PowerBook 550c: Restoring Apple's Rarest Laptop 

Will never understand why RU-vid makes an algorithm that does not send your videos to the top -- your talent is not appreciated enough. I always enjoy your videos.

Sending 160$ computer protected like this is madness. Doesnt matter if its modern laptop or old.

It pains me greatly to see something rare destroyed by carelessness, but I'm really glad you were able to hodgepodge them together to make a nice working one.

Pro tip I picked up from Adam Savage! Mix the glue with baking soda when you want to create some build-up material to strengthen the old plastic :)

This is the first time I've been sitting on the edge of my seat watching an unboxing.

It was the most theatrical, dramatic and best unpacking. I had tears in my eyes. This dedication, fervor ... a master of unpacking !! The best unpacking i've ever seen in my life ...

The English manual could also have been used for English speaking technicians living & working at Apple in Japan!

I'm never going to be able to unhear "CPU stiffener".

I was working at Apple during this time period, but I was in the High End Group, (Quadras and Servers). I think you got a good deal with the 040 with FPU and 32MBs RAM! For most common tasks the 040 running at 33 MHz felt faster than the first generation PowerPC CPUs. Especially running earlier builds of System 7. Unless Photoshop was my main app, I’d definitely choose the 33 MHz 040 with FPU over the PPC, and in fact that’s what I had during this era, (a Quadra 650 - one of my favorite Macs of all time). I was a big fan of System 7.1. Most people would upgrade to System 7.6, but there are some good reasons to stay away from System 7.5, (and variants of that generation). Put together an AppleTalk network, run some basic apps like Word and System 7.1.2 on that machine is quite a pleasant experience. I miss the simplicity of those days. “You’ve got mail!”

Well shot and edited, Colin. You are becoming the Baumgartner Fine Art of electronics.

Every time I see a Apple laptop from this era, I remember Sandra Bullock's "The Net". As someone that from time to time have to glue together laptop's hinges, you can be much more generous with the glue, if the inside part have the space. Modern glues are surprising effective in holding back together broken plastic. And as someone had already said, you can add backing soda to make volume and turn the thing even stronger than when it was new. BTW, kudos for the unpacking part. That was a top notch production!

I don't know why videos like this are so danged RELAXING to me, but they are. Just what I needed in times like these. Thanks, Colin! ;)

Apple's notebooks really were innovative during the 90s. They were the first to introduce a trackpad (instead of a trackball) and also to put it below the keyboard, creating the palm rest design that is still around. I never had an Apple notebook until the Intel MacBook, but I always appreciated the 1990s-era Apple notebooks.

Fun! I have been living and working in Japan since 1981 and the 550c was my main computer for awhile. Looking at your video makes me wish I'd tucked it away somewhere and kept it. (Owned the 5300 too, and many, many other Macs over the years, starting with the Plus....)

Man, i wish you could 3D scan parts like those feet, it would probably go a long way in aiding someone else's repair.

More genuine emotion and tension than any hollywood movie from the past 30 years! Bravo!!!

I remember a lot of people waiting for that model and being disappointed when it were only released in Japan. Shortage in screens was what we were told as the reason, but I really don't know.

Apart from your hardwork of getting these laptops, your presentation is so soothing and calming, it feels good to watch it and hear it even if one is not interested in these things and ultimately get interested in these things.

Oo-ooh, loving the lightning work on the unboxing section!

That’s your proxy services fault mostly. I ordered from the proxy “fromJapan” a N64DD and they had EXCELLENT packaging. They literally just took the local sellers packing and sent it international

.....good lord.....not even a gorilla would do that kind of shipping job..

Is it just me or is it that the way Colin makes the videos mysterious like the dark unboxing and the end where he says that the donor laptop awaits it's own journey which ties in with ending his journey hunting for one is so interesting? There should be more videos like this man keep it up!

I love the dramatic unboxing sequence

I love geting old apple things just like you.

Wasn't it the proxy shipping service's job to make sure it was packaged well enough to ship? I'm sure you could get some of the money back from them. I've used SuperBuy to get stuff shipped from TaoBao (China), and the entire shipping/packaging is their responsibility.

