Apple Macintosh PowerBook 520c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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

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Macintosh PowerBook 520c compared with PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 520cApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
ReleasedMay 1994October 2005
Display
Screen size9.5″15.2″
Resolution640 × 4801440 × 960 (better)
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type9.5-inch backlit dual-scan passive-matrix colour LCD with 256 colours15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68LC040 50 MHz (PowerBook 520)PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory12 MB512 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage240 MB to 320 MB80 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPUMotorola 68LC040 with 50 MHz internal processor speed and 25 MHz bus interface; no floating-point unit1.67 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 on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese bundled configurations contain 12 MB512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage typeInternal SCSI hard drive and 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive; Japanese configurations pair 12 MB RAM with 240 or 320 MB storage. English support also lists a 160 MB drive80 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
Weight2.9 kg–
Thickness57 mm–
Width × depth292 × 245 mm–
Battery life detailNickel-metal hydride intelligent battery; Japanese specification claims three hours per battery, with one supplied and room for two. April 1995 Apple Facts instead gives 2–4 hours on one battery and 4–7 hours on two; 2.9 kg includes one batteryUp 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 detailADB, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, AAUI Ethernet, HDI-30 SCSI, stereo audio input/output, external video and power input; optional internal modem and PCMCIA module supporting two Type II or one Type III cardTwo 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 displaysMirroring and extended desktop through an optional video adapter cableDual-link DVI supports 30-inch Cinema HD display; DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included.
Keyboard–Full-size illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor
TrackpadBuilt-in solid-state trackpadTwo-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
SpeakersTwo stereo speakers and a built-in microphoneStereo speakers
Microphones–Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the boxJapanese 12 MB/240 MB bundle includes one intelligent battery, power adapter, KanjiTalk 7.5 media and PowerBook Mobility Bundle; the 12 MB/320 MB bundle adds Express Modem IIApple 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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