Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5) vs Apple Macintosh PowerBook 1400cs/166

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MacBook Air 13″ (M5) compared with Macintosh PowerBook 1400cs/166

	AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M5)	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 1400cs/166
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 800 × 600 dual-scan passive-matrix FSTN LCD with 16-bit colour. Apple's family video table identifies cs displays as FSTN, and NotebookBlog confirms the exact 166 MHz sample's passive screen; the later Service Source cs/166 configuration entry instead says active matrix, conflicting with those sources
Pixel density
Pixel density	224 ppi	–
Colour range
Colour range	Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours	–
Display features
Display features	True Tone	Interchangeable BookCover inserts personalise the lid according to Apple Facts
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M5	PowerPC 603e 166 MHz (PowerBook 1400c/166)
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)	16 MB
Storage
Storage	512 GB to 4 TB (better)	1.3 GB
CPU
CPU	10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores	166 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated PMMU and FPU, 64-bit data path at 33.3 MHz and 32 KB L1 cache. Support and Apple Facts January 1998 specify 128 KB L2; Service Source's cs/166 entry instead says 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 maker family service specification; external video requires an optional card
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory type
Memory type	Unified memory	16 MB original RAM, expandable to 64 MB using 70 ns or faster cards; up to two memory cards can be stacked
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	153 GB/s	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD, configurable up to 4 TB	Internal ATA hard drive; exact support sheet lists a 1.3 GB minimum and 12× original CD-ROM. Service Source instead lists a 16 MB/2 GB/CD configuration alongside its conflicting display/cache entries. The 1.3 GB configuration is corroborated by NotebookBlog's exact-model sample
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 (better)	30 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.23 kg (better)	3 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 30 Wh nickel-metal hydride battery; Apple Facts claims two to four hours depending on usage and configuration. It gives PowerBook 1400cs weight as 3.0 kg with floppy module or 3.15 kg with CD-ROM; exact cs/166 support instead lists 6.6 lb with accessory-dependent weight. Support's six-inch height conflicts with Apple Facts' two inches; metric thickness and depth remain omitted because maker conversions also disagree
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 according to the service specification
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad according to the service specification
Speakers
Speakers	Four-speaker sound system; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos	Built-in speaker; 16-bit stereo audio input and output according to Apple Facts
Microphones
Microphones	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes	Built-in omnidirectional microphone according to the service specification
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 Mac OS 8.0, a 1.44 MB floppy drive and original 12× CD-ROM speed. Support dates introduction to 15 October 1997, Service Source labels the configuration November, and NotebookBlog places its market arrival at the end of 1997; no precise worldwide first-sale date is confirmed