC with an apple-ish lid?

 

[djellison]

the TV would be more powerful! There is no way in hell would I buy a pile of junk like that "MacbookNano".

People already have a "netbook" and tablet PC, they are called the MacBook Air and iPhone.

1) The Macbook Air is 'thin'. 'thin' is not small. 'thin' does not mean 5 or 6 hours of battery life. It's also disgustingly expensive.

2) The iPhone IS A FRICKIN PHONE. It's a pain in the ass to browse, it's not the full internet experience, it's impossible to type anything other than short messages - AND - an iPhone is more expensive that these fully featured laptops.

2) Have you used one? I have. I have one. A Samsung NC10 on which OSX is running. Is it a piece of junk that's slower than an Apple TV? No. It's fast. It loads safari faster than my MBP. Expose, Dashboard both work great. Mail works wonderfully. It's a great machine.

3) Does it feel cheap? A bit - not much - but then IT'S LESS THAN A QUARTER OF THE PRICE of a Macbook Air. It's not had bits falling off it like my old Macbook did. It's not got a palm-wrest that leaves ridges cut into your hands. It's not got a latch that doesn't work like my MBP. It's got a memory card reader. It's got three USB ports. It's seemingly in one piece rather than my MBP which has gaps between the aluminium parts. The screen is far far nicer to look at than any new Mac offering for me.

Let me dispell the myths. These things are not cheap toys. They're not gimmicks. They're not slow as hell. They are small, cheap laptops with damn good battery life and all the performance you could want for day to day browsing, email and word processing.

My desktop machine is a 3ghz quad core machine, 8gb of ram, and a Geforce 8800GT running of a WD Raptor system disk. I like power. But I think my little NC10 is just great - I love it.

Doug

 

[illegallydead]

Am I the only person that thinks its just a crappy PC with an apple-ish lid?

Am I the only one who thinks that you perfectly personify the holier-than-though-cuz-I-have-a-Mac stereotype that most people in the real world hate?

 

[iam:Caine]

Spray Painted?

The black one looks as if it were spray painted, and very badly. Especially in that first shot on the post, right next to the trackpad. Horrible.

 

[chewy5000]

Am I the only one who thinks that you perfectly personify the holier-than-though-cuz-I-have-a-Mac stereotype that most people in the real world hate?

hmmm I don't even have a mac

 

[illegallydead]

1) The Macbook Air is 'thin'. 'thin' is not small. 'thin' does not mean 5 or 6 hours of battery life. It's also disgustingly expensive.

2) The iPhone IS A FRICKIN PHONE. It's a pain in the ass to browse, it's not the full internet experience, it's impossible to type anything other than short messages - AND - an iPhone is more expensive that these fully featured laptops.

2) Have you used one? I have. I have one. A Samsung NC10 on which OSX is running. Is it a piece of junk that's slower than an Apple TV? No. It's fast. It loads safari faster than my MBP. Expose, Dashboard both work great. Mail works wonderfully. It's a great machine.

3) Does it feel cheap? A bit - not much - but then IT'S LESS THAN A QUARTER OF THE PRICE of a Macbook Air. It's not had bits falling off it like my old Macbook did. It's not got a palm-wrest that leaves ridges cut into your hands. It's not got a latch that doesn't work like my MBP. It's got a memory card reader. It's got three USB ports. It's seemingly in one piece rather than my MBP which has gaps between the aluminium parts. The screen is far far nicer to look at than any new Mac offering for me.

Let me dispell the myths. These things are not cheap toys. They're not gimmicks. They're not slow as hell. They are small, cheap laptops with damn good battery life and all the performance you could want for day to day browsing, email and word processing.

My desktop machine is a 3ghz quad core machine, 8gb of ram, and a Geforce 8800GT running of a WD Raptor system disk. I like power. But I think my little NC10 is just great - I love it.

Doug

Very well said my man. Amen to all points!

People seem to forget that a scant 3 years ago or so a 1-core 1.6GHz machine of any size was pretty ***** good? My my how people get spoiled.

For what it is aimed to do, anything over 2.0GHz is overkill, and just saps battery. I must say that you are a very good non-biased source on this discussion as you have both ends the "crappy" netbook and the speed demon. If you can say that the netbook is wonderful, I say props to you.

