Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple PowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006) compared with PowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003)
AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)ApplePowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2006March 2003
Display
Screen size17″17″
Resolution1680 × 1050 (better)1440 × 900
Brightness300 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeWidescreen TFT display; optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.17-inch TFT widescreen; exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished.
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006)PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Early 2003)
CPU cores21
GraphicsATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go (64 MB DDR)
Memory2 GB or 3 GB (better)512 MB or 1 GB
Storage100 GB to 200 GB (better)60 GB
CPUDual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.33 GHz, with 4 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus. The record retains the maker’s clock and model without an unverified Intel SKU.1 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 1 MB DDR SRAM L3 cache and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier/SKU omitted.
GPUATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go, AGP 4 × with 64 MB DDR video memory.
Memory type667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 2 GB standard, configurable to 3 GB.512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots and maker-supported maximum 1 GB. Unofficial 2 GB in EveryMac is excluded from configurations.
Storage type160 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 100 GB at 7200 rpm or 200 GB at 4200 rpm. 8× SuperDrive with 4× double-layer DVD+R writing.60 GB 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 and slot-loading SuperDrive. Maker UK launch sheet specifies DVD-R 1 × write/8 × read, CD-R 8 × write, CD-RW 4 × write and CD 24 × read; later EveryMac 2 × DVD-R and Macworld 16 × CD-R figures differ, so launch maker specification retained.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 5.5 hoursUp to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity68 Wh (better)55 Wh
Weight–3.1 kg
Thickness–26 mm
Width × depth–392 × 259 mm
Battery life detailRemovable 68 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5.5 hours in Apple’s test. Apple publishes 6.8 lb and a 15.4 × 10.4 × 1.0-inch enclosure; weight varies by configuration. Unpublished metric fields omitted.55 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours maker claim. Published 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing process; closed metric dimensions 39.2 × 25.9 × 2.6 cm.
Charger85 W MagSafe Power Adapter–
MaterialsAluminium enclosureAnodised aluminium enclosure
ColoursSilver–
Connections
Ports3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-FiAirPort Extreme 802.11g; 802.11n requires the optional software enablerAirPort Extreme 802.11b/g
Bluetooth2.0 + EDR1.1
WebcamBuilt-in iSight camera–
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detail3 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, dual-link DVI, ExpressCard/34, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and combined optical digital audio output/headphone output, and Kensington lock slot. VGA adapter included; composite/S-video adapter optional.Two 12 Mbps USB 1.1 ports, one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, Type I/II PC Card/CardBus, DVI, S-video, line input and headphone output. Support table mislabels FireWire MBps; UK sheet explicitly states Mbps.
External displaysOne external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter.Dual display or mirroring up to 2048 × 1536 externally; DVI and included VGA/composite adapters.
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; embedded numeric keypadFull-size keyboard with fibre-optic backlighting and ambient light control; 79 ISO keys and embedded numeric keypad.
TrackpadScrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag.–
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakersTwo built-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesBuilt-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grilleInternal omnidirectional microphone under left speaker grille
In the boxMacBook Pro, removable battery, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Apple Remote and DVI-to-VGA adapter included. Mac OS X 10.4.8 Tiger and iLife ’06. Apple’s 24 October announcement says this model would ship the following week, crossing the month boundary; Macworld’s contemporary laboratory report confirms that actual shipping began in November. An exact first-sale day is unestablished.65 W power adapter, cord, modem cable, DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters. January announcement expected February; Macworld reported actual customer arrivals in March 2003. Month retained without inventing first delivery day.

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