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Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)

Apple · PowerBook

PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)

Released September 2003

The first aluminium 15-inch PowerBook, with 1 or 1.25 GHz G4 processors, FireWire 800 and Radeon 9600 graphics.

Model history · 5 models, 2001–2003
  1. 2001PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)Compare
  2. 2001PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)Compare
  3. 2002PowerBook G4 (DVI)Compare
  4. 2002PowerBook G4 (1GHz/867MHz)Compare
  5. 2003PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)
Size
15.2″
Display
–
Processor
PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800) or PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)
Memory
256 MB – 2 GB
Weight
2.5 kg
Battery
4.5 h

What reviewers say

Reviewers praise the solid keyboard, useful ports and responsive performance, but find battery life disappointing and the underside hot under load. Both report latch problems in early units and advise caution about initial production quality. Macworld also found screen blemishes and other faults across its sample.

From macworld.com and arstechnica.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size
15.2″
Resolution
1280 × 854
Touchscreen
No
Display type
15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.

Performance

Processor
PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800) or PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)
CPU cores
1
Graphics
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (64 MB DDR)
Memory
256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB
Storage
60 GB to 80 GB
CPU
1 or 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 cache and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600, 64 MB DDR video memory, AGP 4×.
Memory type
Two PC2700 DDR333 SO-DIMM slots; base 256 MB at 1 GHz or 512 MB at 1.25 GHz; maximum 2 GB.
Storage type
60 GB 4200 rpm at 1 GHz or 80 GB 4200 rpm at 1.25 GHz, Ultra ATA/100. 80 GB 4200/5400 rpm build-to-order options; capacities represented, drive speed alternatives retained here. Combo drive at 1 GHz or 2× DVD-R SuperDrive at 1.25 GHz, also optional on lower model.

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity
46 Wh
Weight
2.5 kg
Battery life detail
46 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 2.5 kg includes battery and optical drive and 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 enclosure

Connections

Ports
2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b; optional at 1 GHz, standard at 1.25 GHz
Bluetooth
1.1
Operating system
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.
External displays
Dual display/mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included; ADC adapter separate.
Keyboard
Full-size keyboard; fibre-optic backlight and ambient light sensor included at 1.25 GHz, build-to-order at 1 GHz.
Trackpad
Tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker
Microphones
Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
Apple UK states immediate 15-inch availability on 16 September 2003. Launch Mac OS X 10.2.7; current retained sheet lists later Panther software.

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageGraphics
PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)256 MB60 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (64 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)256 MB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (64 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)2 GB60 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (64 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)2 GB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (64 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)512 MB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (64 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch FW800)2 GB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (64 MB DDR)

Pros and cons

Pros

  • FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet
  • USB 2.0 and built-in Bluetooth
  • Backlit keyboard included at 1.25 GHz

Cons

  • AirPort and backlight optional at 1 GHz
  • No built-in webcam
  • DVD burning limited to SuperDrive option

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)
15.2″–PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005) or PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Early 2005)512 MB – 2 GB2.5 kg4.5 hFeb 2005
ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
15.2″–PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005)512 MB – 2 GB–5.5 hOct 2005
ApplePowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
15.2″–PowerPC G4 550 MHz (PowerBook Gigabit Ethernet) or PowerPC G4 667 MHz (PowerBook Gigabit Ethernet)128 MB – 1 GB–5 hOct 2001

Previous model: PowerBook G4 (1GHz/867MHz). Newer model: PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112542
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2003/09/16Apple-Introduces-New-15-inch-PowerBook

Photo: Apple documentation 15-inch aluminium-family front image, 240-pixel source with later Mac OS X artwork; reused by several archived model pages.

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