This is a great one. Never even heard about 550c and I was a Mac salesman/tech in Europe at the time (and long after). I used to receive lots of old Macs traded in (during to 68xxx to PowerPC -transition) which my employer didn't want so I took them home, some better ones I paid for. I still have a 540c which is in pristine condition. I think my customer traded it in when it was about 3-4 years old. In my market the 540c was a very expensive model costing about 9750€ of todays money (compared to 1995). I believe mine has the PCMCIA -slot. I need to dig it out from my warehouse and look if it still boots after decades of non use.

...that unboxing has to be one of the greatest ever. It's almost like the Halo: Believe commercials.

if there were ever a machine destined to get a SCSI2SD adapter, I'd put my money on it being this one. as far as the donor laptop, you can save the plastics you have that are broken and make all the replacement parts necessary on a high-res 3D printer. 100% totally worth it.

I wish my laptop had dual hotswap batteries, what a cool feature! Also, I love that dramatic package opening...it was like an autopsy or something lol

Beautiful machine. It's always nice to see preservation projects like this, especially for something that otherwise would've been thrown out. And your passion for older Apple products is really neat. Thank you for preserving a neat piece of history, and I look forward to your next upload!

This was beautifully filmed!!! Great video as always.

The timing on this video for me is pretty coincidental, I just picked up an '040 Mac a few days ago, a Quadra 800 with an AEKII, a Trinitron PC monitor and a bunch of mice (ADB, PS/2 and Serial) for €20. Other than some cleaning, and maybe a preventative PSU recap, she's working fine, and the motherboard doesn't have those awful electrolytic caps. Working on these 68k Macs is fun, but it can get frustrating quick! Even though my Quadra isn't as packed as your PowerBooks, getting into it isn't much easier!

I love my 540C!! I got it in 1998 to replace my 180c and it still works, albeit slow, but thats part of the charm of booting it up anymore

I love the way you shot that unboxing sequence!

The music and the box opening was very cinematic and soothing. Great job!

Awesome video, I'm glad you were able to get what you wanted in the end. By the way, your production quality is off the charts which makes your videos very enjoyable to watch!

This started as such a heartbreak that the happy ending was especially satisfying. I love seeing these interesting old devices preserved for posterity with such care and passion.

Love your videos Keep up the great work!

This is was the most dramatic unboxing video I ever seen lol I love it ❤️

I got a horrible feeling the moment I saw the packaging on the first machine,it was the worst I have seen for a long time,glad you managed to find another it's a lovely laptop. Great video as usual really enjoy these.

I had 2 of these back in the day, I think I still have some of the cabling, especially that monster square SCSI connector at the back. Great effort on the restoration.

Best unboxing I have ever seen. Edge of my seat stuff!

Great content, Colin!

That intro is seriously the coolest I've seen. That stack of PowerBooks, just wow. You've certainly got your hands on quite a few of them!

Epic unboxing, especially the final shot.

Glad you have one good looking unit!

That was an emotional unboxing

Congrats on your acquisition! Can’t wait to see what’s next for the donor machine.

The 500 series was a great line of laptops, but unfortunately the plastics on them were always a weak point, especially on the screen hinge area. I had a 540c that I used for years and there was so much epoxy holding the hinges together it wasn't even funny. Machine was great though. I think 10k 550c units is a good number, i've always wanted one, but never found one reasonable. They fetch a hefty sum. Best thing you can do is get a PPC upgrade, but those are quite expensive since it was only for the 500 series of machines. Glad you were able to find a pair of them and make one good again.

I think it's awesome your saveing history and preserving it

I have a couple of 520c PowerBooks in my collection and neither of them work, although I'm starting to wonder about the power adapter now. I've never been a big fan of this design. It feels kind of rickety somehow compared to some of the earlier and later models I have. I think even when they were new the plastics were not fantastic quality, so it's not at all surprising that it got damaged.

Lol the piano... great video :)

Nice fixing... I've done this type of fixing in the past and it is very frustration process and tedious to watch for screws and cables, etc... I just can't imaging fixing computers like this anymore... I just do the basic: replace RAM or hard drive...

