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Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 280c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 280cApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
Overview
ReleasedMay 1994February 2005
Display
Screen size8.4″17″
Resolution640 × 4801440 × 900
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type8.4-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or thousands of colours at 640 × 40017-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Early 2005)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory4 MB512 MB or 2 GB
Storage320 MB80 GB to 100 GB
CPUMotorola 68LC040 with 66 MHz internal processor speed and 33 MHz bus interface; integrated memory management without an FPU1.67 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 type4 MB fitted, expandable to 8 or 12 MB with Apple's memory kits and up to 40 MB using third-party cards512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 2 GB.
Storage type320 MB internal SCSI hard drive; optional external 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive through a floppy adapter or dock100 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 4 hoursUp to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity–58 Wh
Weight2.1 kg3.1 kg
Thickness38 mm–
Width × depth277 × 216 mm–
Battery life detailRemovable high-capacity Type III nickel-metal hydride battery; Apple claims 2–4 hours. Maker TIL gives 2.1 kg and 4.8 lb together; the stated metric weight is retained without converting the inconsistent pounds figure58 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 systemmacOSmacOS
Port detail152-pin docking connector, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, power input and optional internal 14,400 bps fax/data modem; ADB, SCSI, video and floppy connections available through compatible docksTwo 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 displaysVideo output through an optional Duo Dock, Duo Dock II or Duo MiniDockDVI dual-link: external display up to 2560 × 1600, including 30-inch Cinema HD display; VGA, S-video and composite supported with listed adapters.
Keyboard–Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor; Apple states backlighting up to ten times brighter than previous generation.
Trackpad19 mm trackball with two buttonsTwo-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
SpeakersBuilt-in mono speaker and omnidirectional microphone; 8-bit sound input at 11 or 22 kHzTwo stereo speakers
Microphones–Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the boxNotebook with 4 MB RAM and 320 MB storage; desktop docking hardware and external floppy drive sold separatelyApple 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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