I customized my MacBook Neo with colorful replacement parts

The MacBook Neo is Apple’s cheapest, most colorful, and prettiest laptop Easier to repair in years. This means that owners can Purchase replacement parts in all four available colors And replace them with their own. Which got us thinking: What if we bought a Nio just to see how funky we could make it look with official parts?

I ordered an Indigo Neo for repair and some spare parts Apple’s self-service website.

I chose an alternative Trackpad and Bottom case In blush, and USB-C ports and Keycaps In citrus fruits. My goal was to make it as hybrid as possible without changing the labor-intensive parts — like the top case or the cover, both of which require disassembling the screen.

The four parts we ordered cost $165.64 plus tax, which is roughly 30 percent of the price of a new Nio. So, although the experience is fun, buying all these parts just for aesthetics is not cost-effective. But you could end up with something uniquely your own.

Unlocking Neo is simple. Payment iFixit Comprehensive Guide and video If you want to see how to tear it all down. Replacing the bottom case is of course the easiest, as you have to open it with a pentagonal screwdriver to access the Neo’s internals anyway. The trackpad and USB-C ports were also very easy to use, only requiring me to disconnect some ribbon cables and remove several Torx screws to place the newly colored parts. After about 40 minutes, I actually had a custom Neo.

There are plenty of fun color combinations you can explore with just the trackpad, ports, and bottom panel. But even those three replacement parts will cost you $126.64 — nothing for a $599 laptop.

But then came the keycaps. I was so excited to customize it, like My love for mechanical keyboards and Colorful keycaps Well documented. I wanted to give the Neo a touch of the two-tone flair you see on mechanical keyboards—just changing the alphabet, numbers, space bar, and arrow keys to citrus, with the modifiers remaining indigo. Obviously, laptop keys are harder to change than regular keycaps, but I thought I’d be okay.

I didn’t ask for less Adhesives and plastic removal tools Apple sells you to remove the keys. I ignored the fact that you have to scroll down each parts page to see if there are tools to purchase with it. In my defense, Apple outsources the self-service repair shop to a third-party logistics company, and the website is very simple.

It wasn’t needs Keycap tool and adhesive, but I bet it would be easier and less risky than popping them with a spudger like I did. But you must definitely Don’t miss it Instructions on how to put the keys back in place. I’ve managed to damage the fragile hinge clips on some keys, and the metal fin that connects the arrow key scissor switch broke off before I figured out the correct way to attach the new keycaps, thanks two spouses videos. It is worth noting that Main reassembly instructions Buried in a secondary page linked at the bottom of Apple’s written instructions.

Once I had the proper technique, I was able to install the acid keycaps on the alpha and number keys (minus the A, D, 5, and 8 keys, where I had to use the original, undamaged indigo keys, and the W and S, which I kept in indigo for the sentiment). Unfortunately, rewiring the arrow key’s scissor switch will likely require a trip to the Genius Bar. Maybe I should document their reaction to seeing the multi-colored Neo.

Despite the avoidable mistakes, these modifications are very doable if you read the instructions first and don’t be careless or rush them. Replacing all the parts you replace may not be cost-effective, and spending $80 to replace a perfectly good trackpad seems a bit silly. But just replacing the keycaps for $39 (plus $13 for a removal kit) will get you pretty far. Just please learn from my mistakes.

But even if I can’t implement these changes as I had hoped, I love that this is possible even on a MacBook. While I’ve been cursing Apple hard for pinning its unintuitive parts site and burying some vital repair instructions, I hope the company continues this trend toward repairability with future MacBook Airs and Pros. I hope we get more fun colors for these too – including spare ones that can be mixed and matched at our own risk.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge