YouTuber repairs rare Apple tablet prototype that came before the iPad

A rare unreleased Apple tablet PC is repaired by a YouTuber, providing a glimpse into life before the iPad.

Tablet computers have flourished in the years since the launch of the iPad, with Apple still leading the market to this day. The tech world might have taken a different direction if the early prototype Apple tablet had ever reached the market.

Colin is known on YouTube for his channel This Does Not Compute, where he repairs and modifies vintage computers. Retro PCs such as old Apple Macs are his most frequent projects, and he has successfully repaired some rare machines previously.

None of his previous projects were quite as rare as the unreleased prototype Mac tablet that was the subject of his attention in his latest video.

The prototype dates all the way back to 1992, long before the iPad, or even the iPod or iPhone. The device was an early example of a tablet computer that Apple was developing.

Apple was experimenting with smaller form factors at the time, such as the Apple Newton PDA, which was released around the same time that this prototype was in development.

The device roughly resembles an early 90s laptop, only without a keyboard, and is therefore far chunkier than any modern laptop or tablet. When Colin began work on it, the prototype had clearly seen better days, as it was held together with tape, and appeared to have no power.

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Based on clues found by examining the various components and features of the prototype tablet, Colin determined that the Mac Tablet prototype was roughly based on the PowerBook Duo.

The prototype was carefully disassembled and examined. Colin cataloged the major faults, the most significant of which was the lack of power.

Thankfully, since the prototype was based on the PowerBook Duo line, Colin was able to use an old PowerBook Duo 280 machine as a source of donor parts. By replacing several capacitors and using some of the donated parts, Colin was able to get the machine to boot up.

Mindful of the historical value of such a rare machine, Colin was careful to capture an image from the hard disk, as well as a dump of the ROM for preservation purposes.

Many questions still remain about the unnamed prototype and its history, but Colin has promised to reveal more about the prototype tablet and its place in Apple’s history in his next video.