Sweet. the MAC 550c was a computer I have been curious about. Great video Collin.

Just keep the screen if it still work’s. Yeah I had a 520 with some software like ClarisWorks

Most well lit unboxing I’ve seen. And the piano...

Excellent job!

You do amazing video work. Amazing presentation. And enjoyable to watch. I am glad you got your rare computer finally. I never realized apple made a Japanese market only computer.

You tell a good story! Bravo

The 5x0 series had the ready for PPC stickers at some point, too. At least the ones I saw at my local store did. I assume the mystery laptop is the 2400c? Always wanted one since I saw the photo of it in Mac User with its weird flask-shaped external floppy drive. Japan got all the coolest stuff. Haha

Most cinematic unboxing ever 11/10

The unpacking montage, pure gold. :-) Simply outstanding video.

I sure could use one of you to fix my old computer left by my dad ha ha! : D Awesome videos man - you got the skill AND the courage to fix any kickass Powerbook or Mac Computer! It's amazing to see how well you do it!

I am heated over that packing job... Good god

I love your videos. Thank you!

i absolutely loved this video

I fix damage plastics before and had really good results with resin and held the bond perfectly and still going good

This is the most intense unboxing I ever seen.

Kinda reminds me of the Laptop's from the movie Hacker's from back in the 90s 😊😊

THAT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL

Yet another perfect video! I never knew this model existed! Maybe I will hunt for one some day! :D

The way these poor machines are treated these days, especially by shipping companies, is really saddening… makes me worried about my PowerBook 190 that’s on the way…

I can suggest some special filler compounds and dyes to use for a restoration of the cracks in the first unit. I work with these plastics quite extensively, both with vintage electronics, and automotive plastic compounds, and we use a few specialty products that will be very useful. One of them is SEM Colour Coat, and you can have it mixed to a perfect colour match, then airbrush it over any part. it won't wear off, scratch, or scuff. I have used it both for restoration of faded colours on plastics, and to create custom colour jobs for clients. I'd need to look at the product ID on the plastic fill that we use now, but it's bloody awesome. It starts as a powdery base that you mix with a filler, and slowly dab and caress into the gaps and cracks after bonding and re-enforcing them. From there, you can sand it and smooth it out like bondo for plastic. Let me know f you want more information.

I purchased a Panasonic laserdisc player from Japan through Buyee and paid for them to repackage it. It was one of the best packing jobs I've ever seen. They encased it in a foam mold before boxing it up. I've heard Zen Market is great too (and I hear cheaper too), but I haven't used it myself.

This hits close to home. One of my bucket list buys was a Thinkpad 755cd. Bought one, needed parts, bought a second.. Mostly fixed up the first, but now the second, while rough, is doable.. so now i'll just have to figure out how to get that one up and running also.. Donor laptops are dangerous!

Loved this one

10/10 best unboxing video, reminded me of the opening for West World.

What a rather entertaining video :]

excellent content Colin 👍

Brilliant video

Very interesting version of the laptop. One thing you are right about is how damn brittle these old Mac laptops are. I have the best PowerBook 5300ce model from 1995. It still functionally works, despite a rotted out battery which I discarded since it was leaking all over the computer. Other than having to basically rebuilt the AC adapter jack due to a short in the wire, and a loose port on the motherboard needing me to resolder due to cold joints, it otherwise works fine. The issue for me is the bad plastics. I want to rebuild mine eventually sometime in the future when I have a bit better income as these laptops can be difficult to find in good quality. My only other idea was to build a wooden case for it. It is the most desirable PowerBook 5300 since it is the ce model with better processor, higher resolution color screen, and better memory and a full 1gb HDD. So not sure if I want to build it into a wooden case. What do you recommend? I got this laptop from my mothers ex boyfriend about 8 years ago. I have wanted to turn it into my little retro Mac gaming machine since I only found out a few years back that Pippin games would natively run on it, I had the idea to use it as such...

