Apple iBook 14-inch (Early 2003) vs Apple PowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiBook 14-inch (Early 2003) | ApplePowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | April 2003 | March 2003 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 14.1″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 1024 × 768 | 1440 × 900 (better) |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 14.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display supporting millions of colours. Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh unpublished. | 17-inch TFT widescreen; exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G3 900 MHz (iBook Early 2003) | PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Early 2003) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 (32 MB video memory) | NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go (64 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 256 MB or 640 MB | 512 MB or 1 GB (better) |
| Storage | 40 GB | 60 GB (better) |
| CPU | 900 MHz PowerPC G3; 512 KB on-chip L2 cache at processor clock and 100 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier/model omitted. | 1 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 1 MB DDR SRAM L3 cache and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier/SKU omitted. |
| GPU | ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 with 32 MB dedicated video memory and AGP 2 ×; configuration table names DDR SDRAM. | NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go, AGP 4 × with 64 MB DDR video memory. |
| Memory type | 256 MB stock (128 MB onboard plus 128 MB SO-DIMM); one slot supports 512 MB module for 640 MB total. | 512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots and maker-supported maximum 1 GB. Unofficial 2 GB in EveryMac is excluded from configurations. |
| Storage type | 40 GB Ultra ATA stock with Combo drive:24 × CD-R write, 10 × CD-RW write, 8 × DVD read, 24 × CD read. Larger factory drives mentioned without capacities; no unconfirmed matrix added. | 60 GB 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 and slot-loading SuperDrive. Maker UK launch sheet specifies DVD-R 1 × write/8 × read, CD-R 8 × write, CD-RW 4 × write and CD 24 × read; later EveryMac 2 × DVD-R and Macworld 16 × CD-R figures differ, so launch maker specification retained. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 6 hours | Up to 4.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | 55 Wh | 55 Wh |
| Weight | 2.7 kg (better) | 3.1 kg |
| Thickness | 34 mm | 26 mm (better) |
| Width × depth | 323 × 259 mm | 392 × 259 mm |
| Battery life detail | 55 Wh lithium-ion battery; maker claim up to six hours. Published 2.7 kg reference weight varies by configuration/manufacturing process; dimensions use maker-published 32.3 × 25.9 × 3.4 cm. | 55 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours maker claim. Published 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing process; closed metric dimensions 39.2 × 25.9 × 2.6 cm. |
| Materials | – | Anodised aluminium enclosure |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Optional AirPort 802.11b | AirPort Extreme 802.11b/g |
| Bluetooth | – | 1.1 |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | Two 12 Mbps USB ports, one 400 Mbps FireWire port, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, internal 56K V.92 modem and stereo headphone output. Optional 11 Mbps AirPort card; Bluetooth available through an optional external USB adapter, not built in. | Two 12 Mbps USB 1.1 ports, one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, Type I/II PC Card/CardBus, DVI, S-video, line input and headphone output. Support table mislabels FireWire MBps; UK sheet explicitly states Mbps. |
| External displays | VGA mirroring with included adapter; S-video and composite video through an optional Apple Video Adapter. | Dual display or mirroring up to 2048 × 1536 externally; DVI and included VGA/composite adapters. |
| Keyboard | 77 US or 78 ISO keys, including 12 function keys, four arrows and embedded numeric keypad. | Full-size keyboard with fibre-optic backlighting and ambient light control; 79 ISO keys and embedded numeric keypad. |
| Trackpad | Tap, double-tap and drag support | – |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Two built-in stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Built-in microphone; external USB audio devices supported | Internal omnidirectional microphone under left speaker grille |
| In the box | Apple VGA Display Adapter, modem cable, power adapter, wall plug, power cord and battery; Mac OS X, Mac OS 9 and bundled iLife/productivity software. MacRumors reported the exact new configurations live in the Apple Store on 22 April 2003; first delivery day unestablished, so release month retained. | 65 W power adapter, cord, modem cable, DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters. January announcement expected February; Macworld reported actual customer arrivals in March 2003. Month retained without inventing first delivery day. |
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