New PowerBooks offer improved display, battery life

Apple today introduced new PowerBooks with higher-resolution and brighter displays and longer battery life on the 15- and 17-inch models. In addition, every new PowerBook now includes a DVD burning SuperDrive with prices starting at $1,499. Providing significantly more screen working area , the 17-inch PowerBook features a 1680-by-1050 pixel resolution -- 36 percent more than the previous generation -- and the 15-inch PowerBook offers a 1440-by-960 pixel resolution -- 26 percent more than the previous generation. Apple also said the new displays are up to 46 percent brighter on the 17-inch model and that both updated models also provide up to an additional hour of battery life. Prices are $1,499 for the 12-inch mode, $1,999 for the 15-inch model, and $2,499 for the 17-model. All new models are available today.

"The Apple PowerBook continues to deliver the ultimate in portability, performance and innovative features," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Our mobile customers are going to love working on the new high-resolution PowerBook displays and appreciate the added productivity that one more hour of battery life delivers."

The PowerBook line includes three models: the 1.5 GHz 12-inch PowerBook with an 8X SuperDrive and the new 1.67 GHz 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks with an 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support. Both the 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks include ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics with 128MB DDR dedicated video memory and now feature built-in Dual Link support to drive Apple's groundbreaking 30-inch Cinema HD Display as an external monitor, providing more than four million pixels of additional workspace.

Every PowerBook includes built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), integrated AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps 802.11g WiFi wireless networking, a scrolling TrackPad and Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor technology. Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," the fifth major release of Apple's operating system and iLife '05.

Filed under: Apple