What to do with your old Mac
Back in Victorian times, the death of a pet didn't necessarily mean the end of a beautiful friendship: if you had the means, you could arrange to have your faithful companion stuffed.
The process became known as taxidermy, and it turns out that there's a modern equivalent for Apple kit that's too old or too broken to carry on. You could call it 'Macsidermy'.
Nothing lasts forever, and one day your favourite Apple kit must go to the great Apple Store in the sky. However, some owners don't believe that the death of a Mac should be the end of a Mac. Their Macs aren't just stuffed and stuck in a corner, though. They're reincarnated, reborn in new forms designed to keep that happy-Mac feeling alive.
It's rather fitting that the products being reborn and recycled are Apple ones: after all, Steve Jobs' own spiritual path, Buddhism, teaches about impermanence but also rebirth and renewal. Jobs himself is pro-recycling too: as he recalls, in his pre-Apple days at Reed College, Jobs "returned Coke bottles for the five cent deposits to buy food with."
Keep reading as we discover the incredible ways Apple owners are helping their Macs to live on.
1. Fancy dress
Developer: Gary S Katz
URL: www.personalmovietheater.com
Specs: Angle-poise iMac with integrated iPhone holder for hilarious MouthOff-related tomfoolery. It just works.
We like the way Gary Katz thinks. When he sees an iPad and a box, he sees a concert venue for pretend people. When he sees old Power Macs, he sees a cool storage solution. And when he sees an old iMac, he sees a Cylon helmet.
"I built a small box out of circuit boards to hold my iPhone and run an app called MouthOff that syncs a cartoon mouth to any sound it hears," he says. "It looks hilarious when the wearer is talking as the mouth syncs to the sound." We're betting Steve Jobs himself couldn't envision such uses of his kit.
And Katz has plenty more ideas where that one came from, as his blog clearly demonstrates.
2. In your living room
Developer: MacTechnology
URL: www.mactechnology.co.uk
Specs: Apple iMac G3 with slot-loading CD/DVD drive, iMac G3 table conversion kit (£29), a table top
The iMac G3 is a classic for all kinds of reasons: it was the first Mac to banish the beige, the floppy drive and adopt USB - and, of course, it marked the beginning of Apple's resurgence following the return of Steve Jobs in the late 1990s.
Sadly, the iMac G3 isn't much use as a computer today, so why not turn it into a talking point instead? Oxfordshire-based company MacTechnology has created a range of conversion kits that can turn the iMac G3 and other Apple computers into occasional tables and desks - they're all available to buy from the MacTechnology website. You don't even need any tools or glue to assemble!
3. On your desktop
Developer: Mike Hathaway
URL: www.mikehathaway.com
Specs: G4 Cube, a box of Kleenex tissues
To paraphrase the M&S ad, this is no ordinary Kleenex box; this is a $2,500 Kleenex box. When Mike Hathaway was dumping some old work equipment, he spotted somebody else getting shot of some G4 Cubes. "I couldn't let them sit there and go to the recycler and certain doom," he writes. "So I've modified one to sit on the table in my office and dispense tissues."
Fancy something more practical? Randall Littleton (www.randalllittleton.com) makes iMacs into interesting things such as clocks and angle-poise lamps. An iMac lamp is yours for just $125. Why does it remind us of the opening credits of every Pixar film? Steve Jobs would be proud…
4. As a clock
Developer: Book of Joe
URL: www.bookofjoe.com
Developer: Stuff Made From Stuff
URL: www.etsy.com/people/pixelthis
One of the simplest, most useful and most attractive ways to reuse an old Mac is to drill a hole in it. Mac clocks are everywhere online, with sites such as Etsy.com showcasing all kinds of good-looking Mac clocks. We particularly like Stuff Made From Stuff's designs: using an Apple mouse as a pendulum is a witty touch that makes us grin whenever we look at it.
Older Mac hardware is particularly good for decoration, and the original iMac inspired all kinds of consumer kit. Its keyboard makes a good clock too, as Book of Joe's creation demonstrates above.
5. As a home for your pets
Developer: Yeo & Chua
URL: http://gucciand prada.blogspot.com
Specs: Apple Studio CRT Display, sawdust, hamster wheel, toys and small plastic
Christmas tree Jim Lower built his first Macquarium in 1995 by sticking a two-and-a-half-gallon fish tank in a Mac 512kE case. It looked great, but the tank burst. The mark II model was more successful, and it still lives on as a colourful planter - more of that in a moment.
