Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5) vs Apple Macintosh PowerBook 1400cs/133

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

MacBook Air 13″ (M5) compared with Macintosh PowerBook 1400cs/133

	AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M5)	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 1400cs/133
Overview
Released
Released	March 2026	1997
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.6″	11.3″
Resolution
Resolution	2560 × 1664 (better)	800 × 600
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	–
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Liquid Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology	11.3-inch dual-scan passive-matrix FSTN colour LCD at 800 × 600; Apple support lists 16-bit colour
Pixel density
Pixel density	224 ppi	–
Colour range
Colour range	Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours	–
Display features
Display features	True Tone	Removable BookCover panel accepts personalised inserts according to Apple Service Source
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M5	PowerPC 603e 133 MHz (PowerBook 1400c/133)
CPU cores
CPU cores	10	1
Graphics
Graphics	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU	–
Memory
Memory	16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)	12 MB or 16 MB
Storage
Storage	512 GB to 4 TB (better)	1 GB to 1.3 GB
CPU
CPU	10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores	133 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated PMMU and FPU, 64-bit data path at 33.3 MHz and 32 KB L1 cache. Apple support and the July 1997 Canadian retail announcement specify 128 KB L2; the later service configuration table instead lists 256 KB
GPU
GPU	Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decode	1 MB video memory according to the service specification; external video requires an optional internal expansion card
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory type
Memory type	Unified memory	Low-power DRAM, expandable to 64 MB with 70 ns or faster cards; up to two expansion cards can be stacked. Service Source lists 12 MB and 16 MB original configurations; the support table and Canadian July configuration list 16 MB
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	153 GB/s	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD, configurable up to 4 TB	Internal ATA hard drive; Service Source lists 12 MB/1 GB and 16 MB/1.3 GB/CD configurations. The July 1997 Canadian retail configuration has 16 MB RAM, 1.3 GB storage, 8× CD-ROM and removable 1.44 MB floppy module
Cooling
Cooling	Fanless	–
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 18 hours	Up to 4 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	53.8 Wh	–
Weight
Weight	1.23 kg	–
Thickness
Thickness	11.3 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	304.1 × 215 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery	Removable nickel-metal hydride battery; Apple claims two to four hours depending on configuration and battery conservation. The exact cs/133 service configuration lists 6.7 lb with floppy module and slightly more with CD-ROM. Support gives 2 × 11.5 × 9 inches; the generic service physical table instead converts the height to 54 mm, so conflicting metric thickness is not used
Charger
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	External 45 W power adapter according to Apple
Fast charging
Fast charging	With a 70 W or higher USB PD power source	–
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 55% recycled content overall	–
Colours
Colours	Sky Blue, Silver, Starlight, Midnight	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, headphone jack	–
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 7	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	6	–
Webcam
Webcam	12MP Center Stage	–
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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	ADB, HDI-30 SCSI, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, stereo sound input and output, infrared and two Type I/II PC Card slots or one Type III. Ethernet and mini-15 external video require optional expansion cards
External displays
External displays	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
Keyboard	Backlit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys	Built-in keyboard with twelve function keys; service specification gives 76 keys for the domestic layout or 77 for ISO
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad
Speakers
Speakers	Four-speaker sound system; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos	Built-in speaker; 16-bit stereo audio input and output at 44.1, 22 or 11 kHz according to the service sheet
Microphones
Microphones	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes	Built-in omnidirectional microphone
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID	–
In the box
In the box	13-inch MacBook Air, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m); power adapter sold separately	Apple support lists System 7.6.1; the July Canadian announcement says System 7.6 or 7.6.1 with full productivity and communications applications. The same announcement replaces the earlier 117 MHz dual-scan configuration with 133 MHz and confirms immediate Canadian availability on 14 July 1997. Support lists introduction on 19 May, while Service Source labels the configuration April; worldwide first-sale month remains unconfirmed, so retail year precision is retained