The Mac Observer: AAPLTalk System Shootouts

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As of 11/06/02 Note: Read the AAPLTalk System Shootout FAQ before procededing!!! All images and logos are copyright to the respective companies listed.

STOCK
MODELS
from Apples
online store

iBook CD-Rom

iBook Combo Drive

14" iBook

PowerBook G4

PowerBook G4
SuperDrive

$1,000

$1,300

$1,600

$2,300

$3,000

Dimensions:

132 cubic in. 11.2" x 9.1" x 1.3"

175 cubic in.
12.7" x 10.2" x 1.35"

127 cubic in. 1.0" x 13.4" x 9.5"

Weight:
(all bays filled)

4.9 lbs

5.9 lbs.

5.4 lbs.

Battery Life:

5 hrs.

6 hrs.

5 hrs.

Processor:
Rating Notes

800 MHz P4
700 MHz PowerPC G3

900 MHz P4
800 MHz PowerPC G3

1.3 GHz P4
867 MHz G4 w/AltiVec

1.5 GHz P4
1.0 GHz G4 w/AltiVec

L1 Cache:

64k

L2 Cache:

512K on-chip

256k on-chip

L3 Cache:

1 MB DDR

Memory Type:

SDRAM PC100

SDRAM PC133

Frontside Bus:

100 MHz

133 MHz

Memory Amount:

128 MB (1 x 128)

256 MB (2 x 128)

256 MB (1 x 256)

512 MB (2 x 256)

Max RAM:

640 MB / (1 + 1 slot open)

1.0 GB / (2 slots)

Hard Drive
Capacity:

20 GB

30 GB

40 GB

60 GB

Hard Drive Type/Speed:

Ultra ATA 66 / 4200 rpm

CD Drive:

24x CD-Rom

16x8x24x CD-RW

8x8x24x CD-RW

8x4x24x CD-RW

DVD Drive:

8x DVD

1x1x6x DVD-RW

PC Card Slots:

internal 802.11b slot

internal 802.11b slot + 1 PC slot

USB Ports:

Firewire Ports:

Graphics Card:
Rating Notes

ATI Mobility Radeon 7500

ATI Mobility Radeon 9000

Video RAM:

16 MB
dedicated SDRAM

32 MB dedicated SDRAM

32 MB dedicated
DDR-SDRAM

64 MB dedicated
DDR-SDRAM

VGA Out:

Yes (mirroring; adapter included)

Yes (spanning or mirroring; adapter included)

S-Video Out:

Yes (optional adapter)

Yes (adapter included)

Composite Out:

Yes (optional adapter)

Yes (adapter included)

DVI Out:

Yes (adapter included)

Display:

12.1" TFT XGA

14.1" TFT XGA

15.2" TFT XGA (widescreen)

Native display resolution:

1024x768

1280x854

Max. External
display resolution:

1024x768

2048x1536

Microphone/
Audio In:

Built-in microphone; also digital audio-ready

Built-in microphone, Line-in port;
digital audio-ready

Headphone
& Speaker Jacks:

Yes; also digital audio-ready

Stereo Speakers:

Yes

10/100 Ethernet:

Yes

Gigabit Ethernet:

Yes

56k Internal
Modem:

Yes

802.11b Wireless Networking?

integrated 802.11b (Airport) card slot; integrated antennae;
Built-in 802.11b Base Station software (requires optional Airport card)

802.11b card included;
integrated antennae;
Built-in 802.11b Base Station software

Bluetooth Wireless?

optional

Included OS:

Mac OS X 10.2; Mac OS 9.2 (dual-boot system); BSD Unix (full Unix core under OS X; full Apache Web Server; OS X fully Java 2 compliant); Rendezvous Zero-Config Networking; system-wide save-as-PDF support (any file); system-wide handwriting recognition

DOS/Windows Support:

DOS/95/98/ME/2000/XP (via Virtual PC)

Linux OS Support:

LinuxPPC, Yellow Dog, Mandrake (Native); Redhat, etc (via Virtual PC)

Word Processor Included:

AppleWorks 6.2 (MSFT Word compatible)

Spreadsheet Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2 (MSFT Excel compatible)

Presentation Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2

Database Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2

Drawing/Painting Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2; PixelNhance

Art Directors Toolkit; Graphic Converter;
OmniGraffle; PixelNhance

Calendar/PIM Software Included:

OS X Address Book; iCal; iSync

Project/Planning Software Included:

OmniOutliner

Financial Software Included:

Quicken 2003 Deluxe

Reference Software Included:

World Book 2003 OS X

Digital Photo Management:

iPhoto 1.1, PixelNhance

iPhoto 1.1; Graphic Converter;
Snapz Pro X; PixelNhance

Digital Video Editing:

iMovie 2

Music Software/
CD Burning Software:

iTunes 3; Disk Burner

DVD Burning/
Authoring Software:

Disk Burner

iDVD, Disk Burner

Games Included:

Chess; Otto Matic; Deimos Rising

Chess

Other Software Included:

Palm Desktop; QuickTime 6, DVD Player; FaxSTF, Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2; Netscape 4.8; Outlook Express 5; EarthLink; AOL; Acrobat Reader 5.0; Apple Hardware Test CD; iCal; iSync; other assorted additional software bundled w/OS

Palm Desktop; QuickTime 6, DVD Player; FaxSTF, Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2; Netscape 4.7; Outlook Express 5; EarthLink; AOL; Acrobat Reader 5.0; PCalc; Apple Hardware Test CD; Developers Tools; other assorted additional software bundled w/OS

Free ISP/
Other Services

1 month free EarthLink

Virus Susceptibility/
Security Issues

only 45 known viruses (compared with well over 50,000 for Windows);
built-in Firewall; not vulnerable to IIS DDoS attacks

Warranty:

1 yr. ltd.; 1 yr. mail-in; 90 days phone
3 year AppleCare Protection Plan available for $249

1 yr. ltd.; 1 yr. mail-in; 90 days phone
3 year AppleCare Protection Plan available for $349

Quality of Products
& Service:
Consumer Affairs

Received an exemplary "Good Guys" rating from ConsumerAffairs.com
(other 5 major U.S. PC makers all received negative "Rogues Gallery" rating)

Total Price:
(FREE SHIPPING!)

$999
tax not included

$1,299
tax not included

$1,599
tax not included

$2,299
tax not included

$2,999
tax not included

The information above is as accurate as I could make it based on a reasonable time studying the respective companies' Web sites. There is no guarantee that these configurations, prices, and features are the best that one could come up with; assorted bundles, free internet access, free extra memory, and so on can most likely be found for any of the above systems. The point of this chart is to demonstrate that Apple's lineup holds its own against any brand-name computer, even in areas in which it has traditionally had resistance. In short, do not base your purchasing decisions solely on this chart or information. Neither I, nor The Mac Observer will be held responsible or liable for any purchase decisions you make based on this presentation.

Charles Gaba started the AAPLTalk System Shootouts at AAPLTalk.com, and has brought them to TMO. Charles is the creative talent behind Brainwrap Web Design.

AAPLTalk System Shootouts Archives

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