I n addition to the new 15.4" aluminum PowerBooks introduced today at the Paris Apple Expo show, Apple also introduced new 17" and 12" PowerBook models. This revision mainly features speed increases for both units, with the 12" model now available at 1 GHz, and the 17" model getting a whopping 33% increase to 1.33 GHz. Apple also dropped the price of the 17" unit by US$300, down to US$2,999. Both units also get new video cards, with the 17" model sporting a 64 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 card, and the 12" model getting a 32 MB NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 card.
Other aspects of the new units:
- With 1 GB RAM modules available, the 12" PowerBook now officially supports up to 1.25 GB of RAM, while the 17" model supports up to 2 GB of RAM.
From Apple:
The 17-inch PowerBook is the industryis first notebook with a stunning 17-inch display and is the thinnest and lightest in its class. Ideal for professional graphic design, video editing and music production, it measures only 1-inch thin and weighs just 6.9 pounds. The new 17-inch PowerBook G4 now starts at US$2,999 and features a blazingly fast 1.33 GHz PowerPC G4 processor; outstanding performance from the ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 with 64 MB DDR SDRAM; support for up to 2GB of DDR 333 MHz SDRAM; an 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; and a full complement of I/O ports, including built-in Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T) and high-speed FireWire 800 for fast transfer of uncompressed digital video to high-capacity storage devices.
The new 12-inch PowerBook G4 weighs just 4.6 pounds and features a 12.1-inch (diagonal) TFT XGA active-matrix display. The ultra-light and compact full-featured notebook now includes a fast 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor; enhanced graphics performance with the NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 graphics processor and 32MB of DDR SDRAM; support for up to 1.25GB of DDR 266 MHz SDRAM; and support for digital and analog video out with DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video.
Pre-installed on every PowerBook G4, Mac OS X "Jaguar" version 10.2.7, enhances the mobile experience with unique features including Instant On, which wakes the PowerBook from sleep in just one second; Automatic Networking, which automatically switches the network connections between Ethernet, 802.11 and modem; and advanced power management for long battery life through Energy Saver Profiles. Every new PowerBook G4 includes Appleis iLife applications, an integrated suite of award-winning software, including iTunes for managing digital music, iPhoto for organizing and sharing digital photos, iMovie for digital movie-making, and iDVD for creating and burning Hollywood-style DVDs.
The 1.33 GHz, 17-inch PowerBook G4, for a suggested retail price of US$2,999, includes:
- SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive;
- 512MB DDR SDRAM;
- 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive;
- AirPort Extreme 54Mbps wireless networking; and
- Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor.
The 1.0 GHz, 12-inch PowerBook G4, for a suggested retail price of US$1,599, includes:
- Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
- 256MB DDR SDRAM; and
- 40GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.
The 1.0 GHz, 12-inch PowerBook G4, for a suggested retail price of US$1,799, includes:
- SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive;
- 256MB DDR SDRAM; and
- 40GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.
You can find more information on the new 17" and 12" PowerBooks at Appleis Web site. The 17" model is available immediately, while the 12" unit is supposed to be available "later this month."