Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 270c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 270c | ApplePowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | 1993 | 2005 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 8.4″ | 12.1″ |
| Resolution | 640 × 480 | 1024 × 768 (better) |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | Backlit active-matrix TFT colour LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or thousands at 640 × 400. Apple's exact-model product description gives 8.4 inches; the later service table labels this model 9 inches | 12.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display; panel technology and refresh unpublished. |
| Screen finish | Antiglare polariser | – |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Motorola 68030 33 MHz | PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 12-inch 2005) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | – | NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 (64 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 4 MB or 12 MB | 512 MB or 1.25 GB (better) |
| Storage | 240 MB | 60 GB to 100 GB (better) |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 at 33 MHz with an integrated memory-management unit and a separate Motorola 68882 maths coprocessor at 33 MHz | 1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted. |
| GPU | Colour Screen Controller with video RAM; selecting thousands of colours centres a 640 × 400 image with black bands above and below | NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 with 64 MB DDR video memory and AGP 4×. |
| Memory type | 4 MB soldered on the logic board, with one Duo expansion-card slot; maximum 32 MB. Apple memory kits expand to 8 or 12 MB; larger capacities require third-party cards | 512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; one SO-DIMM slot, maximum 1.25 GB. |
| Storage type | Internal 240 MB SCSI hard drive in the two configurations listed in Apple's product description. The developer note also describes a 160 MB option, without an ordering configuration. External 1.4 MB floppy drive requires a Duo Floppy Adapter or Duo MiniDock | 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor. Combo base60GB; SuperDrive base80GB; 100GB build-to-order on either. 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive; optical-drive differences retained in details. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 4 hours | Up to 5 hours |
| Battery capacity | – | 50 Wh |
| Weight | 2.1 kg | 2.1 kg |
| Thickness | 38 mm | – |
| Width × depth | 277 × 216 mm | – |
| Battery life detail | Removable Type II nickel-metal hydride battery. Apple's product description claims 2–4 hours; the developer note claims 4.5 hours, while the later service manual gives approximately 2–3 hours. Service weight is 2.1 kg with a battery; its paired 4.8 lb figure is inconsistent. Dimensions are rounded from Apple's 10.9 × 8.5 × 1.5 inch support table; the service manual swaps width/depth and pairs 1.5 inches with 36 mm | 50 Wh lithium-ion, up to five hours. Published reference weight 2.1 kg with battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 3.0 cm, width 27.7 cm, depth 21.9 cm. |
| Charger | AC adapter supplied; service manual gives a 24 V DC, 1.04 A output | 45 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 | 152-pin docking connector, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk mini-DIN-8 port, power input and optional internal Express Modem. Additional video, SCSI and floppy connections require docking accessories | Two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400, 10/100 Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, mini-DVI, audio input and headphone output. Mini-DVI-to-DVI and mini-DVI-to-VGA adapters included; television adapter separate. |
| External displays | Optional PowerBook Duo Dock or Duo MiniDock provides external video and desktop peripheral expansion | Dual display and mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. |
| Keyboard | Built-in keyboard with two-level tilt adjustment; 63 keys on the domestic version or 64 on the ISO version | Full-size keyboard with embedded numeric keypad |
| Trackpad | 19 mm trackball with two buttons | Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support |
| Speakers | Four-voice, 8-bit monophonic sound input and output at 11 or 22 kHz | Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker |
| Microphones | Built-in omnidirectional electret microphone; the support summary's Mic Type none does not describe the built-in microphone documented in the developer and service manuals | Internal omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | Computer, battery, AC adapter, System 7.1 software and documentation; desktop docks sold separately. Apple lists introduction on 21 October 1993. The Mac December 1993 buying guide lists the model in the current retail range with a UK basic price; no exact first-sale month is established, so release precision remains the year | Apple announced 31 January 2005 with availability planned later that week. Actual first on-sale month unestablished after a bounded search; year precision retained. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05; later units shipped Tiger. |
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