 PowerBook G4 Wait a second. Let me get my jaw off the ground. OK, here we go. Apple has introduced their ‘new’ PowerBook today (January 9, 2001), code name Mercury. It was one of the last subjects Steve Jobs has gotten to at the MacWorld Expo in SF 2001, and one of the best. This beauty is lighter, sexier, faster, and has a much larger screen area than previous PowerBooks. It’s called the PowerBook G4. That’s right. The PowerBook now packs G4/400Mhz and G4/500MHz processors into the line. Looking at this thing, you’d swear that it came down from space 10 years from the future. Its stunning true Titanium casing is stronger than steel, and lighter than aluminum, weighing in at 5.3lbs! Its mega-wide screen is a full 15.2”, and when closed this puppy stands at only 1” tall!! It also features built in slot-loading DVD (from the front), 5 hrs battery life, and is airport ready. Leading towards less eye-popping visual candy and statistics, Apple turned the logo right side up. So when you flip up the lid, everyone who looks at your PowerBook in jealousy sees the logo correctly.
The following are the Apple's build-to-order options from the Apple store.
Fast
$2,599.00
400MHz PowerPC G4
1MB L2 cache
128MB SDRAM memory
10GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video
ATI Rage Mobility 128
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
| Faster
$3,499.00
500MHz PowerPC G4
1MB L2 cache
256MB SDRAM memory
20GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video
ATI Rage Mobility 128
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
| Fastest
$3,997.00
500MHz PowerPC G4
1MB L2 cache
256MB SDRAM memory
30GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video
ATI Rage Mobility 128
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Extra AC adapter
Extra battery
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photo by Michael Fortson
[I want one of these so bad I can taste it! ;-) -Mike]
PowerBook G4 QT Movie Ad: You have to see this movie - Check it out.
PB G4 TidBits:
The PB G4 CPU is the Motorola 7410 model.
Jake of Mac-gamer.com sent a screenshot from Apple's System Profiler on a new PowerBook G4 showing the CPU speed as a range of 300-500MHz.
I replied this is probably a similar technique to the "speed-step" used by PIII notebooks, where the CPU speed is throttled back to save battery life and reduce heat. I think previous PowerPCs also had this capability, although ASP didn't report CPU speeds this way. Another nice feature is the "auto-sensing" of Ethernet connections which allows a standard Ethernet cable to be used for peer/peer (computer to computer) connections - no need for a crossover cable. (New PowerMac G4s have the same feature.)
Developer Docs: PowerBook G4 Developer Notes (PDF file)
Memory Upgrades: Note that the PowerBook G4 uses the same PC100 SO-DIMM memory modules as the previous PowerBook. (Good news since this memory is at an all-time low price currently.) I've added an Apple TIL in the list below covering installing additional RAM.
Apple TILs on the new PowerBook G4
PowerBook
G4: Technical Specifications
PowerBook
G4: How to Find the Serial Number
PowerBook
G4: How to Install an AirPort Card
PowerBook
G4: How to Remove or Install the Battery
PowerBook
G4: How to Install Additional Memory (RAM)
PowerBook
G4: Replacing the Modem
Powerbook
G4: Bottom Case Installation Instructions
Powerbook
G4: Replacing the Keyboard
PowerBook
(Bronze keyboard, FireWire and G4): Marks at Base of Display
[keys touching display when case closed]
Other MWSF 2001 Related Articles:
Story by Paul Roesner for Other World Computing and XLR8YourMac.com
January 9, 2001
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