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Apple Macintosh PowerBook 170 vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh PowerBook 170ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 1991October 2005
Display
Screen size10″15.2″
Resolution640 × 4001440 × 960
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10 inches; some later catalogues call it 9.8 inches.15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 170)PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory4 MB512 MB or 2 GB
Storage40 MB80 GB to 120 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.1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI standard
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.512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; 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.80 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard with Sudden Motion Sensor. Build-to-order: 100 GB 5400 or 7200 rpm, or 120 GB 5400 rpm. 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× double-layer DVD+R support; optional Combo drive. Speed/optical alternatives retained here rather than duplicate capacity rows.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 3 hoursUp to 5.5 hours
Weight3.03 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.Up to 5.5 hours, dependent on configuration and use. Retained maker family sheet publishes 15-inch reference weight 5.6 pounds, footprint 13.7 × 9.5 inches and thickness 1.1 inches; no calculated metric main values. Its detailed 58 Wh battery section is explicitly 17-inch and is not borrowed.
Charger–Power adapter included; wattage not established for this exact generation in the read family sheet.
Materials–Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports–2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi–AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth–2.0 + EDR
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, FireWire 400 and 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, DVI, S-video and Type I/II PC Card slot. Combined analogue/optical digital input and output.
External displays–Dual-link DVI supports 30-inch Cinema HD display; DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included.
KeyboardBuilt-in keyboard with a centred 30 mm trackball below the keys.Full-size illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor
TrackpadBuilt-in trackball.Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers–Stereo speakers
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 October 2005. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and iLife ’05 supplied. The retained sheet’s configuration table covers all sizes but its detailed specification section describes the 17-inch; only the 15-inch table and explicit build-to-order fields are used here.

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