Apple PowerBook G4 12-inch (Early 2003) vs Apple PowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePowerBook G4 12-inch (Early 2003) | ApplePowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | 2003 | March 2003 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 12.1″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 1024 × 768 | 1440 × 900 (better) |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 12.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display. Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh unpublished. | 17-inch TFT widescreen; exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 867 MHz (PowerBook 12-inch Early 2003) | PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Early 2003) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go (32 MB DDR) | NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go (64 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 256 MB or 640 MB | 512 MB or 1 GB (better) |
| Storage | 40 GB | 60 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 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 1 MB DDR SRAM L3 cache and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier/SKU omitted. |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go, AGP 4 × and 32 MB DDR video memory. | NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go, AGP 4 × with 64 MB DDR video memory. |
| 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 PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots and maker-supported maximum 1 GB. Unofficial 2 GB in EveryMac is excluded from configurations. |
| 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. | 60 GB 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 and slot-loading SuperDrive. Maker UK launch sheet specifies DVD-R 1 × write/8 × read, CD-R 8 × write, CD-RW 4 × write and CD 24 × read; later EveryMac 2 × DVD-R and Macworld 16 × CD-R figures differ, so launch maker specification retained. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 5 hours | Up to 4.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | 47 Wh | 55 Wh (better) |
| Weight | 2.1 kg (better) | 3.1 kg |
| Thickness | 30 mm | 26 mm (better) |
| Width × depth | 277 × 219 mm | 392 × 259 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. | 55 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours maker claim. Published 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing process; closed metric dimensions 39.2 × 25.9 × 2.6 cm. |
| Materials | Aluminium alloy enclosure | Anodised 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 802.11b/g |
| Bluetooth | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| 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 12 Mbps USB 1.1 ports, one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, Type I/II PC Card/CardBus, DVI, S-video, line input and headphone output. Support table mislabels FireWire MBps; UK sheet explicitly states Mbps. |
| External displays | Dual display or mirroring; external display up to 1600 × 1200 at millions of colours. | Dual display or mirroring up to 2048 × 1536 externally; DVI and included VGA/composite adapters. |
| Keyboard | Full-size keyboard, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, embedded numeric keypad. | Full-size keyboard with fibre-optic backlighting and ambient light control; 79 ISO keys and embedded numeric keypad. |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker | Two built-in stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Internal omnidirectional microphone | Internal omnidirectional microphone under left speaker grille |
| 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. | 65 W power adapter, cord, modem cable, DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters. January announcement expected February; Macworld reported actual customer arrivals in March 2003. Month retained without inventing first delivery day. |
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