Mod Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

20" iMac G4 updated to Ivy Bridge

by Steven Sande (Jan 18th, 2013)

Apple's iMac went through several design permutations before the company settled on the current "all-in-one computer and display on aluminum arm" configuration. One of the most iconic designs was that of the iMac G4, which held the electronics of the device -- including an optical drive -- in a ...

Mac Game of the Week: Borderlands 2 gets exclusive content for the Mac

by Mike Schramm (Dec 20th, 2012)

Borderlands was sort of a surprise from Gearbox when it released a few years ago: It's an action RPG game, in the vein of popular titles like Diablo, but instead of the form that genre usually takes, an isometric fantasy RPG, Borderlands successfully placed loot grinding and RPG progression ...

Macintosh Portable case mod is bulky, fantastic

by Kelly Hodgkins (Nov 20th, 2012)

Itching to do something with that dead Macintosh Portable in your closet? Then maybe you will be inspired by this video of a mod, spotted by Engadget, that brings OS X to this late '80s machine. This DIY project is as great on the outside as it is on the inside. For starters, the casing of ...

Awesome iPhone mod illuminates Apple logo

by Steven Sande (Oct 18th, 2012)

OK, this is probably one of the greatest iPhone mods we've seen to date. Featured on Adafruit, this mod uses a "trademark-infringing" replacement back and some other parts to make the Apple logo on the back of an iPhone 4 glow. The modder, Becky Stern from Adafruit, even put a rainbow color ...

Mod your iPhone so it looks like a Motorola XT390

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Sep 14th, 2012)

Looking for something to do with that old iPhone 4 or 4S now that you've got your iPhone 5 pre-ordered? M.I.C. Gadget has instructions on how to turn your iDevice into a Motorola XT390. It's not for the faint of heart. As seen above, it literally involves smashing part of your iPhone to bits. ...

Turning an old Apple mouse into a modern Bluetooth mouse

by Mike Schramm (Aug 14th, 2012)

This Instructable is a pretty sweet project that some of you might want to take on this weekend: It'll teach you how to combine an 80s-era Apple mouse body with the innards of a modern Bluetooth wireless mouse, thus turning Apple's user interface innovation into a device usable with almost any ...

Dressing up the iPhone

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 2nd, 2012)

The iPhone has an iconic look, but not everyone is content with the standard black and white casing. A report in the New York Times details how a growing number of people are risking their warranty by modding their phones. It's not just individuals working alone in their garage, but a new set ...

How to dye a MacBook

by Steven Sande (Feb 14th, 2012)

For Easter this year (which is on April 8), here's a wonderful idea for making your old white MacBook match up with your Easter eggs. "The Brain" at BrainDeadlockLabs decided to do a dye job on his MacBook to give it a bright orange finish that's more at home with Halloween than Easter, and ...

iShred, a snowboard inspired by Apple and Steve Jobs

by Kelly Hodgkins (Nov 17th, 2011)

Signal Snowboards hosts a regular series about snowboards called Every Third Thursday on Mpora sports website. In a recent episode, the crew at Signal Snowboards built the iShred, a snowboard tribute to Steve Jobs. The Apple-inspired board has all the right touches - an LED-lit Signal ...

iFixIt releases transparent iPhone 4 rear panel

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 26th, 2011)

If you like to see the innards of your handset, then you have to check out this latest offering from iFixit. The repair company known for its detailed teardown analyses has released a transparent rear panel for the GSM/AT&T iPhone 4. Unfortunately, the Verizon iPhone 4 has a slightly ...

Have an old iBook? Turn it into an iPad case

by Michael Grothaus (Apr 20th, 2011)

Gary Katz is at it again, this time gutting an old iBook and turning it into an iPad case. To create this one-of-a-kind case, Katz gutted the body of the iBook, then used a Dremel to remove anything left inside that was sharp or could put pressure on the iPad's glass screen. Next he fastened ...

Apple TV clock mod makes up for the lack of an iPad clock

by Steven Sande (Jan 21st, 2011)

Do you have an old first-generation Apple TV lying around collecting dust? Would you like to turn it into something useful and attractive? TUAW reader Antonio Worrall had purchased a second-generation Apple TV, and his old unit had gone to "join the choir invisible," so he decided to put the ...

iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws

by Dave Caolo (Jan 20th, 2011)

The good folks at iFixit have noticed that iPhone 4s taken in for service often return without their original Phillips 00 screws. Instead, they're being replaced with Apple's own proprietary Pentalobular screws. These are the same screws that are in the current-generation MacBook Air. Here's a ...

Fantastic transparent iPhone 4 case mod

by Dave Caolo (Jan 20th, 2011)

We love a good mod, and this one is stellar. An enterprising iPhone user got his hands on a clear case mod kit for the iPhone 4, (Google translation) put it together and posted the fantastic results online. It's wicked geeky, and reminds us of the clear Newton MessagePad prototype, though not as ...

Apple G4 turned into a mailbox

by Kelly Hodgkins (Jan 17th, 2011)

We love mods of older Apple hardware and the resurgence of this oldie but goodie is no exception. Spotted and photographed in the Te Atatu suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, this classic mailbox features a gutted G4 that has been modified into a mailbox, complete with a front flap and address numbers. ...