Apple iBook (Late 2001) vs Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiBook (Late 2001) | AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M5) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2001 | March 2026 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 12.1″ | 13.6″ |
| Resolution | 1024 × 768 | 2560 × 1664 (better) |
| Panel | – | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | – | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | – | 500 nits |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 12.1-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 Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished.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 | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G3 500 MHz (iBook Late 2001) or PowerPC G3 600 MHz (iBook Late 2001) | Apple M5 |
| CPU cores | 1 | 10 |
| Graphics | ATI Rage Mobility 128 (8 MB SDRAM) | 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU |
| Memory | 128 MB or 640 MB | 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better) |
| Storage | 15 GB to 20 GB | 512 GB to 4 TB (better) |
| CPU | 500 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 |
| GPU | ATI 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 type | 128 MB onboard PC100 SDRAM plus one SO-DIMM slot; maker maximum 640 MB. | Unified memory |
| Memory bandwidth | – | 153 GB/s |
| Storage type | Factory 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 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Battery capacity | 42 Wh | 53.8 Wh (better) |
| Weight | – | 1.23 kg |
| Thickness | – | 11.3 mm |
| Width × depth | – | 304.1 × 215 mm |
| Battery life detail | 42 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 |
| Materials | Impact-resistant polycarbonate enclosure | 100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 55% recycled content overall |
| Colours | White | Sky Blue, Silver, Starlight, Midnight |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Optional AirPort 802.11b | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | – | 6 |
| Webcam | – | 12MP Center Stage |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | Two 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 displays | VGA video output and composite video via optional Apple AV Cable | Up 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 |
| Keyboard | Built-in keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys |
| Trackpad | Built-in trackpad | Force Touch trackpad |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Four-speaker sound system; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos |
| Microphones | Built-in microphone | Three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes |
| Biometrics | – | Touch ID |
| In the box | Mac 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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