Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz) compared with PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
ApplePowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
Released2005October 2005
Display
Screen size12.1″15.2″
Resolution1024 × 7681440 × 960 (better)
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type12.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display; panel technology and refresh unpublished.15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 12-inch 2005)PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores11
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 (64 MB DDR)ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory512 MB or 1.25 GB512 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage60 GB to 100 GB80 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPU1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPUNVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 with 64 MB DDR video memory and AGP 4×.ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI standard
Memory type512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; one SO-DIMM slot, maximum 1.25 GB.512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage type5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor. Combo base60GB; SuperDrive base80GB; 100GB build-to-order on either. 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive; optical-drive differences retained in details.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)Up to 5 hoursUp to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity50 Wh–
Weight2.1 kg–
Battery life detail50 Wh lithium-ion, up to five hours. Published reference weight 2.1 kg with battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 3.0 cm, width 27.7 cm, depth 21.9 cm.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.
Charger45 W power adapterPower adapter included; wattage not established for this exact generation in the read family sheet.
MaterialsAluminium enclosureAluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-FiAirPort Extreme 802.11g/bAirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth2.0 + EDR2.0 + EDR
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailTwo USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400, 10/100 Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, mini-DVI, audio input and headphone output. Mini-DVI-to-DVI and mini-DVI-to-VGA adapters included; television adapter separate.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 displaysDual display and mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536.Dual-link DVI supports 30-inch Cinema HD display; DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included.
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with embedded numeric keypadFull-size illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor
TrackpadTwo-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag supportTwo-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
SpeakersStereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speakerStereo speakers
MicrophonesInternal omnidirectional microphoneInternal omnidirectional microphone
In the boxApple announced 31 January 2005 with availability planned later that week. Actual first on-sale month unestablished after a bounded search; year precision retained. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05; later units shipped Tiger.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.

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