Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz) | ApplePowerBook G4 (Original 2001) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 2005 | January 2001 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 15.2″ | 15.2″ |
| Resolution | 1280 × 854 (better) | 1152 × 768 |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished. | 15.2-inch TFT widescreen active-matrix display. Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) or PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) | PowerPC G4 400 MHz (PowerBook Original 2001) or PowerPC G4 500 MHz (PowerBook Original 2001) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR) | ATI Rage Mobility 128 (8 MB SDRAM) |
| Memory | 512 MB or 2 GB (better) | 128 MB, 256 MB or 1 GB |
| Storage | 80 GB to 100 GB (better) | 10 GB to 30 GB |
| CPU | 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. | 400 or 500 MHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine; 1 MB backside L2 cache on 200 or 250 MHz dedicated 64-bit cache bus, 100 MHz system bus, 64 KB L1 (32 KB data/32 KB instruction). Exact supplier/SKU omitted. |
| GPU | 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. | ATI Rage Mobility 128 with 8 MB SDRAM and AGP 2 ×. |
| Memory type | 512 MB PC 2700 DDR 333 in a single SO-DIMM; two slots, maximum 2 GB. | 128 MB stock at 400 MHz or 256 MB at 500 MHz; two PC100 SO-DIMM slots support up to 1 GB. |
| Storage type | 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. | 400 MHz stock 10 GB, 500 MHz stock 20 GB Ultra ATA/66. Maker-listed 30 GB build-to-order option retained for both with published RAM maxima; no intermediate capacities invented. Slot-loading DVD-ROM reads DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM and CD-ROM. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 4.5 hours | Up to 5 hours |
| Battery capacity | 50 Wh | 50 Wh |
| Weight | 2.5 kg | 2.4 kg (better) |
| Thickness | – | 26 mm |
| Width × depth | – | 341 × 241 mm |
| Battery life detail | 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. | 50 Wh lithium-ion; up to five hours maker claim. Published 2.4 kg includes battery and varies by configuration/manufacturing process. Metric dimensions 34.1 × 24.1 × 2.6 cm are from the exact Apple technical sheet preserved by SavageTaylor, not calculated from inches. |
| Charger | 65 W power adapter | – |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure | Titanium enclosure |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b | Optional AirPort 802.11b |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 + EDR | – |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | 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. | Two 12 Mbps USB ports, one 400 Mbps FireWire port, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, 4 Mbps IrDA, one Type I/II PC Card/CardBus slot with ZoomVideo support, VGA, S-video and stereo output; no microphone input jack. |
| External displays | 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. | VGA 24-bit video output and S-video, with S-video-to-composite adapter. 8 MB video memory supports millions of colours on external monitors up to 21 inches (preserved exact maker sheet). |
| Keyboard | 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. | 77 US or 78 ISO keys; 12 function keys, four arrows and embedded numeric keypad. |
| Trackpad | Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support | Tap, double-tap and drag support |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker | Two built-in stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Internal omnidirectional microphone | Internal omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | 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. | Power adapter, DVD software, iMovie 2 and iTunes. Maker promised January availability; LowEndMac reported actual retail collection on 31 January 2001. First sale day unestablished, so month retained. |
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