Apple Macintosh PowerBook 140 vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacintosh PowerBook 140 | ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 1991 | February 2005 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 10″ | 15.2″ |
| Resolution | 640 × 400 | 1280 × 854 (better) |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 10-inch backlit FSTN monochrome LCD, 640 × 400 pixels at 1-bit colour. Apple's 1991 product information rounds the diagonal to 10 inches; some later catalogues call it 9.8 inches. | 15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | 68030 16 MHz (PowerBook 140) | PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) or PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | – | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 2 MB or 4 MB | 512 MB or 2 GB (better) |
| Storage | 20 MB to 40 MB | 80 GB to 100 GB (better) |
| CPU | 16 MHz Motorola 68030 with an integrated memory-management unit and no floating-point coprocessor. | 1.5 or 1.67 GHz PowerPC G 4 with 512 KB on-chip L 2 and 167 MHz bus. Retained sheet processor paragraph omits 1.5 GHz, but factory configuration table and UK release confirm it. Exact silicon supplier omitted. |
| GPU | – | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB DDR standard; 128 MB plus dual-link DVI build-to-order restricted to 1.67 GHz. UK release higher-base bullet ambiguously mentions dual-link with 64 MB; its BTO paragraph and full sheet tie dual-link to 128 MB. |
| Memory type | 2 MB pseudostatic RAM on the logic board and one expansion slot; 8 MB maximum. | 512 MB PC 2700 DDR 333 in a single SO-DIMM; two slots, maximum 2 GB. |
| Storage type | Original 20 MB and 40 MB internal SCSI hard-drive configurations; built-in 1.4 MB SuperDrive floppy drive. Apple's later support sheet lists 40–80 MB internal drives. | 80 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard on both processors; 100 GB build-to-order alternative, with Sudden Motion Sensor. Combo on 1.5 GHz base, 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive on 1.67 GHz; SuperDrive upgrade available. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 3 hours | Up to 4.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | – | 50 Wh |
| Weight | 3.03 kg | 2.5 kg (better) |
| Battery life detail | Removable nickel-cadmium battery; Apple claimed 2–3 hours of use before recharging. | 50 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 2.5 kg includes battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 2.8 cm, width 34.8 cm, depth 24.1 cm. |
| Charger | – | 65 W power adapter |
| Materials | – | Aluminium enclosure |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | – | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | – | AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b |
| Bluetooth | – | 2.0 + EDR |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | One Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port, HDI-30 SCSI connector, two RS-422 serial ports, mono audio input and stereo output. An internal 2400-baud fax modem was optional. | Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, Type I/II PC Card slot, DVI, S-video, audio input and headphone output. |
| External displays | – | DVI with VGA adapter and S-video/composite output; up to 2048×1536 external. Optional 128 MB dual-link configuration on 1.67 GHz supports 30-inch Cinema HD display. |
| Keyboard | Built-in keyboard with a centred 30 mm trackball below the keys. | Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor on both processor configurations; Apple states up to ten times brighter backlighting than previous generation. |
| Trackpad | Built-in trackball. | Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support |
| Speakers | – | Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker |
| Microphones | – | Internal omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | System 7.0.1, battery and AC adapter. Apple dates the model's introduction to 21 October 1991; the technical sheet does not state a separate first-sale day. | Apple announced 31 January 2005 with availability planned later that week. Ken Mingis’s 10 February Computerworld account confirms 15-inch units had reached buyers by then; February precision retained without a verified first shipping day. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05. |
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