Apple iBook G4 (14-inch, Late 2003) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iBook G4 (14-inch, Late 2003) compared with PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)

	AppleiBook G4 (14-inch, Late 2003)	ApplePowerBook G4 (Original 2001)
Overview
Released
Released	2003	January 2001
Display
Screen size
Screen size	14.1″	15.2″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	1152 × 768 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
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 Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh rate are unpublished in the cited maker sheet.	15.2-inch TFT widescreen active-matrix display. Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G4 933 MHz (iBook Late 2003) or PowerPC G4 1000 MHz (iBook Late 2003)	PowerPC G4 400 MHz (PowerBook Original 2001) or PowerPC G4 500 MHz (PowerBook Original 2001)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 (32 MB DDR)	ATI Rage Mobility 128 (8 MB SDRAM)
Memory
Memory	256 MB or 640 MB	128 MB, 256 MB or 1 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	40 GB to 60 GB (better)	10 GB to 30 GB
CPU
CPU	PowerPC G4 at 0.933 GHz or 1 GHz, with Velocity Engine, 256 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.	400 or 500 MHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine; 1 MB backside L2 cache on 200 or 250 MHz dedicated 64-bit cache bus, 100 MHz system bus, 64 KB L1 (32 KB data/32 KB instruction). Exact supplier/SKU omitted.
GPU
GPU	ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32 MB dedicated DDR SDRAM and AGP 4× support.	ATI Rage Mobility 128 with 8 MB SDRAM and AGP 2 ×.
Memory type
Memory type	PC2100 266 MHz DDR SDRAM; 128 MB soldered plus 128 MB in the single SO-DIMM slot as standard. Up to 640 MB total, requiring replacement of the installed module.	128 MB stock at 400 MHz or 256 MB at 500 MHz; two PC100 SO-DIMM slots support up to 1 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; 40 GB and 60 GB build-to-order options. Stock processor/drive ties are 800 MHz/30 GB (12-inch), 933 MHz/40 GB or 1 GHz/60 GB (14-inch). Slot-loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive in the consumer stocks.	400 MHz stock 10 GB, 500 MHz stock 20 GB Ultra ATA/66. Maker-listed 30 GB build-to-order option retained for both with published RAM maxima; no intermediate capacities invented. Slot-loading DVD-ROM reads DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM and CD-ROM.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 6 hours	Up to 5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	61 Wh (better)	50 Wh
Weight
Weight	2.7 kg	2.4 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	34.2 mm	26 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	323 × 259 mm	341 × 241 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable 61 Wh lithium-ion battery, with charge-indicator LEDs; maker claim up to six hours. Published 2.7 kg reference weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process. The current maker support sheet supplies the reference metric values; the older developer note gives slightly different depths and 2.6 kg for the 14-inch.	50 Wh lithium-ion; up to five hours maker claim. Published 2.4 kg includes battery and varies by configuration/manufacturing process. Metric dimensions 34.1 × 24.1 × 2.6 cm are from the exact Apple technical sheet preserved by SavageTaylor, not calculated from inches.
Materials
Materials	White polycarbonate enclosure	Titanium enclosure
Colours
Colours	White	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Optional AirPort Extreme 802.11g	Optional AirPort 802.11b
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Optional Bluetooth 1.1	–
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
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 and internal Bluetooth are optional. The maker developer note specifies Bluetooth 1.1.	Two 12 Mbps USB ports, one 400 Mbps FireWire port, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, 4 Mbps IrDA, one Type I/II PC Card/CardBus slot with ZoomVideo support, VGA, S-video and stereo output; no microphone input jack.
External displays
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.	VGA 24-bit video output and S-video, with S-video-to-composite adapter. 8 MB video memory supports millions of colours on external monitors up to 21 inches (preserved exact maker sheet).
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size keyboard with 77 US or 78 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and an embedded numeric keypad.	77 US or 78 ISO keys; 12 function keys, four arrows and embedded numeric keypad.
Trackpad
Trackpad	Trackpad with a separate button; tap, double-tap and drag capabilities.	Tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	Two built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	iBook, rechargeable battery, power adapter, Apple VGA Video Adapter, software and documentation. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, iLife and Classic environment. Native Mac OS 9 startup unsupported. The 22 October 2003 maker notice promised the 14-inch for the following week. LowEndMac reports actual London receipt on 12 November; an exact first shipping month remains unverified, so the release uses year precision.	Power adapter, DVD software, iMovie 2 and iTunes. Maker promised January availability; LowEndMac reported actual retail collection on 31 January 2001. First sale day unestablished, so month retained.