Apple PowerBook (FireWire) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)

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PowerBook (FireWire) compared with PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)

	ApplePowerBook (FireWire)	ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2000	2004
Display
Screen size
Screen size	14.1″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	1440 × 900 (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maker does not publish IPS/TN subtype, brightness or refresh rate.	17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.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 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI RAGE Mobility 128 (8 MB SDRAM)	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or 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 (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.	1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz 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 64 MB DDR; 128 MB video-memory build-to-order option.
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 PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 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 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 5 hours	Up to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	50 Wh	58 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	2.7678248 kg (better)	3.1 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.	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	45 W maximum AC power, 100–240 V, 50–60 Hz.	65 W power adapter
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	–	1.1
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, 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	External VGA monitors and PAL/NTSC S-video televisions; internal/external extended desktop and video mirroring.	Dual display/mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included; ADC adapter separate.
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 fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in trackpad with tap, double-tap and drag.	Tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers.	Two 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 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.