Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 270c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)

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Macintosh PowerBook Duo 270c compared with PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 270c	ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)
Overview
Released
Released	1993	2004
Display
Screen size
Screen size	8.4″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	1440 × 900 (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8.4 inches; the later service table labels this model 9 inches	17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Screen finish
Screen finish	Antiglare polariser	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68030 33 MHz	PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	–	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or 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 (better)
CPU
CPU	Motorola 68030 at 33 MHz with an integrated memory-management unit and a separate Motorola 68882 maths coprocessor at 33 MHz	1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz 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 64 MB DDR; 128 MB video-memory build-to-order option.
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 PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 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 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; 80 GB 5400 rpm build-to-order alternative. 4× DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 4 hours	Up to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	–	58 Wh
Weight
Weight	2.1 kg (better)	3.1 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	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
Charger	AC adapter supplied; service manual gives a 24 V DC, 1.04 A output	65 W power adapter
Materials
Materials	–	Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports
Ports	–	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	1.1
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, one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, Type I/II PC Card slot, DVI, S-video, audio input and headphone output.
External displays
External displays	Optional PowerBook Duo Dock or Duo MiniDock provides external video and desktop peripheral expansion	Dual display/mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included; ADC adapter separate.
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 fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	19 mm trackball with two buttons	Tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Four-voice, 8-bit monophonic sound input and output at 11 or 22 kHz	Two 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 announced 19 April 2004 and expected the 17-inch model in early May. Actual first on-sale month unestablished after a bounded search; year precision retained. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’04 supplied.