As with the PowerMac, no changes to the exteriors of the new PowerBooks. On the other hand, unlike the PowerMacs which have had a significant internal overhaul, the new PowerBooks remain fairly evenly matched. The major difference between them is the screen resolution which has been increased on the 15" and 17" models. The latter two models also now come with DDR2 memory, which has now become standard, optical digital audio inputs and outputs as well as the traditional audio-line input and headphone outputs. Finally, Apple claims an improvement in the battery life to 5hrs30 for the 15" and 17" models and 5hrs for the 12" model.
Here's the line-up:
12" 1.5GHz : 1,599.00 € (VAT included)
Delivery times: 24 hrs
Screen Resolution: 1,024 x 768
RAM: 512MB (DDR PC-2700)
Hard Drive: 80GB / 5,400 rpm
SuperDrive: 8x single layer
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 (64MB DDR)
Ethernet: built-in 10/100BASE-T
Expansion: 2 x USB 2.0; 1 x FireWire 400
15" 1.67GHz : 2,078.99 € (VAT included)
Delivery times: 2 days
Screen Resolution: 1,440 x 960
RAM: 512MB (DDR PC2-4200)
Hard Drive: 80GB / 5,400 rpm
SuperDrive: 8x double layer
Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128MB DDR)
Ethernet: built-in Gigabit
Expansion: 2 x USB 2.0; 1 x FireWire 400; 1 x FireWire 800; PC Card slot
Back-lit Keyboard
17" 1.67 GHz : 2,599.00 € (VAT included)
Delivery times: 2 days
Screen Resolution: 1,680 x 1,050
RAM: 512MB (DDR PC2-4200)
Hard Drive: 120GB / 5,400 rpm
SuperDrive: 8x double layer
Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128MB DDR)
Ethernet: built-in Gigabit
Expansion: 2 x USB 2.0; 1 x FireWire 400; 1 x FireWire 800; PC Card slot
Back-lit Keyboard
As far as upgrade options go, although they're limited to RAM upgrades and a 100GB/5,400 rpm hard drive upgrade for the 12" model, for the 15" and 17" models, the following are available:
- for 209 €, you can opt for a 120GB/5,400 rpm or a 100GB/7,200 rpm hard drive.
- for RAM, Apple's perennial weakness, it'll cost you 110€ to upgrade to 1GB (or 220€ if you want a single 1GB stick instead of 2 x 512MB), and 550€ to upgrade to 2GB.
There are no upgrade options for the graphics cards.
The pricing has only dropped only slightly as against the older models, which is a shame because the components, except the RAM and the screens on the 15" and 17" models, are now outdated. The wait for Intel processors just got longer ..
