PowerBook G4 (17-inch)
A giant widescreen notebook with a keyboard that lights up.
Overview
At 17 inches, the largest PowerBook of its time carried a 1 GHz G4 processor, an NVIDIA graphics chip with 64 MB of video memory and, for the first time on a Mac notebook, a keyboard that lit up in the dark. It was only an inch thick, though its size meant it weighed around 6.8 pounds.
It was also the first Apple laptop with FireWire 800 and shipped with a SuperDrive for burning DVDs. AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth were built in, a rare luxury at the time.
Later revisions brought faster G4 chips and higher resolution displays, and the model stayed in the range until the arrival of the Intel-based MacBook Pro.
Why it mattered
Introduced the backlit keyboard and FireWire 800 on a Mac laptop and gave editors a full-sized widescreen to carry.
At a glance
- Announced
- January 7, 2003
- Released
- January 7, 2003
- Discontinued
- April 24, 2006
- Launch price
- $3,299
- Chip / processor
- PowerPC G4 (7451), 1 GHz
- Display
- 17"
- Storage
- 60 GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- 17-inch 1440 x 900 display
- First backlit keyboard on a Mac
- FireWire 800
- SuperDrive included
- Aluminum body about 1 inch thick
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 17-inch
- Type
- Active-matrix color TFT
- Resolution
- 1440 x 900
Chip
- Chip
- PowerPC G4 (7451), 1 GHz
Memory
- RAM
- 512 MB, expandable to 1 GB
- Storage options
- 60 GB hard drive
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- AirPort Extreme (802.11g)
Design
- Weight
- 3.1 kg (6.8 lb)
Software
- Launch OS
- Mac OS X 10.2.3
