The PowerBook G4 has captured the imagination of the creative community with its stunning good looks and prodigious processing power. That said, it’s important not to lose sight of some features and attributes that are way cool as well.

You might say that functionality is one of the PowerBook G4’s key attributes. For instance, when most people think of portables, they’re accustomed to tradeoffs, since PC manufacturers routinely sacrifice features or skimp on screen size to save a few pounds. But Mac people like to have their cake and eat it, too. We understand completely — great minds think alike — so we set out to create a full-featured ultra portable. In the PC world, they’d call such an idea a contradiction in terms. We call it the Titanium PowerBook G4.

Take the matter of RAM capacity, for instance. The PowerBook G4 comes with 256MB of RAM in the 550MHz model, and 512MB of RAM in the 667MHz model. And it’s expandable to a whopping 1 gigabyte of RAM — twice the capacity of most “full-featured” portables on the market.

Even the new power adapter is emblematic of Apple’s form-follows-function design esthetic: It features a compact, lightweight design with built-in hooks that let you wrap the DC cord for neater storage. The adapter’s square shape makes it easy for you to store it in the corner of your briefcase or bag. The AC cord allows the PowerBook to connect to an outlet as much as 12 feet away.

Alternatively, you can remove the cord and use the included AC plug to connect the adapter directly into the wall. All of which brings us to consider battery life. Some ultra portables wimp out at two hours, and force you to lug along a second, larger capacity battery. But that defeats the purpose of carrying an ultra portable notebook in the first place. The PowerBook G4, on the other hand, ships with a robust five-hour battery.

Technical Specifications

Processor and memory

550- or 667MHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine

256K of on-chip level 2 cache running at processor speed

100MHz system bus (550MHz system); 133MHz system bus (667MHz system)

256MB or 512MB of PC133 SDRAM; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 1GB

Storage

Internal 20GB (4200-rpm), 30GB (4200-rpm), or 48GB (5400-rpm) Ultra ATA/66 hard disk drive (48GB drive available in build-to-order computers) (1)

Optical drive

Slot-loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive (reads DVDs at 8x and CDs at 24x; writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at 8x)

Communications

Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)

Built-in 56K V.90 modem (RJ-11 connector) (5)

— Built-in 11-Mbps AirPort Card (IEEE 802.11 DSSS compliant) in 667MHz configuration; 550MHz configuration is AirPort ready (4)

Infrared technology port (4-Mbps IrDA)

Expansion

One 400-Mbps FireWire (IEEE 1394) port (7)

Two 12-Mbps USB ports

One PC Card and CardBus slot

– Support for one Type I or Type II PC Card or CardBus card

Security

Kensington cable lock slot

Keyboard lock

Video and graphics support

Built-in 2D/3D graphics acceleration through an integrated ATI Mobility Radeon graphics accelerator with AGP 4X support and 16MB of DDR RAM video memory

– Support for dual display and video mirroring: Millions of colors on the built-in display and an external display at up to 1600 by 1200 pixels

– Support for a single external display: Millions of colors on a single external display at up to 1920 by 1440 pixels

24-bit video output port (VGA-style connector)

S-video output port

S-video to composite adapter

Display

15.2-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT widescreen active-matrix display

– Supports millions of colors at 1152-by-768-pixel resolution

– Supports resolutions of 1152 by 768, 896 by 600, and 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio

– Supports resolutions of 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Audio

16-bit CD-quality stereo output (minijack)

Two built-in stereo speakers

Internal omnidirectional microphone

Battery and power

55.3-watt-hour lithium-ion battery with integrated charge indicator LEDs provides up to 5 hours of battery life (3)

Power adapter with cable management system

Power adapter port

Keyboard

Built-in full-size keyboard with 77 (U.S.) or 78 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement), and embedded keypad

Trackpad

Solid-state trackpad provides precise cursor control; supports tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities

Electrical requirements

Line voltage: 100V to 240V AC

Frequency: 50 to 60Hz

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)

Storage temperature: -40° to 116° F (-47° to 47° C)

Relative humidity: 20% to 80% noncondensing

Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet

Maximum storage altitude: 15,000 feet

Maximum shipping altitude: 35,000 feet

Size and weight

Height: 1.0 inch (2.6 cm)

Width: 13.4 inches (34.1 cm)

Depth: 9.5 inches (24.1 cm)

Weight: 5.4 pounds (2.45 kg) with battery installed (2)

The Titanium PowerBook G4 makes all the right connections
In addition to its conveniently located power port, you get the benefit of 400Mbps FireWire (IEEE 1394), two 12Mbps USB, 4Mbps infrared technology, VGA port, S-video port, 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet and a 56K modem port for dial-up connections. What you can’t see from this angle: Two built-in antennas for wireless networking, PC Card expansion slot, 16-bit CD-quality stereo output minijack, two built-in stereo speakers, internal omnidirectional microphone, and slot-loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive.

Available Configurations
Order no.	M8622LL/A	M8623LL/A
Processor	550MHz PowerPC G4	667MHz PowerPC G4
Backside level 2 cache	256K at 550MHz	256K at 667MHz
Memory	256MB	512MB
Display	15.2-inch (diagonal) TFT	15.2-inch (diagonal) TFT
Hard disk drive (1)	20GB Ultra ATA/66	30GB Ultra ATA/66
Optical drive	Slot-loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW	Slot-loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Ethernet	Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T	Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T
Modem (5)	56K V.90	56K V.90
Wireless networking (4)	AirPort Ready	Built-in AirPort Card
System Software	Mac OS 9.2.2, Mac OS X version 10.1.1
Software	QuickTime, iMovie 2, iTunes(6), Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook Express, Netscape Communicator, FAXstf and Apple Hardware Test CD; complete setup, learning, and reference documentation; and limited warranty; and 30 days of free Internet service through EarthLink.
Hardware Accessories	All models also include a built-in keyboard and trackpad; modem cable; power adapter; S-video to composite adapter. Product contains electronic documentation. Backup software provided on CD-ROM.
Limited Warranty and Service	Your PowerBook G4 comes with 90 days of telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan and get three years of service and support. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-certified technicians using genuine Apple parts.

Build-to-Order Options
In addition to choosing from Apple’s prebuilt systems, you can order a custom-configured PowerBook G4 from your authorized Apple reseller or the online Apple Store. Build-to-Order options include processor speed, amount of RAM, hard disk capacity and AirPort Card. You can also order an additional lithium-ion battery and power adapters, external keyboards and mice, and third-party peripherals such as USB, Zip and FireWire hard disk drives.

(1) For hard drive capacity measurements, 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.
(2) Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
(3) Battery life depends on configuration and use.
(4) Wireless Internet access requires AirPort Card, AirPort Base Station, and Internet access (fees may apply). Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort. Range may vary with site conditions.
(5) Actual modem speeds lower; speed depends on connection rate and other factors.
(6) iTunes is licensed for legal or rightholder-authorized use only.
(7) Actual rates will vary.