Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 250 vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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Macintosh PowerBook Duo 250 compared with PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 250	ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
Released
Released	1993	October 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9″	15.2″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 400	1440 × 960 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Backlit 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note gives a 192 × 120 mm active pixel area	15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68030 33 MHz (PowerBook 165)	PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	–	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	4 MB or 12 MB	512 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	200 MB	80 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Motorola 68030 at 33 MHz, with integrated memory-management unit; no built-in floating-point coprocessor. An optional dock provides a maths coprocessor	1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	–	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI standard
Memory type
Memory type	4 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 cards	512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	Internal 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 MiniDock	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)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 6 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Weight
Weight	1.9 kg	–
Thickness
Thickness	36 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	277 × 216 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable 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 specifications	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
Charger	–	Power adapter included; wattage not established for this exact generation in the read family sheet.
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	RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, 152-pin docking connector, power input and optional internal fax/data modem. External video, SCSI and floppy connections require docking accessories	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
External displays	Optional PowerBook Duo Dock or Duo MiniDock provides external video and desktop connections	Dual-link DVI supports 30-inch Cinema HD display; DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Built-in keyboard with two-level tilt adjustment and Caps Lock indicator	Full-size illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	19 mm trackball with two buttons	Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker; 8-bit monophonic sound input/output at 11 or 22 kHz	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in omnidirectional electret microphone, documented in the exact-model technical table despite the support summary's Mic Type none	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	Computer, 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 month	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.