How I Revamped My Aging MacBook With A Hardware And Software Makeover

Key Takeaways

Improve your laptop with accessories like skins and cases for a fresh look and added protection.
Adding useful peripherals like smart glasses and docks can also improve your overall experience while breathing a new life into your workflow.
Customize macOS with apps to enhance functionality without compromising the core macOS experience.

With new laptops and fancy new iPads launching left, right, and center, you might be tempted to use your credit card and splurge on that computing device you probably don’t need. Your existing laptop or tablet may not have all the bells and whistles as the newer ones, but there’s a good chance that it’s just as capable, if not more. It’s true that your old device is not as exciting anymore among all the new options, but it’s nothing a quick makeover can’t fix.

I recently gave my 3-year-old MacBook Air a quick makeover, revamping my secondary setup with some fresh accessories and software utilities. My entire setup feels surprisingly fresh now, and I highly recommend considering this for those who have a relatively old laptop like the M1 MacBook Air, and are on the fence about buying a new one.

Change the laptop’s look and feel

It can help you get a fresh experience

The top case of the Incase hard shell case.

Unless you’ve had your MacBook wrapped inside a case or a skin from the get-go, there’s a good chance it’s showing its age now. My 2020 MacBook Air is still in surprisingly good condition, baring a few nicks and scratches, so I picked up a skin and a protective case to both hide the existing signs of usage, and also protect it from future wear and tear. As for the recommendations, I suggest looking at Dbrand for some solid skins for MacBooks and a bunch of other devices. They’re all fairly easy to install and don’t add any bulk to your devices.

An image showing a render of the dbrand something skin for MacBook Air.

dbrand skin for 13-inch MacBook Air

Customizable skins

dbrand skins cover your MacBook from all the sides to offer basic protection against scratches and scuffs. These high-quality skins are very easy to apply on your devices, and they don’t any thickness to your device either.

You can also top it off with a nice, clear case which will not only protect your laptop from future wear and tear, but also let you show off the color of your device. I recommend picking up something like the Supcase Unicorn Beetle, which is one of the best rugged cases you can buy for your MacBook. The clear version of this case offers great all-round protection for your MacBook while letting you show off its color or the design of the skin that you have installed on it. You can choose to go with some other cases, but a rugged case like this one from Supcase might do you more good in the long run to get more usage out of your device.

An image showing a render of the SUPCASE UB Pro MacBook Air case.

Supcase Unicorn Beetle case for 13-inch MacBook Air

Promoted Pick

In partnership with Supcase

This Supcase Unicorn Beetle case is good for those who want solid protection for their laptop, but also want to show off its color. It’s a rugged hardshell case that features a transparent panel, and it also has precise cutouts for all the ports and speakers.

New ways to use the MacBook

Accessories to improve the experience

An image showing the Viture One glasses kept next to ta mouse and Steam Deck.

Accessorizing your setup with some new and useful peripherals is also a great way to breathe a new life into your workflow. There’s no shortage of products for MacBook users who work on the go, but I ended up adding something unusual like the Viture One smart glasses. One of the main reasons why I added the Viture One to my work setup is because of its updated software that allows me to use these glasses as secondary monitors for my MacBook. In fact, Viture’s Spacewalker software will let you add as many as three monitors to your setup in the virtual world, bypassing the MacBook’s restriction that prevents you from adding more than a single external monitor.

An image showing a person holding two pairs of smart glasses in front of a monitor.

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The ability to add a virtual multi-monitor setup really seals the deal for me, and these glasses have truly become a part of my workflow now. While the Viture One glasses eliminate the need to add a dock for an external monitor, I still added one to ensure I have access to enough ports for all my peripherals like the keyboard and mouse. I recommend grabbing something like the Lention USB-C docking station, which also doubles up as a stand for your laptop.

Viture One XR Glasses

Best smart glasses

The Viture One XR glasses are among the best smart glasses you can buy right now. They project a massive 120-inch display right in front of your face, and you can connect them to any USB-C device capable of delivering video output and power. They’re perfect for gaming, as you can connect them to your Steam Deck, smartphones, and more.
Lention USB-C Docking Station

Best MacBook dock

This USB Type-C docking station gives you tons of ports to connect peripherals, displays, Ethernet, 100W charging, and SD cards, and it also serves as a riser for your laptop, so you can get better airflow or get a more comfortable angle for typing. It’s not Thunderbolt, but it’s much more affordable.

Customizing macOS with some neat apps

Changing the macOS experience for the better

An image showing a MacBook Air with a custom desktop theme applied to it.

In addition to adding some accessories and peripherals for a different experience, I also wanted to switch things up a bit on the software side. Apple’s macOS is designed to offer a simple desktop experience, but you can grab a few programs to improve your experience without steering too much away from Apple’s core macOS interface. There are a ton of utilities on the App Store like ‘AltTab’ and ‘BetterSnapTool’ that change your macOS for the better.

‘WidgetWall’ on macOS has been one of my favorite apps to use, as it allows me to add better widgets to my homescreen than the ones offered by the default selection. I have also added ‘Dropover’ and ‘uBar’ to my list of essential apps, as one allows me to maintain a clutter-free desktop, while the other one adds a Windows-style taskbar on my MacBook for a slightly different experience. There are some fun ones like ‘Handmirror’ and ‘KeyboardCleanTool,’ too, which are definitely worth a look.

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Making the most of your existing laptop

The best laptop — or pretty much any device — is the one you have, unless it’s broken and in need of an upgrade, of course. It’s important to ensure you’ve made the most of your existing hardware before you replace it with newer options. Adding a new protective case to my MacBook and introducing a few accessories and peripherals like the Viture One to my workflow has made my old MacBook feel like a completely new device to use. You can even consider a fresh OS install for a clean slate if you feel like your laptop has started showing its age in terms of performance.