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Hi there, a friend of mine mailed me today if I could help him source a new display to replace the broken one in his 13” mid 2009 MacBook Pro A1278. Out here in Europe, spare Mac parts are exceedingly difficult to source, even on the iFixit.eu store. Doing comparative research between 2 iFixit repair guides, I found out that most probably, an entire topcase of an A1278 MacBook 13” 2008 will also fit a bunch of younger MacBook Pro models. This repair is wayyy easier than having to open the top case & replace only the LCD unit! As I happen to have a broken 2008 A1278 13” MacBook, I will most probably succeed in repairing his 2009 13” MBP with my own spare parts. Just thought I might just as well share this tip with you all. Good luck!
OK, lets clarify what works and what doesn’t and why. To start with your system is part of this set of system’s A1278 - MacBook & MacBook Pro 2009 thru 2012 Even still Apple has altered the logic board as well as the FaceTime (iSight) camera a few times. The MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2009-Mid 2010) Display Assembly offers the standard FaceTime camera. The FaceTime HD camera was introduced in the 2011 models MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Early 2011-Late 2011) Display Assembly The Mid 2012 the camera was upgraded again to 720p FaceTime HD camera MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) Display Assembly Which is why each of these parts are unique to the different years. The issue is the camera cable connection is different! Instead of dealing with the different parts I would recommend you focus on the LCD panel alone! MacBook Pro 13" Unibody LCD Panel It fits all of the 13” A1278 models and a lot cheaper!
