Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 280c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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

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Macintosh PowerBook Duo 280c compared with PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
AppleMacintosh PowerBook Duo 280cApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
ReleasedMay 1994October 2005
Display
Screen size8.4″17″
Resolution640 × 4801680 × 1050 (better)
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480 or thousands of colours at 640 × 40017-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology, absolute brightness and refresh rate unpublished on maker sheet
Display features–Millions of colours at native resolution; maker UK launch claims up to 46% brighter than preceding 17-inch model
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory4 MB512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB (better)
Storage320 MB100 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPUMotorola 68LC040 with 66 MHz internal processor speed and 33 MHz bus interface; integrated memory management without an FPU1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 512 KB on-chip L2 SRAM and 167 MHz system bus; exact silicon supplier/process omitted
GPU–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with AGP 4× support, 128 MB DDR video memory 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 PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM running at 333 MHz standard in one SO-DIMM; two slots, maximum 2 GB, with 512 MB and 1 GB module options
Storage type320 MB internal SCSI hard drive; optional external 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive through a floppy adapter or dock120 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard or 100 GB 7200 rpm build-to-order, with Sudden Motion Sensor. Slot-loading 8× DVD±R SuperDrive supports 2.4× double-layer DVD+R, 4× DVD±RW, 24× CD-R and 16× CD-RW; optional DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 4 hoursUp to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity–58 Wh
Weight2.1 kg (better)3.1 kg
Thickness38 mm26 mm (better)
Width × depth277 × 216 mm392 × 259 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 with charge indicator LEDs; maker up to 5.5 hours depends on configuration and use. Maker reference 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing. Metric dimensions are maker centimetres expressed in millimetres
Charger–65 W power adapter with cable management system
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 at up to 480 Mbps, FireWire 800 and 400, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, DVI, S-video and Type I/II PC Card slot; combined optical-digital/analogue input and output minijacks; Kensington lock slot
External displaysVideo output through an optional Duo Dock, Duo Dock II or Duo MiniDockSimultaneous native 1680 × 1050 internal and up to 2560 × 1600 external display with millions of colours; dual-link DVI, including 30-inch Cinema HD display; mirroring, VGA with included DVI adapter, composite with included S-video adapter
Keyboard–Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor; 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrows and embedded keypad
Trackpad19 mm trackball with two buttonsSolid-state trackpad with tap, double-tap, drag and scrolling support
SpeakersBuilt-in mono speaker and omnidirectional microphone; 8-bit sound input at 11 or 22 kHzTwo built-in 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 separatelyPower adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, lithium-ion battery, modem cable, DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters; Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and iLife ’05 supplied. Apple UK confirms immediate availability on 19 October 2005

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