How does a PC portable stack up against Apple's budget notebook
Introduction
Apple's iBook is by no means the smallest or the lightest notebook on the market. However, it did manage to bring Apple's portable line closer to price and feature parity with some of the best-selling PC notebooks in 2001. However, in 2002, PC portables have pulled further ahead in terms of features and overall performance, despite Apple's speed-bump of the iBook line in May. Here are a few comparisons showing how the features compare.
WinBook J4 Summary
Intel Celeron 1700MHz and 15" Display
256 MB SDRAM
Microsoft Windows XP Home
20 GB Hard Drive
DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive
Total: $1498.00
(US$ Price as of May 24, 2002)
iBook Summary
PPC G3 600MHz and 12.1" Display
128 MB SDRAM
Mac OS 9.2/ OS X
20 GB Hard Drive
DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive
Total: $1499.00
(US$ Price as of May 24, 2002)
| WinBook J4 | Toshiba Satellite 1805-S207 | iBook (Dual USB) | |
| Processor | 1700 MHz/ Celeron | Intel Celeron processor 1.1GHz | 600 MHz G3 750CX |
| L2 (backside) cache | 128KB | 128K L2 | 256K On-chip 1:1 ratio |
| Screen size | 15" SXVGA+ | 14.1" | 12.1" |
| Resolution | 1400x1024, with resolution scaling | 1024x768, TFT active matrix display | 1024x768, with resolution scaling |
| Video chipset | Radeon Mobility 7500 w/64MB DDR Graphics | Ali CyberALADDIN 16MB | Radeon Mobility M128, 16 MB VRAM |
| Video out | VGA, composite, S-video | VGA, TV | VGA (external adapter required), optional composite/S-video |
| External video mode(s) | Simultaneous LCD/CRT view (mirroring), Dual View Support | Mirroring | Mirroring |
| Hard Drive | 20GB | 20GB1 Hard drive | 20GB, 4200 RPM |
| ATA interface | UltraDMA/100 & UltraDMA/66 | UDMA-4 | UltraATA |
| Floppy Drive | external option | Yes | - |
| Audio I/O | Built in mono microphone, line in, line out, Stereo mic in | Built in mono microphone, line in, line out, Stereo mic in | USB in, built in microphone, stereo minijack out |
| Speaker(s) | stereo | stereo | stereo |
| Keyboard | Full size, 88 keys | Full size, 85 keys | Full size |
| Pointing Device | Synaptics Pad (two button), Integrated Trackpoint | Glide Pad (two buttons, plus programmable shortcut keys) | Glide Pad (one button) |
| Optical drive options (Internal) | DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo | DVD/CD-RW Combo drive | CD-ROM, DVD/CD-RW Combo |
| PC Card slot(s) | 1 Type II | 2 Type II | - |
| Bus speed | 400 (quad pumped) | 100 | 100 |
| USB | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| FireWire | 1 (four pin connector) | optional | 1 (six pin connector) |
| Ethernet | Internal 10/100baseT | 10/100 ethernet, | Internal 10/100baseT |
| Modem | Internal 56k / v.90 | V.90/56K modem | Internal 56k / v.90 |
| Other ports | Parallel, Port Replicator - USB Option | Parallel, serial, PS/2 | - |
| IRDA | Yes | Yes | - |
| WiFi | 802.11b Antenna Built-in | optional | 802.11b Antenna Built-in |
| Weight | 8.36 lbs (3.8kg) - w/15" SXGA+ LCD |
7.0 lbs | 4.9 lbs. |
| Dimensions | 13.07"(332mm) x 10.8"(275mm) x 1.64/1.81"(41.8/46.2mm) | 12.5" x 11" x 1.8" | 11.2" wide, 9.1" deep and 1.35" thick |
| Case construction | Stamped aluminum alloy | Dark gray polycarbonate plastic | Magnesium, white polycarbonate plastic |
| Battery | 12-cell Lithium Ion Battery runs 3+ hours | 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery, 2.4 hours | 42 watt/hours Lithium Ion (est. 5 hours) |
| Operating System | Windows XP Home | Windows XP Home Edition | Mac OS 9.2/OS X 10.1 |
| Price | US$1498 | US$1149 | US$1499 |
| RAM, expansion | 256MB. 1 SO-DIMM slot available, for a max. of 1024 MB RAM. |
256MB SDRAM, expandable to 512MB | 128MB. 1 SO-DIMM slot available, for a max. of 640 MB RAM |
Each of the packages includes extra software. Apple's offering includes iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, AppleWorks, Deimos Rising (a fast-moving arcade-style game), Otto Matic (a kid's game), the World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia and several other items; Toshiba's unit includes Lotus SmartSuite, Norton AntiVirus, Quicken, Acrobat Reader and a choice of (two) other titles. The Winbook is lacking in this area, adding only WinDVD to the standard software shipped with Windows XP.
As seen in the above chart, each platform has its strengths. The PC models provide better expandability, faster clock and FSB frequencies, lower prices, while Apple's offering has significantly better battery life and lower weight. Both of these areas are bested by Toshiba's 4.2lb Portege 4010, however, which delivers up to 7.6 hours of battery life (using primary and Slim SelectBay batteries) in a package weighing as little as 4.2lbs. Portege prices start at $1899.
Compare also: Gateway Solo 5300 (12.1" screen) and 9500 (15" screen), or Sony SRX77P (2.65 lbs., US$1599) or even the older Sony VAIO R505 (3.9 lbs) or SR17 (10.4" screen; 2.9 lbs.)
Sony VAIO SRX77P Summary
Intel Pentium III 800MHz and 10.4" XGA Display; 128 MB SDRAM; 20 GB Hard Drive, 100baseT Ethernet, 56K modem, serial, parallel, video out 6-hour battery life; optional 12-hour battery; 802.11b built in; magnesium case, 2.65 lbs., just over an inch thick, 24x CD-ROM Drive (external) USB, iLINK (IEEE 1394), audio In, headphone out, RJ-11 phone jack, MagicGate Memory Stick, VGA output (on supplied adapter), PCMCIA slot Microsoft Windows XP Pro and software bundle (MS Word, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, Premiere LE, MovieShaker, VirusScan, etc.
Total: $1599.00
(US$ base config street price as of June 4, 2002)
Total: $849.00
(US$ street price as of June 4, 2002)
Sony VAIO SR17 Summary
Total: $1210.00
(US$ street price as of June 4, 2002)
For Further Reading:
Manufacturer's Websites:
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