Apple PowerBook G4 12-inch (Early 2003) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePowerBook G4 12-inch (Early 2003) | ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | 2003 | February 2005 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 12.1″ | 15.2″ |
| Resolution | 1024 × 768 | 1280 × 854 (better) |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 12.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display. Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh unpublished. | 15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 867 MHz (PowerBook 12-inch Early 2003) | PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) or PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go (32 MB DDR) | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 256 MB or 640 MB | 512 MB or 2 GB (better) |
| Storage | 40 GB | 80 GB to 100 GB (better) |
| CPU | 867 MHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 256 KB L2 cache and 133 MHz system bus. Exact supplier/SKU not inferred. | 1.5 or 1.67 GHz PowerPC G 4 with 512 KB on-chip L 2 and 167 MHz bus. Retained sheet processor paragraph omits 1.5 GHz, but factory configuration table and UK release confirm it. Exact silicon supplier omitted. |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go, AGP 4 × and 32 MB DDR video memory. | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB DDR standard; 128 MB plus dual-link DVI build-to-order restricted to 1.67 GHz. UK release higher-base bullet ambiguously mentions dual-link with 64 MB; its BTO paragraph and full sheet tie dual-link to 128 MB. |
| Memory type | 256 MB PC2100 DDR266 stock: 128 MB onboard plus 128 MB SO-DIMM. Maker-supported maximum 640 MB retained; third-party 1152 MB maximum in EveryMac is not a maker configuration. | 512 MB PC 2700 DDR 333 in a single SO-DIMM; two slots, maximum 2 GB. |
| Storage type | 40 GB 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive. Combo reads DVD 8 ×, writes CD-R 24 × and CD-RW 10 ×; optional SuperDrive writes DVD-R 1 ×, CD-R 8 × and CD-RW 4 ×. No unlisted drive capacity combinations. | 80 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard on both processors; 100 GB build-to-order alternative, with Sudden Motion Sensor. Combo on 1.5 GHz base, 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive on 1.67 GHz; SuperDrive upgrade available. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 5 hours | Up to 4.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | 47 Wh | 50 Wh (better) |
| Weight | 2.1 kg (better) | 2.5 kg |
| Thickness | 30 mm | – |
| Width × depth | 277 × 219 mm | – |
| Battery life detail | 47 Wh, up to five hours maker claim. Published 2.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing process; closed metric dimensions 27.7 × 21.9 × 3.0 cm. | 50 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 2.5 kg includes battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 2.8 cm, width 34.8 cm, depth 24.1 cm. |
| Charger | – | 65 W power adapter |
| Materials | Aluminium alloy enclosure | Aluminium enclosure |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Optional AirPort Extreme 802.11b/g | AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b |
| Bluetooth | 1.1 | 2.0 + EDR |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | Two 12 Mbps USB 1.1 ports, one FireWire 400, 10/100 Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, audio line in and headphone output. Mini-VGA supports included VGA and S-video/composite adapters. No PC Card slot. | 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 | Dual display or mirroring; external display up to 1600 × 1200 at millions of colours. | DVI with VGA adapter and S-video/composite output; up to 2048×1536 external. Optional 128 MB dual-link configuration on 1.67 GHz supports 30-inch Cinema HD display. |
| Keyboard | Full-size keyboard, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, embedded numeric keypad. | Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor on both processor configurations; Apple states up to ten times brighter backlighting than previous generation. |
| Trackpad | – | Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker | Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker |
| Microphones | Internal omnidirectional microphone | Internal omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | Apple Video Adapter, VGA adapter, modem cable, 45 W power adapter, plug and cord. January 7 maker launch promised later-January availability; full production review on February 3 confirms subsequent availability but exact first sale month is unestablished, so year retained. | Apple announced 31 January 2005 with availability planned later that week. Ken Mingis’s 10 February Computerworld account confirms 15-inch units had reached buyers by then; February precision retained without a verified first shipping day. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05. |
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