Apple PowerBook (FireWire) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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PowerBook (FireWire) compared with PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

	ApplePowerBook (FireWire)	ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2000	October 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	14.1″	15.2″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	1440 × 960 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	14.1-inch active-matrix TFT colour LCD. The maker does not publish IPS/TN subtype, brightness or refresh rate.	15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Display features
Display features	1024 × 768 native resolution. VGA and S-video output support an extended desktop or video mirroring.	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 400 MHz (PowerBook FireWire) or PowerPC G3 500 MHz (PowerBook FireWire)	PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI RAGE Mobility 128 (8 MB SDRAM)	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	64 MB or 128 MB	512 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	6 GB to 12 GB	80 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	400 or 500 MHz PowerPC G3, each with 1 MB backside L2 cache and 100 MHz system bus. Exact fitted silicon supplier and process not assigned.	1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics controller on AGP 2×, 8 MB video SDRAM. Service Source also names it ATI Rage Mobility M3.	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI standard
Memory type
Memory type	64 MB PC100 SDRAM standard on 400 MHz, 128 MB on 500 MHz; two 144-pin SO-DIMM slots, maker maximum 512 MB using up to 256 MB per slot. EDO and some earlier PC66 modules are incompatible.	512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	Original Apple factory pairs: 400 MHz/64 MB/6 GB Ultra ATA/66 and 500 MHz/128 MB/12 GB Ultra ATA/66, each with DVD-ROM. Apple offered an 18 GB build-to-order drive without an exact associated factory pairing. Later 10 GB/20 GB refresh is reported by Macworld, not folded into the original launch configurations. Apple launch calls the DVD drive 6× maximum; its Service Source describes a 4× drive and DVD-RAM read compatibility.	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 5 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	50 Wh	–
Weight
Weight	2.7678248 kg	–
Thickness
Thickness	43.18 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	322.58 × 264.16 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	50 Wh removable lithium-ion battery. Maker claims up to five hours with one battery or ten hours using a second battery in the optical bay. Reference 6.1 lb weight includes DVD and one battery; weight-saving module gives 5.7 lb.	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	45 W maximum AC power, 100–240 V, 50–60 Hz.	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	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	AirPort 802.11b with optional internal card	AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	2.0 + EDR
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two 400 Mbps FireWire ports with FireWire Disk Mode, two USB ports, VGA, S-video, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, 4 Mbps IrDA, stereo line input and headphone output. One Type I/II PC Card/CardBus slot. No built-in SCSI or ADB.	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	External VGA monitors and PAL/NTSC S-video televisions; internal/external extended desktop and video mirroring.	Dual-link DVI supports 30-inch Cinema HD display; DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size keyboard with inverted-T arrows and embedded numeric keypad; flip-up access to RAM, AirPort card and hard drive.	Full-size illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in trackpad with tap, double-tap and drag.	Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers.	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone and line input.	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	Mac OS 9 and 6× maximum DVD-ROM drive in both Apple launch configurations; AirPort card optional. Apple’s 16 February 2000 release explicitly says available immediately at Apple Store and authorised resellers. Current support identifies a 15 February introduction; the first confirmed on-sale day is the 16th. The support table labels its 10.4 × 12.7 × 1.7-inch axes inconsistently; the case orientation gives 12.7-inch width, 10.4-inch depth and 1.7-inch thickness.	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.