Mac kit can make great homes for furry pets too: designers Bjorn Yeo and Jo Chua took a clear, pear-shaped Apple Studio CRT Display, hollowed it out and turned it into a great-looking home for their "hammies" Gucci and Prada. We think they make an adorable desktop wallpaper too…
Six more uses for your old Mac
6. In the garden
Developer: Jim Lower
URL: www.techquarium.com
Specs: Macintosh Classics and Macintosh SEs, soil, water, a variety of plants, a supply of Baby Bio
Jim Lower's Maquarium and Lisaquarium are the stuff of Apple legend, but his colourful Mac Planters are just as impressive. However, turning dozens of classic Macintoshes into planters isn't as simple as you might think.
Lower used a Dremel tool to carefully cut out the tops of his old Macs, removing the screens and replacing them with sheets of clear acrylic. Those sheets enable the planters to double as photo frames. With its innards removed, you need to add weight to a Mac won't tip over: Lower prefers PVC and bits from old light fixtures. But just look at the wonderful result!
And here's a fascinating titbit: one of these horticultural innovations is a 1986 Macintosh SE whose case boasts the signatures of the original Apple team behind the design; perhaps Lower should now add his own?
7. As a stereo
Developer: Klaus Diebel
URL: www.kiwidee.com
Specs: 2.1 amplifier (2x15W and 1x40W) with original Apple Pro speaker, audio/sync/charge cable and Bluetooth audio
The G4 Cube is arguably the best-looking computer Apple has ever made, and now it's one of the best-looking iPod docks money can buy. The SubCube is another Klaus Diebel creation and promises to "take out the Mac and put in the bass" and it uses the G4's enclosure as the home for a powerful 2.1 amplifier delivering 15 watts per speaker and 40 watts through the subwoofer, a hefty, down-firing Apple Pro speaker.
Sound dampening is added to the interior to prevent buzzing and rattling, and the integrated iPod dock is iPhone-friendly. The laser-cut base plate is hidden underneath, delivering all the controls and connections you might need - subwoofer level, bass and treble controls and an auxiliary input - without spoiling the Cube's minimalist good looks.
It's not the cheapest way to resurrect a Mac - you're looking at €499 (£437) plus speakers if you provide the donor Cube - but you'll end up with a genuinely striking iPod/Mac sound system that's as good to look at as it is to listen to.
8. As an iPad dock
Developer: Klaus Diebel
URL: www.kiwidee.com
Specs: Angle-poise iMac with integrated amplifier, subwoofer and iPad dock (first generation)
Klaus Diebel started transforming Macs a few years ago, but while "I received a lot - really a lot - of virtual claps on my shoulder," orders weren't so forthcoming. "I almost gave up," he says, but instead he decided to build something else. The result is the PadiMac, which Diebel calls his masterpiece.
Designed for the first generation iPad (making it work with the slightly thinner iPad 2 is just a matter of fitting a thicker bar spacer) the iPadiMac turns an iPad into a desktop machine.
Diebel took the shell of an angle-poise iMac, stuck an amp and subwoofer in the base and replaced the screen with an iPad dock that clamps the iPad in place and connects it to the sound system. Instead of the iMac's standard ports you have a speaker connector, auxiliary input and USB connector, together with a control for the subwoofer volume.
9. For halloween
Developer: Tim Siedell
URL: http://badbanana.typepad.com
When Tim Siedell's studio decided to offload a bunch of old Mac Classics that they had been collecting for an art project that didn't get off the ground, a Twitter conversation led to the Macs becoming Mac-o-lanterns. Yes, you read that right.
The Macs were cleaned, their screens masked and their bodies painted in pumpkin shades; keyboard cords were painted green and mice became leaves. Spooky faces were created in Illustrator and turned into JPEGs in Photoshop. The images were transferred via an external floppy drive, with JPEGview software showing them in slideshow mode.
We've had Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but we reckon Attack of the Killer Macs has a better ring to it. They're enough to give George Clooney nightmares…
10. For storing coffee
Developer: Klaus Diebel
URL: www.kiwidee.com
Specs: WMF 1 Pad coffee maker with injection filling system and optional Clatronic Milk Frother
If you thought a USB coffee warmer was impressive, how about an iMac that's been turned into a coffee machine?
Klaus Diebel's iMac Coffee Edition takes an original iMac, disassembles it, and replaces its display with a printed image of your choosing. Diebel then installs a high-quality coffee maker - you can also add a milk frother - and all the necessary cabling and piping; the unit is then injectionfilled and reassembled. Two sugars, please.
11. Storing cables
Developer: Klaus Diebel
URL: www.kiwidee.com
Specs: APC Performance SurgeArrest surge protector, 3x6-outlet and 3x4-outlet power strips
The irrepressible Klaus Diebel strikes again: the G4 PT - Power Tower - delivers up to 31 free plug sockets with an APC surge protector to keep your kit safe. Inside the G3 or G4 case you'll find three six-outlet power strips, three four-outlet strips and enough room for even the bulkiest AC adapters. We're impressed.
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