Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 270c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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Macintosh PowerBook Duo 270c compared with PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 270c	ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
Released
Released	1993	October 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	8.4″	15.2″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	1440 × 960 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
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the later service table labels this model 9 inches	15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Screen finish
Screen finish	Antiglare polariser	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68030 33 MHz	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	240 MB	80 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Motorola 68030 at 33 MHz with an integrated memory-management unit and a separate Motorola 68882 maths coprocessor at 33 MHz	1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	Colour Screen Controller with video RAM; selecting thousands of colours centres a 640 × 400 image with black bands above and below	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI standard
Memory type
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 PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage type
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	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 4 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Weight
Weight	2.1 kg	–
Thickness
Thickness	38 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	277 × 216 mm	–
Battery life detail
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	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	AC adapter supplied; service manual gives a 24 V DC, 1.04 A output	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	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 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 peripheral expansion	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; 63 keys on the domestic version or 64 on the ISO version	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	Four-voice, 8-bit monophonic sound input and output at 11 or 22 kHz	Stereo speakers
Microphones
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
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 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.