Apple Macintosh PowerBook 100 vs Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Macintosh PowerBook 100 compared with PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 100	ApplePowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)
Overview
Released
Released	October 1991	2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9″	12.1″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 400	1024 × 768 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	9-inch backlit FSTN monochrome LCD, 640 × 400 pixels at 1-bit colour (Apple service guide).	12.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor
Processor	68000 16 MHz (PowerBook 100)	PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 12-inch 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	–	NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 (64 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	2 MB	512 MB or 1.25 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	20 MB to 40 MB	60 GB to 100 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	16 MHz Motorola 68000; no FPU or processor cache.	1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	–	NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 with 64 MB DDR video memory and AGP 4×.
Memory type
Memory type	2 MB on the logic board and one expansion slot; 8 MB maximum.	512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; one SO-DIMM slot, maximum 1.25 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	20 MB or 40 MB internal SCSI hard drive; no built-in floppy drive. The HDI-20 port accepts an external floppy drive.	5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor. Combo base60GB; SuperDrive base80GB; 100GB build-to-order on either. 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive; optical-drive differences retained in details.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 4 hours	Up to 5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	–	50 Wh
Weight
Weight	2.3 kg	2.1 kg (better)
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Sealed lead-acid battery; Apple claimed 2–4 hours of use before recharging.	50 Wh lithium-ion, up to five hours. Published reference weight 2.1 kg with battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 3.0 cm, width 27.7 cm, depth 21.9 cm.
Charger
Charger	–	45 W power adapter
Materials
Materials	–	Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports
Ports	–	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	2.0 + EDR
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	One Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port, HDI-20 external floppy connector, HDI-30 SCSI connector, printer serial port and speaker output. No built-in Ethernet or video output.	Two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400, 10/100 Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, mini-DVI, audio input and headphone output. Mini-DVI-to-DVI and mini-DVI-to-VGA adapters included; television adapter separate.
External displays
External displays	–	Dual display and mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536.
Keyboard
Keyboard	–	Full-size keyboard with embedded numeric keypad
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in trackball.	Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	–	Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker
Microphones
Microphones	–	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	Original system software was System 7.0.1. Apple dates the model's introduction to 21 October 1991; its technical sheet does not state a separate first-sale day.	Apple announced 31 January 2005 with availability planned later that week. Actual first on-sale month unestablished after a bounded search; year precision retained. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05; later units shipped Tiger.