Comparing Apples to Apples
One of the interesting thing is that Apple did not demise its existing Powerbook G4 product line. Whether it’s a question of inventory management having gone awry or an attempt to milk more out of the G4 market, it provides an interesting way to compare Apple laptops from the G4 generation to those of the Intel one. For the purpose of this study, I took data directly on the Apple site, looking at their offerings for the Powerbook and its equivalent on the Intel side of the house, the MacBook Pro. Here’s how they stack up against each other:
| 15 inch MacBook Pro | 15 inch Powerbook G4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 1.67GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2MB on chip sharedL2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed | 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 |
| Display | 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 x 900 resolution, TFTwidescreen | 15.2-inch (diagonal), 1440 x 960 resolution, TFT widescreen |
| Memory | 512MB (single SODIMM) of PC2-5300 (667MHz);two SODIMM slots support up to 2GB | 512MB PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM (running at 333MHz) |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAMand dual-link DVI | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128MB of DDR SDRAM anddual-link DVI |
| Video out | DVI, VGA (DVI to VGA adapter included) | DVI, VGA, S-video and composite |
| Audio | Combined optical digital input/audio line in,combined optical digital output/headphone out, stereo speakers, microphone | Combined analog and optical digital line-in,combined analog and optical digital line-out, stereo speakers, microphone |
| Hard Disk | 80GB Serial ATA/100; 5400 rpm | 80GB Ultra ATA/100; 5400 rpm |
| Drive | Slot-loading optical SuperDrive | Slot-loading optical SuperDrive |
| Ethernet | Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) | Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) |
| Modem | Apple USB Modem (sold separately) | Built-in 56K V.92 modem |
| Input | Apple Remote; full-size, illuminated keyboard withambient light sensor; Scrolling Trackpad | Full size, illuminated with ambient light sensor |
| Video Camera | iSight (1/4-inch color CCD image sensor, 640×480 VGAresolution) | None |
| Firewire | One FireWire 400 port at up to 400 Mbps | One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, |
| USB | Two 480-Mbps USB 2.0 ports | two USB 2.0 ports |
| Battery Time | UNKNOWN | 5.5 hours |
| Weight | 5.6 pounds | 5.6 pounds |
| Footprint | 14.1 x 9.6 inches | 13.7 x 9.5 inches |
| Thickness | 1.0 inches (2.59 cm) | 1.1 inches |
| Price | $1999 | $1999 |
So, at first look, the processor is about the same, memory is twice as fast, and other specs are roughly the same. But, when you take a second look, you realize there are a few differences. For starter, the footprint of the new laptop is slightly larger (slimer, true, but still with a wider footprint) and there seems to be a few things missing. For example, S-video and composite video seem to be gone. And so is the built-in modem (now available as an extra, sold separately) and so is a firewire 800 port. On the other hand, you get a remote and a video camera with the new laptop.
Also a little scary is the fact that Apple is not touting the battery life on this laptop (it claimed 5.5 hours on the powerbook). Considering the might of Apple marketing, I suspect this is not an oversight but that the battery time is probably lower than 5.5 hours.
Last but not least, it is interesting to see that they are pricing them at exactly the same price-point ($1999). Is Apple hedging its bets?
Comparing Apple to… not Apple
While the Apple to Apple comparison provides some insight into their own product, the fact that they are now switching to Intel Core duo provides us with a unique opportunity to do actual hardware comparisons with other systems. A quick web search yielded the TravelMate 8200, a new laptop from Acer that seemed to match the MacBook in terms of price and offer a Core Duo processor. Let’s look at how they stack against each other since one could assume that both machine could run the same software, if Apple and Microsoft let them.
| 15 inch MacBook Pro | Acer Travelmate 8200 | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 1.67GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2MB on chip sharedL2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed | 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor |
| Display | 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 x 900 resolution, TFT widescreen | 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1680×1050 resolution, TFT widescreen |
| Memory | 512MB (single SODIMM) of PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2memory on 1.67GHz configuration;two SODIMM slots support up to 2GB | 2GB (1GB installed in each of two memory slots)DDR2 667 SDRAM, user upgradeable up to 2GB (one 1GB memory card in each slot) |
| Hard Disk | 80GB Serial ATA/100; 5400 rpm | 120GB Serial ATA, 5400RPM, with AcerDASP+ (Disk Anti-Shock Protection+) |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics, 256MB DDR memory |
| Video out | DVI, VGA (DVI to VGA adapter included) | VGA, DVI and S-video TV-out ports |
| Video Camera | iSight (1/4-inch color CCD image sensor, 640×480 VGA resolution) | Acer OrbiCam integrated 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera |
| Audio | Combined optical digital input/audio line in, combined optical digital output/headphone out, stereo speakers, microphone | Headphones/speakers/line-out with SPDIF support, microphone and line-in ports, stereo speakers, microphone |
| Drive | Slot-loading optical SuperDrive (DVD+RW/CD-RW) | Modular variable-speed Super-Multi drive (DVD+R,DVD-R, DVD-RAM) swappable |
| Ethernet | Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) | Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) |
| Wireless | Built-in 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g); built-inBluetooth 2.0+EDR | Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection supporting 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN (equivalent to Airport Extreme), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR |
| Modem | Apple USB Modem (sold separately) | V.92 56Kbps data/fax modem |
| Input | Apple Remote; full-size, illuminated keyboard withambient light sensor; Scrolling Trackpad | 88-key Acer FineTouch keyboard (+ 12 function, fourcursor, two Microsoft Windows keys, Web browser, e-mail, Empowering Key, oneuser-programmable easy-launch buttons; front-access WLAN, Bluetooth buttons);Touchpad with four-way integrated scroll button |
| Firewire | One FireWire 400 port at up to 400 Mbps | One FireWire 400 port at up to 400 Mbps |
| USB | Two 480-Mbps USB 2.0 ports | Four 480-Mbps USB 2.0 ports |
| Battery Time | UNKNOWN | 3.5 hours |
| Weight | 5.6 pounds | 6.6 pounds |
| Footprint | 14.1 x 9.6 inches | 14.3 x 10.7 inches |
| Thickness | 1.0 inches (2.59 cm) | 1.0 inches (2.63 cm) |
| Price | $1999 | $1999 |
This table does not seem to favor Apple. On a feature by feature basis, it seems the Acer beats. In the categories of CPU, screen resolution, memory, hard disk space, video memory, and resolution on the video camera, the Acer comes ahead. The same is true in terms of ports (S-video, TV-out, 4 USB2 (vs 2 on the MacBook), more audio ports, etc…). However, when it comes to weight and size, the Apple machine is much slicker. The MacBook offers a backlit keyboard but the Acer offers a modem. So if it’s style you’re after, the MacBook is your machine but if you’re aching for raw power, another option may beat it.
Update:
There’s a discussion going on in the comments as to the price on the Acer. Currently, different sources are quoting two different prices: $1999 and $2499. I don’t know which one is correct yet and could not find that information on the Acer site.