Macbook Air Screen broken

[pilot_nate]

Hey all. A friend game me a Macbook Air Serial# W8826026Y5G 13.3 inch 1.6Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo. Unfortunately the screen is broken. I am looking to either sell it or fix the screen and then sell it. Which would be more profitable? Also, is it hard to replace the screen?

 

[Solandri]

Probably easier just to sell it or sell the parts. While the screen can be replaced, you pretty much have to disassemble the entire MBA to get to it.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+Models+A1237+and+A1304+Display+Assembly+Replacement/855

Guides for your specific model can be found here:
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Air

And a description of taking apart the display at step 20 here:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Air+Models+A1237+and+A1304+Teardown/598

If you do decide the replace the display, note that the MBA screens aren't exactly the best (in fact they're some of the worst at color gamut). You may want to research to see if there's a better screen you can install (though it's probably unlikely due to the non-standard 16:10 aspect ratio).

 

[pilot_nate]

Thanks!! I would prefer just to sell it whole, but which would be better?

Also, out of curiosity, why do they use a 16:10 aspect ratio?

 

[Bolin]

Thanks!! I would prefer just to sell it whole, but which would be better?

Also, out of curiosity, why do they use a 16:10 aspect ratio?

They do it just because they don´t want to follow the standards, they want to make their customers feel ´special´

 

[Solandri]

Also, out of curiosity, why do they use a 16:10 aspect ratio?

Apple's core client base is graphics artists, photographers, and video/audio editors. A 16:10 aspect ratio allows you to edit 16:9 video while still having editing controls visible along the bottom. Although the MBA isn't aimed at these clients, they're probably aiming for consistency among their products' appearance. So they all carry the 16:10 aspect ratio.

Also, the closer you are to 1:1 aspect ratio for the chassis, the greater the ratio of enclosed volume to surrounding surface area. So for the same internal volume, a 16:10 laptop will weigh less than a 16:9 laptop because you need less metal for the case. That was probably a major factor for the MBA.