Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)

Apple · PowerBook

PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)

Released 2004

A 17-inch aluminium PowerBook with a 1.5 GHz G4, Radeon 9700 graphics and a 4× SuperDrive.

Model history · 3 models, 2003–2004
  1. 2003PowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003)Compare
  2. 2003PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.33GHz)Compare
  3. 2004PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)
Size
17″
Display
–
Processor
PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)
Memory
512 MB – 2 GB
Weight
3.1 kg
Battery
4.5 h

Display

Screen size
17″
Resolution
1440 × 900
Touchscreen
No
Display type
17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.

Performance

Processor
PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)
CPU cores
1
Graphics
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory
512 MB or 2 GB
Storage
80 GB
CPU
1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB DDR; 128 MB video-memory build-to-order option.
Memory type
512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 2 GB.
Storage type
80 GB 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; 80 GB 5400 rpm build-to-order alternative. 4× DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive.

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity
58 Wh
Weight
3.1 kg
Battery life detail
58 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 2.6 cm, width 39.2 cm, depth 25.9 cm.
Charger
65 W power adapter
Materials
Aluminium enclosure

Connections

Ports
2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
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 illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Two stereo speakers
Microphones
Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
Apple announced 19 April 2004 and expected the 17-inch model in early May. Actual first on-sale month unestablished after a bounded search; year precision retained. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’04 supplied.

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageGraphics
PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)512 MB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)512 MB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)2 GB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR)
PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)2 GB80 GBATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Large widescreen and backlit keyboard
  • FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet
  • Optional 128 MB graphics

Cons

  • Large 3.1 kg reference weight
  • No built-in webcam
  • USB limited to 480 Mbps

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
17″–Intel Core Duo 2.16 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2006)1 GB – 2 GB3.1 kg5.5 hMay 2006
17″–Intel Core 22 GB – 4 GB––Feb 2008
17″–Intel Core 22 GB – 3 GB–5.5 hNov 2006

Previous model: PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.33GHz). Newer model: PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112514
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2004/04/19Apple-Introduces-New-PowerBook-G4-Line
  3. everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/specs/powerbook_g4_1.5_17.html

Photo: EveryMac 17-inch aluminium-family image linked from the exact 1.5 GHz page; low-resolution front pose with later desktop artwork.

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