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Apple Macintosh PowerBook 170 vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh PowerBook 170ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 1991April 2004
Display
Screen size10″15.2″
Resolution640 × 4001280 × 854
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type10-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diagonal to 10 inches; some later catalogues call it 9.8 inches.15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 170)PowerPC G4 1.33 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch 2004) or PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch 2004)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory4 MB256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB
Storage40 MB60 GB to 80 GB
CPU25 MHz Motorola 68030 and 25 MHz Motorola 68882 floating-point coprocessor; a Power Saver mode could run the processor at 16 MHz on battery.1.33 or 1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB DDR; 128 MB build-to-order option restricted to 1.5 GHz configurations.
Memory type4 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.PC2700 DDR333: 256 MB standard on 1.33 GHz, 512 MB on 1.5 GHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage typeOriginal 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.1.33 GHz base: 60 GB 4200 rpm, with 80 GB 5400 rpm build-to-order option. 1.5 GHz base: 80 GB 4200 rpm, with 80 GB 5400 rpm alternative. Combo drive or 4× DVD-R SuperDrive; drive-speed variants retained here rather than duplicate capacity rows.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 3 hoursUp to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity–50 Wh
Weight3.03 kg2.6 kg
Battery life detailRemovable nickel-cadmium battery; Apple claimed 2–3 hours of use, with about 30 minutes more in its 16 MHz Power Saver mode.50 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 2.6 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–1.1
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailOne 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.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–Dual display/mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included; ADC adapter separate.
KeyboardBuilt-in keyboard with a centred 30 mm trackball below the keys.Full-size keyboard; ambient-sensor backlight standard on 1.5 GHz and optional on 1.33 GHz.
TrackpadBuilt-in trackball.Tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers–Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker
Microphones–Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the boxSystem 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 UK confirms immediate availability on 19 April 2004; Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’04 supplied.

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