My 12-inch PowerBook G4 turned three years old today. Really, it did, constructed in the factory on March 25, 2005. So, I decided to give it a big birthday present… a 160 GB hard drive (nabbed at Best Buy on clearance for $25). So, Tonight I took apart my 12-inch PowerBook G4. This is regarded as one of the most difficult systems to take apart. Probably the only one more difficult is the original iMac… which I’ve done… twice.
This is the first time I’ve been able to plug the fine folks at iFixit. iFixit sells parts for Mac, iPod, and iPhones. But, they don’t stop there. They offer, free of charge, the best take-apart guides for Apple products I’ve ever seen. They are much better than Apple’s own Service Source documents.
To take apart any Mac (other than a Power Mac or Mac Pro), you need to have a game plan. I prefer the map-and-tape approach. This is where you take a piece of paper, write down the name of what you’re taking out, and then tape the screw right below that on the paper. Then you have a map of what each screw was located at, and better, the screws are secured to the paper. No lost screws!
Be very careful when lifting the top case. The side closest to the trackpad button doesn’t seem to want to lift. There are now a couple of small dents in my case thanks to the spudger scratching it.
Don’t use a Philips #0 on the screws on the hard drive itself. The screws started to strip. I used a regular philips screw driver and that finished them off.
The bracket on the drive is very non-standard… take note of how the 3-piece bracket is connected.
After dissecting a 12-inch PowerBook G4, I can see why Apple went with the MacBook Air instead of a 12-inch MacBook Pro. The nature of the 12-inch wonder in many ways was more specialized than the Air. The Air, in order to be profitable, has a niche and they can get away with reconstructing everything (wider profit margins give way to smaller, slower, thinner parts).
The 12-inch, on the other hand, had to cram standard parts (2.5-inch hard drive, standard optical drive), into an ultra-small case. Oh, and be as fast in every respect as its larger bretheren. That is probably as hard a feat as the Air, if not harder.
But, here’s hoping Apple will wake up and smell the 12-inch coffee. I’d still pay $1999 for a 12-inch MacBook Pro.
I like the map and tape disassembling approach. Unfortunately, I’m not as bold as you are.
What I do with my machines the first time the need a repair that requires a complete tear-down is I use a fine point sharpie and write the size number directly adjacent to the location where each T-screw goes.
As I disassemble the machine, each screw that I remove is placed into an ice-cube tray that I have previously marked with the sharpie (for example, 12.5 10.5 etc.). For the PBG4 12″ 2 ice-cube trays are needed.
Since I am a cert Mac hardware tech, I have many ice-trays – and each one (or two) is for a different mac – depending on variety of sizes, of course.
Your solution to tape the screws onto paper, blah blah blah, is like going back and trying to re-invent the wheel. You don’t need to do it and it must be slowing you WAAAAY down.
Didn’t slow me down at all really. In fact, I found it faster because I didn’t have to worry about what trays or such held what.
Pulling some scotch tape out from a roller, and then sticking it down on a piece of paper, doesn’t take more than a second or two.
Hey Kip-
Are you the same Kip Lavinger who used DJ at NY nightclubs?
Yoda-
do i know you?
kip
Isn’t this you? http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/10/nyregion/mission-turn-spotlight-his-jailers-he-claims-japan-mistreats-its-inmates.html
Hi Christopher,
Got a take-apart from Fixit (for my 15-inch G4PB). Looks great, very methodical, but I’m having real trouble getting the trackpad to lift off. I prefer not to force it if it won’t move, but… it’s gotta come off somehow… any tips (anyone)?
Thanks in advance!
First, make sure you didn’t miss any screws. Even one (not so obvious) screw can keep it locked down.
The first time is probably the most difficult, as the latches have warped slightly from being there so long. Be gentle, but firm and lift up. Some old PowerBook G4s require a spudger to remove a latch, but this was removed on “modern” PowerBook G4 and MacBook Pro models.
Thanks for your reply. It was the latches over the optical drive slot. When I finally shifted it, I thought I’d broken one of them (it had fallen out) but it clicked straight back in and is working just as well now (new superdrive fitted and working).
Surprised to find that some internal screws were not in place (bought computer new, and never had it open before, so they could only have been overlooked when it was built).
Thanks for the advice.