Apple iBook (Late 2001) vs Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

iBook (Late 2001) compared with MacBook Air 13″ (M5)
AppleiBook (Late 2001)AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M5)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2001March 2026
Display
Screen size12.1″13.6″
Resolution1024 × 7682560 × 1664 (better)
Panel–IPS LCD
Refresh rate–60 Hz
Brightness–500 nits
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type12.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display,1024 ×768 native resolution. Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished.Liquid Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology
Pixel density–224 ppi
Colour range–Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours
Display features–True Tone
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G3 500 MHz (iBook Late 2001) or PowerPC G3 600 MHz (iBook Late 2001)Apple M5
CPU cores110
GraphicsATI Rage Mobility 128 (8 MB SDRAM)8-core GPU or 10-core GPU
Memory128 MB or 640 MB16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage15 GB to 20 GB512 GB to 4 TB (better)
CPU500 MHz PowerPC G3 with 66 MHz data path in the CD-ROM stock; 600 MHz with 100 MHz system bus in DVD-ROM/Combo stocks. 256 KB L2 cache; supplier and silicon model omitted.10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores
GPUATI Rage Mobility 128 with 8 MB SDRAM and AGP 2×.Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decode
AI engine–16-core Neural Engine
Memory type128 MB onboard PC100 SDRAM plus one SO-DIMM slot; maker maximum 640 MB.Unified memory
Memory bandwidth–153 GB/s
Storage typeFactory ties: 500 MHz / 15 GB / CD-ROM; 600 MHz / 15 GB / DVD-ROM; 600 MHz / 20 GB / Combo. Other optical options are listed without extending stock CPU/storage pairings. Macworld hands-on reports optional 30 GB, retained as named detail only.SSD, configurable up to 4 TB
Cooling–Fanless
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 5 hoursUp to 18 hours
Battery capacity42 Wh53.8 Wh (better)
Weight–1.23 kg
Thickness–11.3 mm
Width × depth–304.1 × 215 mm
Battery life detail42 Wh lithium-ion battery in exact maker sheet; up to five hours in maker 17 October family notice. Maker publishes 4.9 pounds and 9.1 H × 11.2 W × 1.35 D inches; main metric weight/dimensions omitted. No calculated metric values.Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery
Charger–Sold separately in the UK (30 W, 35 W dual-port or 70 W Apple USB-C adapters offered); needs at least 30 W over USB PD
Fast charging–With a 70 W or higher USB PD power source
MaterialsImpact-resistant polycarbonate enclosure100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 55% recycled content overall
ColoursWhiteSky Blue, Silver, Starlight, Midnight
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, headphone jack
Wi-FiOptional AirPort 802.11bWi-Fi 7
Bluetooth–6
Webcam–12MP Center Stage
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailTwo USB ports, one FireWire, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, internal 56K modem and stereo AV/headphone output. Optional AirPort card; VGA and optional composite AV cable.2 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40 Gb/s); MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support
External displaysVGA video output and composite video via optional Apple AV CableUp to two at 6K 60 Hz or 4K 144 Hz, or one at up to 8K 60 Hz, 5K 120 Hz or 4K 240 Hz, alongside the built-in display
KeyboardBuilt-in keyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys
TrackpadBuilt-in trackpadForce Touch trackpad
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakersFour-speaker sound system; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
MicrophonesBuilt-in microphoneThree-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes
Biometrics–Touch ID
In the boxMac OS X 10.1 and Mac OS 9.2.1 preinstalled according to launch notice; exact retained sheet lists 9.1, so launch source preferred. iTunes, iMovie 2 and new compact power adapter. Available immediately 16 October 2001.13-inch MacBook Air, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m); power adapter sold separately

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