 

[illegallydead]

hmmm I don't even have a mac

lol touche! You got me there!

I digress then, as I seem to have mis-judged your dislike of these little PC's as typical fanboy arrogance. My apologies.

 

[LillDrutten]

Apple is waiting for the new ARM chip from PA Semi that will go into the macbook nano. Relax, it'll be out X-mas 2009.

UB is back. We get snow-leopard in January without UB. And in next X-mas we get it back? A netboot that cant run our application. Welll it's apple they have changed there architecture many times before so it's impossible...

 

[Courtaj]

Wow, that looks great.

-1

Cheap and nasty - nuff said.

+1

 

[Rybold]

Put me on the waiting list. I want one!

 

[ryanwarsaw]

Those are pretty hideous pics. Slow news day I guess.

 

[kerpow]

If these sort of netbooks were only available with sluggish Windows installations I could understand the news worthy angle of it. But almost all models come with a Linux option so whats the point of messing around with OSX. This isn't going to be your primary computer so don't tell me you need iTunes, iChat etc on it. And the screen isn't big enough for iPhoto or any other media application. They are designed for browsing, Linux is perfect for that.

I think, if anything, this is the reason Apple haven't entered this market. Linux makes a more formidable foe for Apple than Windows, on this platform at least.

 

[JS77]

There seems to be a lot of contradictions made here...

So ppl want a 10" "Netbook" with the full OSX Experience (because the apparently the MB is overpowered for this and the MBA still too "big") yet the majority who are crying out for an Apple Netbook say they "only" want to check emails, browse the net and "take notes" where needed... Ermm, so why would you then need the complete OSX Experience???

What's the point of APple giving you access to iLife, iMovie etc etc if you're never going to use it on an underpowered "Macbook Toy"? If you need a netbook so badly, I would say just get any one of the regular (Get ready for it) windows netbooks out there now. They're cheap (which is what you want), small (10" and under) and ideal for "just" browsing, emails and note taking. It just seems like all you're really want is the above, but with an Apple logo on the back... (now where did I see one of those?)

The argument of price is completely silly too, becuase we all know Apple charges a premium for ALL of it's hardware products, so do you really think that IF Apple did release a netbook, that it would be "cheap"?

As you can probably tell, I have no need for a netbook, but that also makes it more obvious to me when statements on this subject just don't add up. In summary, my opinion is that Apple will never release a "standalone" netbook model, but will do a revision of the Macbook AIR in mid-2009 and offer it in 10" and 13" models.

You heard it hear first!

 

[bachlau]

It is not a backlit logo. It is a Apple logo sticker.

 

[LiveForever]

It's just a small laptop.

Why the big deal??

Apple has made it perfectly clear It does not want to be a bottom feeder, fighting it out in the sludge for a few scraps of food.

Apple swims way above in a warm food laden sea pretty much by itself.

The latest unibody macbooks are a huge example. They machined it out of a single aluminium ingot. Its not a mass produced plastic injection moulding. They have gone back to almost bespoke production techniques.

They want to mainatin their brand image and push up their prices.

To go the way of the commodity market is to eventually loose your company.Gateway, Compaq and now even Dell can vouch for this.l

If they made a netbook it would be an expensive netbook that is for sure.

 

[The Awesome]

Cheap and nasty - nuff said.

That's very quick of you to say.

I personally would like to know where to get one of those. Even with all the imperfections (I could notice the offset of the logo even from afar), I'd like to have a go at it. It's probably a lot better than my poor attempt at making a hackintosh *sigh*. With that 'Nano being cheap (and nasty, according to you) I could throw it away without a care. Portability and performance taken into account, the 'Nano (especially if Apple did make a real MBN) is superior to the Air.

It's a very good concept and I'm really, really tired of Apple being very cryptic or being very unreceptive.

And for those saying the Air will suffice - NO. It is extraordinarily slim, no doubt about it, but the Air is just as wide as a MacBook.

For those that think Steve will opt out because netbooks have low margins - Apple can always make a super premium ultraportable. Apple have made smaller-than-Air 'books in the past and have charged relatively high prices for them.