Apple iBook G4 (12-inch, Late 2004) vs Apple MacBook (13-inch, Early 2006)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiBook G4 (12-inch, Late 2004) | AppleMacBook (13-inch, Early 2006) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2004 | May 2006 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 12.1″ | 13.3″ |
| Resolution | 1024 × 768 | 1280 × 800 (better) |
| Brightness | – | 250 nits |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | Active-matrix TFT XGA display supporting millions of colours. Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh rate are unpublished in the cited maker sheet. | Glossy TFT widescreen display with millions of colours; panel technology and refresh rate unpublished by Apple. The launch announcement specifies 250 cd/m² brightness. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 1200 MHz (iBook Late 2004) | Intel Core Duo T2400 or Intel Core Duo T2500 |
| CPU cores | 1 | 2 |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 (32 MB DDR) | Intel GMA 950 (64 MB shared DDR2) |
| Memory | 256 MB or 1.25 GB | 512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB (better) |
| Storage | 30 GB | 60 GB to 120 GB (better) |
| CPU | PowerPC G4 at 1.2 GHz, with Velocity Engine, 512 KB on-chip L2 cache at processor speed and 133 MHz system bus. Exact silicon model and supplier are not published in the cited maker sheets. | 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 or 2.0 GHz Core Duo T2500; exact processor identities confirmed by Ars Technica. 2 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz front-side bus. |
| GPU | ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32 MB dedicated DDR SDRAM and AGP 4× support. | Intel GMA 950 with 64 MB DDR2 shared with main memory; Apple notes a minimum 80 MB allocation including graphics and system use. |
| Memory type | PC2100 266 MHz DDR SDRAM; 256 MB soldered and one empty SO-DIMM slot. Factory totals 512 MB, 768 MB or 1.25 GB; maximum 1.25 GB. | Two SO-DIMM slots for 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); 512 MB standard, configurable to 1 GB or 2 GB. |
| Storage type | 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; 60 GB and 80 GB factory upgrades. The 12-inch starts at 30 GB with a DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive. Both 1.33 GHz 14-inch stocks have 60 GB: M9627 has a Combo drive and M9628 a 4× DVD-R SuperDrive. These optical variants share one set of processor/memory/storage configurations. | 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive. White models start at 60 GB and black at 80 GB; 80 GB, 100 GB and 120 GB build-to-order drives. The 1.83 GHz model has a DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive; 2.0 GHz models have a DVD-writing SuperDrive. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 6 hours | – |
| Battery capacity | 50 Wh | 55 Wh (better) |
| Weight | 2.2 kg (better) | 2.36 kg |
| Thickness | 34.2 mm | 27.5 mm (better) |
| Width × depth | 285 × 230 mm | 325 × 227 mm |
| Battery life detail | Removable 50 Wh lithium-ion battery, with charge-indicator LEDs; maker claim up to six hours. Published 2.2 kg reference weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process. | Removable 55 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Maker reference weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process; battery-life hours are not published in the archived specification. |
| Charger | – | 60 W MagSafe Power Adapter |
| Materials | White polycarbonate enclosure | Polycarbonate enclosure |
| Colours | White | White at 1.83 GHz or 2.0 GHz; black at 2.0 GHz. The configurations table combines colour variants with matching processor, memory and storage. |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme 802.11g | AirPort Extreme 802.11g |
| Bluetooth | – | 2.0 + EDR |
| Webcam | – | iSight camera, 640 × 480 resolution |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, stereo headphone output and Mini-VGA video output. AirPort Extreme is included according to the stock configurations and UK launch notice; a generic technical paragraph still calls it optional. Internal Bluetooth is optional; version unpublished. | Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port (8 W), Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe and Mini-DVI; separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and combined optical digital audio output/headphone output. Display adapters sold separately. |
| External displays | VGA mirroring through the included Apple VGA adapter; S-video and composite TV output require the optional Apple Video Adapter. Extended desktop is unsupported. | One external display up to 1920 × 1200 alongside the built-in screen; Mini-DVI adapters support DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video. |
| Keyboard | Full-size keyboard with 77 US or 78 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and an embedded numeric keypad. | Full-size keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and an embedded numeric keypad |
| Trackpad | Trackpad with a separate button; tap, double-tap and drag capabilities. | Trackpad with two-finger scrolling and a separate button |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Built-in stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Built-in microphone | Built-in omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | iBook, rechargeable battery, power adapter, Apple VGA Video Adapter, software and documentation. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’04 at launch. Later review units bundled Tiger and iLife ’05. | MacBook, Apple Remote, removable battery, 60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X 10.4.6 Tiger and iLife ’06. |
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