Awesome video! I had a PowerBook 540c growing up (I got it used of course), and loved the machine! I always searching for the card cage adapter, but even back in the late 1990s/early 2000s, it was fetching at least $150-200 on eBay. It's very cool to see you get the 550c working, I always wanted one. It's a shame the first one got destroyed in shipping. I can't wait to see that PowerBook 2400c. I have a flyer from a collector I can scan if you'd like to feature it. :)

Repairing plastics: I personally use ABS cement. It works on all ABS type plastics (as it has ABS plastic in it). I have used it to repair everything from computer parts to motorcycle fairings to kitchen appliances with excellent results and it is just as strong when it dries as the original.

As an Ebay seller, I can say with some confidence that this packaging was not the seller's fault. The shipping service you used, if they're anything like most international shipping companies, likely removed the item from it's original packaging and re-packaged it to then ship to you, either to reduce weight or reduce size. The workers who do this job are chaos incarnate. They slice into Brand New vintage boxes with large serrated knives to remove the item, and then re-package it using a hodgepodge of whatever random shipping supplies happens to be within arms reach. I've had them remove New vintage iPods still sealed in their original box leaving brutal knife gouges on the ipod in the process. They then haphazardly tape the charger&cord to the ipod(in the exact same way that the power supply was taped to your laptop in the video), wrap it in a single layer of the cheapest bubble wrap known to man, and stuffed it into a clearly pre-used cardboard envelope that was then mailed out the enraged buyer, who proceeded to post a brutally negative review essentially calling me a scammer. While this re-packaging is done in theory to reduce weight and size, it's clear those doing the re-packaging have no set rules or training to guide them, and the result is often a substantially worse package with almost no actual decrease in weight or size. These workers pointlessly tear up original packaging and then re-use it later, likely just to kill time and appear as though they're hard at work saving $ in shipping fees to a thrifty boss who never actually hears any complaints as buyers always blame the original seller, and even if they did, nobody there can read English anyway and they just respond with a google translated generic "thanks for your business" reply. And yes, I'm rather salty about these shipping companies, they've likely destroyed millions in new/used goods due to a completely unnecessary process to save them a buck or two at most in shipping fees.

The most intense and powerfull unboxing i have ever laid eyes upon...

I pieced my Initial D3 Arcade cabinet together in a similar way over the past three years. I know what you mean by the thrill of the hunt.

your videos are the best

I enjoyed the unpacking. The packaging from Japan seems insane.

im really curious as to what the other obscure laptop model is, i always thought i knew all the machines but now you have my attention lol

Fascinating video, 10/10

Nice video, I feel it has some poetry in it.

Most dramatic unboxing ever!

greatest unboxing ever !

The superglue will not hold, you will need to use epoxy. Get some 5 minute epoxy on hand, it will be an excellent fix.

I had one of these, found it at a computer recycling place around 2001-ish. Somebody had already swapped out the Japanese keyboard for a North American one, and had installed a North American version of the Mac OS(System 7.5 something, I can’t remember). I think it had 40 MB of RAM, which was pretty good for one of those machines. Wish I’d kept it. As others have mentioned, 500 series PowerBooks had thin plastics. 100 series ‘books were more robust in general IMHO.

Oh man... The package opening scene... So many flashbacks from horrible eBay sellers. Many an extremely-hard-to-find piece of hardware, destroyed...and gone forever. The suspense is killing me... I'm not done with it yet... Bubble wrap... Oh the bubble wrap.... OH NO... UGH.... NOOOOO....WHY.......... WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY :'( Okay, it's over now... But the scar will remain.

Love the dramatic moonlight sonata part!

Moonlight sonata playing in the background while unboxing an old mac (does not even have to be rare.. I could finally afford a mac mini just a year back.. Till that moment, I was just guessing how these would be ;) ). Yes, ticks a couple of my boxes. Thank you for this. :D

one big advantage of this specific Power Book is that it's a power book with I think an active matrix display and is the fastest Non-PowerPC mac laptop you can own. This makes it very useful for playing classic B&W and 16 color mac games which the Power PC sometimes can't properly play due to the color restrictions as well as doing other things that are built for pre-power PC macs. This mac essentially has the power of a Quadra 800 and Quadra 950.

I know it would be a lot of work, time, and money, but I wonder if 3D printing replacement plastic parts should be considered as an option for a lot of these old machines?