Apple iBook G4 (12-inch, Mid 2005) vs Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiBook G4 (12-inch, Mid 2005) | AppleMacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | July 2005 | June 2017 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 12.1″ | 12″ |
| Resolution | 1024 × 768 | 2304 × 1440 (better) |
| Panel | – | IPS LCD |
| 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 Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh rate are unpublished in the cited maker sheet. | Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio; millions of colours |
| Pixel density | – | 226 ppi |
| Display features | – | Supported scaled resolutions of 1440 × 900, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 1330 MHz (iBook Mid 2005) | Intel Core m3-7Y32, Intel Core i5-7Y54 or Intel Core i7-7Y75 |
| CPU cores | 1 | 2 |
| CPU threads | – | 4 |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 (32 MB DDR) | Intel HD Graphics 615 |
| Memory | 512 MB or 1.5 GB | 8 GB or 16 GB (better) |
| Storage | 40 GB | 256 GB to 512 GB (better) |
| CPU | PowerPC G4 at 1.33 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. | Dual-core seventh-generation Intel Core m3 at Apple's specified 1.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.0 GHz, Core i5 at 1.3 GHz with up to 3.2 GHz, or Core i7 at 1.4 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz; all with 4 MB shared L3 cache. Exact m3-7Y32, i5-7Y54 and i7-7Y75 identifiers confirmed by TechRadar. Apple's configured clocks differ from Intel's nominal base frequencies of 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 GHz respectively. |
| GPU | ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 with 32 MB dedicated DDR SDRAM and AGP 4× support. | Intel HD Graphics 615 |
| Memory type | PC2700 333 MHz DDR SDRAM; 512 MB soldered and one empty SO-DIMM slot. Factory totals 768 MB, 1 GB or 1.5 GB; maximum 1.5 GB. | 8 GB of 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory; configurable to 16 GB |
| Storage type | 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; factory 60 GB, 80 GB and 100 GB options. The 12-inch starts at 40 GB with a DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive; the 14-inch starts at 60 GB with a DVD-writing SuperDrive. The retained maker sheet specifies 8× SuperDrive, while the launch-period Macworld review describes 4×. Sudden Motion Sensor protects the hard drive. | PCIe-based onboard SSD; 256 GB with the 1.2 GHz Core m3 base or 512 GB with the 1.3 GHz Core i5 base. The 256 GB base can be configured with Core i5 or i7; the 512 GB base can be configured with Core i7. |
| Cooling | – | Fanless design (TechRadar) |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 6 hours | Up to 12 hours |
| Battery capacity | 50 Wh (better) | 41.4 Wh |
| Weight | 2.2 kg | 0.92 kg (better) |
| Thickness | 34.2 mm | 13.1 mm (better) |
| Width × depth | 285 × 230 mm | 280.5 × 196.5 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. | Lithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web, 12 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby. Apple's tests used the 1.3 GHz Core i5, 8 GB memory and 512 GB storage. Chassis tapers from 3.5 to 13.1 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. |
| Charger | – | 30 W USB-C Power Adapter, as listed in Apple's current technical specifications |
| Materials | White polycarbonate enclosure | Aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | White | Silver, Gold, Space Grey, Rose Gold |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | USB-C, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme 802.11g | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 + EDR | 4.2 |
| Webcam | – | 480p FaceTime |
| 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. | One USB-C port supporting charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 up to 5 Gb/s and native DisplayPort 1.2; VGA and HDMI through separate USB-C multiport adaptors. 3.5 mm headphone jack. |
| 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 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz alongside the built-in screen, at millions of colours |
| Keyboard | Full-size keyboard with 77 US or 78 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and an embedded numeric keypad. | Second-generation butterfly switches (TechRadar); full-size keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, individual LED backlighting, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor |
| Trackpad | Trackpad with a separate button; tap, double-tap and drag capabilities. Two-finger scrolling. | Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Built-in microphone | Dual microphones |
| In the box | iBook, rechargeable battery, power adapter, Apple VGA Video Adapter, software and documentation. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and iLife ’05 at launch; the retained support sheet later lists iLife ’06. | MacBook; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m), as listed in Apple's current technical specifications |
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