Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 250 vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 250 | ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | 1993 | February 2005 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 9″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 640 × 400 | 1440 × 900 (better) |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| 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the developer note gives a 192 × 120 mm active pixel area | 17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Motorola 68030 33 MHz (PowerBook 165) | PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Early 2005) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | – | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 4 MB or 12 MB | 512 MB or 2 GB (better) |
| Storage | 200 MB | 80 GB to 100 GB (better) |
| 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, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted. |
| GPU | – | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI |
| 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 PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 2 GB. |
| 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 | 100 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard with Sudden Motion Sensor. Retained maker build-to-order list offers 80 GB or 100 GB on 15/17-inch models; 80 GB alternative represented without changing the 100 GB stock specification. 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 6 hours | Up to 4.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | – | 58 Wh |
| Weight | 1.9 kg (better) | 3.1 kg |
| Thickness | 36 mm | – |
| Width × depth | 277 × 216 mm | – |
| 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 | 58 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 2.6 cm, width 39.2 cm, depth 25.9 cm. |
| Charger | – | 65 W power adapter |
| Materials | – | Aluminium enclosure |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | – | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | – | AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b |
| Bluetooth | – | 2.0 + EDR |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| 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 PC Card/CardBus slot. Combined optical-digital/analogue input and output minijacks. |
| External displays | Optional PowerBook Duo Dock or Duo MiniDock provides external video and desktop connections | DVI dual-link: external display up to 2560 × 1600, including 30-inch Cinema HD display; VGA, S-video and composite supported with listed adapters. |
| Keyboard | Built-in keyboard with two-level tilt adjustment and Caps Lock indicator | Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor; Apple states backlighting up to ten times brighter than previous generation. |
| Trackpad | 19 mm trackball with two buttons | Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; 8-bit monophonic sound input/output at 11 or 22 kHz | Two stereo speakers |
| 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 | 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 announced 31 January 2005 with availability planned later that week. Ken Mingis’s 10 February Computerworld report says his unit shipped the previous week and arrived Monday; February precision retained without a verified first shipping day. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05. |
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