PowerBook G4 Double-Layer SuperDrive Special Report: Release Notes

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 8:26 a.m. PT

2 min read

On October 19th, 2005, Apple refreshed its PowerBooks, increasing screen resolution and battery life, but failing to offer any increases in processor speed.

The new 17-inch PowerBook features a 1680-by-1050 pixel resolution -- 36 percent more than the previous generation -- and the 15-inch PowerBook features a 1440-by-960 pixel resolution -- 26 percent more than the previous generation.

Apple has also managed to make the screens on the 15" and 17" models brighter (purportedly more than 40% brighter) while increasing battery life up to an additional hour.

Available PowerBook configurations now include:

The 1.5 GHz, 12-inch PowerBook G4 at US$ 1,499:

512MB of PC2700 333 MHz DDR SDRAM, expandable up to 1.25GB;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive (DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
an 80GB Ultra ATA/100 (5400 rpm) hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps 802.11g WiFi fast wireless networking and internal Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video support;
two USB 2.0 ports and FireWire 400;
audio line in and headphone out; and
a scrolling TrackPad.

The 1.67 GHz, 15-inch PowerBook G4 at US $1,999:

a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
512MB of PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM running at 333 MHz, expandable up to 2GB;
80GB Ultra ATA/100 (5400 rpm) hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
Built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
DVI (Dual Link for 30-inch Cinema HD Display support), VGA, S-video and composite video support;
Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800;
analog and optical digital audio input and output;
illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor; and
a scrolling TrackPad.

The 1.67 GHz, 17-inch PowerBook G4 at US $2,499:

a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
512MB of PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM running at 333 MHz, expandable up to 2GB;
120GB Ultra ATA/100 (5400 rpm) hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
Built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
DVI (Dual Link for 30-inch Cinema HD Display support), VGA, S-video and composite video support;
Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800;
analog and optical digital audio input and output;
illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor; and
a scrolling TrackPad.

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