Apple Macintosh PowerBook 540 vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)

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Macintosh PowerBook 540 compared with PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 540	ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)
Overview
Released
Released	May 1994	February 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9.5″	15.2″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	1280 × 854 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	9.5-inch active-matrix greyscale LCD with 64 grey levels at 640 × 480	15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)	PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) or PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	–	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	4 MB	512 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	240 MB	80 GB to 100 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Motorola 68LC040 with 66 MHz internal processor speed and 33 MHz bus interface; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit	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
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
Memory type	4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB through one memory expansion slot	512 MB PC 2700 DDR 333 in a single SO-DIMM; two slots, maximum 2 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	240 MB internal SCSI hard drive and Apple SuperDrive floppy drive	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)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 3 hours	Up to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	–	50 Wh
Weight
Weight	3.2 kg	2.5 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	58 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	292 × 246 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Two high-capacity Type II nickel-metal hydride batteries supplied; Apple claims 1.5–3 hours on one battery or 3–6 hours on two	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
Charger	–	65 W power adapter
Materials
Materials	–	Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports
Ports	–	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	2.0 + EDR
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	ADB, serial/LocalTalk, AAUI Ethernet, HDI-30 SCSI, external video, stereo sound input/output and power input; optional internal modem and processor-direct PCMCIA expansion module	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
External displays	Video output supports compatible external Apple displays through an adapter; built-in greyscale display can be upgraded to active-matrix colour with Apple's optional upgrade	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
Keyboard	–	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
Trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad	Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Two built-in speakers and microphone with 16-bit stereo sound	Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker
Microphones
Microphones	–	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	Notebook, two batteries and power adapter; preinstalled PowerBook Mobility Bundle. Dimensions and metric weight come from Apple's October 1994 Apple Facts	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.