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Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 250 vs Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 280c

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 250AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 280c
Overview
Released1993May 1994
Display
Screen size9″8.4″
Resolution640 × 400640 × 480
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeBacklit active-matrix LCD with 16 grey levels. Apple's product description and technical table specify a 9-inch diagonal; the developer note gives a 192 × 120 mm active pixel area8.4-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or thousands of colours at 640 × 400
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68030 33 MHz (PowerBook 165)Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)
CPU cores11
Memory4 MB or 12 MB4 MB
Storage200 MB320 MB
CPUMotorola 68030 at 33 MHz, with integrated memory-management unit; no built-in floating-point coprocessor. An optional dock provides a maths coprocessorMotorola 68LC040 with 66 MHz internal processor speed and 33 MHz bus interface; integrated memory management without an FPU
Memory type4 MB on the logic board and one Duo expansion-card slot; maximum 24 MB. Apple kits expand to 8 or 12 MB; larger capacities require third-party cards4 MB fitted, expandable to 8 or 12 MB with Apple's memory kits and up to 40 MB using third-party cards
Storage typeInternal 200 MB SCSI drive in Apple's 4/200 and 12/200 ordering configurations. The developer note mentions a 120 MB option without an ordering configuration. External floppy drive requires a Duo Floppy Adapter or MiniDock320 MB internal SCSI hard drive; optional external 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive through a floppy adapter or dock
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 6 hoursUp to 4 hours
Weight1.9 kg2.1 kg
Thickness36 mm38 mm
Width × depth277 × 216 mm277 × 216 mm
Battery life detailRemovable Type II nickel-metal hydride battery; Apple's technical table claims 2.5–6 hours. Its later developer-note feature list and block diagram contain conflicting battery, colour-display and memory claims; the exact model's technical table controls these specificationsRemovable high-capacity Type III nickel-metal hydride battery; Apple claims 2–4 hours. Maker TIL gives 2.1 kg and 4.8 lb together; the stated metric weight is retained without converting the inconsistent pounds figure
Connections
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailRS-422 serial/LocalTalk, 152-pin docking connector, power input and optional internal fax/data modem. External video, SCSI and floppy connections require docking accessories152-pin docking connector, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, power input and optional internal 14,400 bps fax/data modem; ADB, SCSI, video and floppy connections available through compatible docks
External displaysOptional PowerBook Duo Dock or Duo MiniDock provides external video and desktop connectionsVideo output through an optional Duo Dock, Duo Dock II or Duo MiniDock
KeyboardBuilt-in keyboard with two-level tilt adjustment and Caps Lock indicator–
Trackpad19 mm trackball with two buttons19 mm trackball with two buttons
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker; 8-bit monophonic sound input/output at 11 or 22 kHzBuilt-in mono speaker and omnidirectional microphone; 8-bit sound input at 11 or 22 kHz
MicrophonesBuilt-in omnidirectional electret microphone, documented in the exact-model technical table despite the support summary's Mic Type none–
In the boxComputer, battery, AC adapter, System 7.1 software and documentation. The 12/200 configuration adds an internal Express Modem. Maker introduction was 21 October 1993; The Mac December 1993 current buying guide confirms retail presence that year without an exact first-sale monthNotebook with 4 MB RAM and 320 MB storage; desktop docking hardware and external floppy drive sold separately

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