Apple is on a roll! Today it has made a few announcements, the first of which is that it has improved the PowerBook G4 line of laptops with higher-resolution displays and up to 1 hour more battery life on the 15- and 17-inch models. In addition, every new PowerBook now includes a DVD-burning SuperDrive.

The new higher-resolution PowerBooks provide significantly more screen real estate and include a 17-inch PowerBook with a 1680x1050-pixel resolution (36 per cent more than the previous generation) and a 15-inch PowerBook with a 1440x960-pixel resolution (26 per cent more than the previous generation).

Pitched as business and creative professionals, the new 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks should make reading text and viewing images easier thanks to their brighter displays, which are up to 46 per cent brighter on the 17-inch model.

The PowerBook line includes three models: the 1.5GHz 12-inch PowerBook with an 8x SuperDrive and the new 1.67GHz 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks with an 8X double-layer SuperDrive. Both the 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks include ATI's Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics chipset with 128MB of dedicated video memory and feature built-in Dual Link support to drive Apple's 30-inch Cinema HD Display.

Other technical specifications include 512MB of PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM, (expandable up to 1.25GB), 80GB Ultra ATA/100 (5400rpm) hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor, 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.

Every PowerBook includes built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), integrated AirPort Extreme 54Mbit/s (802.11g) Wi-Fi wireless networking, a scrolling TrackPad and Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor technology. Mac OS X version 10.4 'Tiger' operating system and iLife '05 (suite of digital lifestyle applications), are included with every PowerBook as standard.

Additional build-to-order options for the 12-inch PowerBook include the ability to upgrade to 100GB (5400rpm) hard drive, up to 1.25GB DDR SDRAM, a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive, and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Additional build-to-order options for the new 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks include the ability to upgrade up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive, and the AppleCare Protection Plan. The new 15-inch PowerBook also offers a 100GB or 120GB (5400rpm) hard disk drive as a build-to-order option.

BIOS, Oct 20, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Apple Mac