Apple Macintosh PowerBook 160 vs Apple Macintosh PowerBook 170

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Macintosh PowerBook 160 compared with Macintosh PowerBook 170

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 160	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 170
Overview
Released
Released	October 1992	October 1991
Display
Screen size
Screen size	10″	10″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 400	640 × 400
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	10-inch backlit FSTN passive-matrix LCD, displaying 16 shades of grey at 640 × 400	10-inch backlit active-matrix 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.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 160)	68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 170)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	4 MB	4 MB
Storage
Storage	40 MB to 120 MB (better)	40 MB
CPU
CPU	25 MHz Motorola 68030 without a floating-point coprocessor; optional 16 MHz power-saving mode	25 MHz Motorola 68030 and 25 MHz Motorola 68882 floating-point coprocessor; a Power Saver mode could run the processor at 16 MHz on battery.
Memory type
Memory type	4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 14 MB with a memory card	4 MB original configuration, comprising 2 MB on the logic board and a 2 MB expansion card; 8 MB maximum. Apple's later support sheet lists 2 MB as the minimum across its service configurations.
Storage type
Storage type	Internal 2.5-inch SCSI hard drive, offered by Apple at 40, 80 and 120 MB; built-in 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive	Original 40 MB internal SCSI hard drive with a built-in 1.4 MB SuperDrive floppy drive. Apple's later support sheet lists 40–80 MB drives.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 3 hours	Up to 3 hours
Weight
Weight	3.1 kg	3.03 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	58 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	287 × 236 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable 2.8 Ah nickel-cadmium battery; Apple stated an average 2.5–3 hours of operation	Removable nickel-cadmium battery; Apple claimed 2–3 hours of use, with about 30 minutes more in its 16 MHz Power Saver mode.
Connections
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	ADB, HDI-30 SCSI, two RS-422 serial ports, custom video output and audio input/output; internal modem connector, with modem optional	One Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port, HDI-30 SCSI connector, two RS-422 serial ports, mono audio input and stereo output. A 2400-baud internal modem was standard.
External displays
External displays	Up to 256 colours on Apple monitors through 16 inches; mirror or independent extended display modes, with VGA/SVGA support through adapters	–
Keyboard
Keyboard	Built-in keyboard with 30 mm trackball below the keys	Built-in keyboard with a centred 30 mm trackball below the keys.
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in trackball	Built-in trackball.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker and microphone; stereo output through the headphone jack	–
In the box
In the box	Apple developer note lists a rechargeable battery and external recharger/power adapter; System 7.1 shipped with the model	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.