Apple Macintosh PowerBook 540c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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

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Macintosh PowerBook 540c compared with PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 540cApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
ReleasedMay 1994October 2005
Display
Screen size9.5″17″
Resolution640 × 4801680 × 1050 (better)
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type9.5-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or 32,768 colours at 640 × 40017-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology, absolute brightness and refresh rate unpublished on maker sheet
Display features–Millions of colours at native resolution; maker UK launch claims up to 46% brighter than preceding 17-inch model
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory12 MB512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB (better)
Storage320 MB to 500 MB100 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPUMotorola 68LC040 running internally at 66 MHz with a 33 MHz bus; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 512 KB on-chip L2 SRAM and 167 MHz system bus; exact silicon supplier/process omitted
GPU–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with AGP 4× support, 128 MB DDR video memory and dual-link DVI
Memory type4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese configurations supplied 12 MB512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM running at 333 MHz standard in one SO-DIMM; two slots, maximum 2 GB, with 512 MB and 1 GB module options
Storage typeInternal SCSI hard drive and 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive; Apple lists 240–500 MB in English support and 320/500 MB Japanese configurations120 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard or 100 GB 7200 rpm build-to-order, with Sudden Motion Sensor. Slot-loading 8× DVD±R SuperDrive supports 2.4× double-layer DVD+R, 4× DVD±RW, 24× CD-R and 16× CD-RW; optional DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 3 hoursUp to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity–58 Wh
Weight3.3 kg3.1 kg (better)
Thickness57 mm26 mm (better)
Width × depth292 × 245 mm392 × 259 mm
Battery life detailTwo removable nickel-metal hydride intelligent batteries were supplied in Japan; Apple claimed three hours per battery. Published 3.3 kg weight includes both batteries.58 Wh lithium-ion with charge indicator LEDs; maker up to 5.5 hours depends on configuration and use. Maker reference 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing. Metric dimensions are maker centimetres expressed in millimetres
Charger–65 W power adapter with cable management system
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, HDI-30 SCSI, AAUI Ethernet, mini-15 video and stereo audio input/output; an optional PCMCIA module supported two Type II or one Type III cardTwo USB 2.0 ports at up to 480 Mbps, FireWire 800 and 400, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, DVI, S-video and Type I/II PC Card slot; combined optical-digital/analogue input and output minijacks; Kensington lock slot
External displaysBuilt-in video output supports mirroring or an extended desktop with an optional Apple video adapter cableSimultaneous native 1680 × 1050 internal and up to 2560 × 1600 external display with millions of colours; dual-link DVI, including 30-inch Cinema HD display; mirroring, VGA with included DVI adapter, composite with included S-video adapter
Keyboard–Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor; 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrows and embedded keypad
TrackpadBuilt-in solid-state trackpad in place of a trackballSolid-state trackpad with tap, double-tap, drag and scrolling support
SpeakersTwo built-in stereo speakers and a microphoneTwo built-in stereo speakers
Microphones–Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the boxApple's Japanese 12 MB/320 MB configuration included two batteries, power adapter and PowerBook Mobility Bundle softwarePower adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, lithium-ion battery, modem cable, DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters; Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and iLife ’05 supplied. Apple UK confirms immediate availability on 19 October 2005

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