History
This page covers the versions of the PowerBook G4 with a 12" display.
In January 2003 Apple revamped the PowerBook
range and brought in the ultra portable 12" PowerBook G4. Drawing on the
iBook Dual USB's design, Apple crammed PowerBook performance into an even
smaller case than its iBook counterpart.
There have been a number of different models in this range, with increasing clock speeds. All the units use
DDR RAM and have USB, FireWire 400, Ethernet, Airport Extreme slot. They sport a side mounted,
slot loading, Combo or Superdrive optical drive. The later models have an Airport Extreme card included and USB 2.0.
The first PowerBook G4 12" was released in January 2003 with an 867MHz processor using DDR PC2100 memory. Apple specs here.
The refresh in September 2003 brought in a 1GHz processor, an upgraded graphics card and replaced the standard USB ports with USB 2.0. Apple specs here.
In April 2004 a new version of the PowerBook G4 12" brought the processor speed up to 1.33GHz, moved from DDR PC2100 or DDR PC2700 memory and included Airport Extreme as standard. Apple specs here.
In January 2005 another refresh brought this PowerBook up to 1.5GHz. Apple specs here.
The last model was released in October 2005 with a 1.5GHz processor and SuperDrive as standard. Unlike the 15" and 17" models, this revision did not move to DDR2 RAM. Apple specs here.
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How to Identify these Machines
The G4 Aluminum 12" has a silver keyboard and a 12" display.
There were also 15" and 17" models made - to tell them apart (without measuring), look at the edges of
keyboard. If there is no gap then the machine is 12", if there is a 1" gap between
the keyboard and the edge then its a 15", if its more like 1.5" then you have a 17" PowerBook. Also, unlike all other PowerBooks, the 12" model does not have a PCMCIA slot.
Apple System Profiler (Apple Menu>About this Mac; click on "More Info") can be used to tell what processor speed you have.
If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412 or by email for
confirmation. If you want to upgrade but aren't happy to install your upgrades
then we can help. Simply ask our engineers for further details.
Memory Upgrades
The PowerBook G4 12" has one memory socket.
It also has some RAM soldered onto the main board. The 867MHz model has 128MB non-removable, all faster machines have 256MB built in.
The 867MHz model can take up to an extra 512MB of PC2100. Later models can take up to an extra 1GB of PC2700.
| 1 | PowerBook G4 12" 1GHz - 1.5GHz. |
| 2 | Powerbook 12" 867MHz. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 2 / 5 - Reasonably easy
Turn off the machine and remove the power cable and battery.
The socket is underneath the
machine. Turn the machine over on a soft cloth, and find the rectangular port held in place with 4 screws. Remove these to reveal
the RAM socket.
Apple own guide can be found here.
CD & DVD Drive Upgrades
All PowerBook G4 Aluminums came equipped with a Combo or SuperDrive.
We sell both internal and external CD/DVD writers for this laptop. We also offer an installation service for the internal parts.
| INSTALL SERVICE - Internal CD/DVD Drive in a PowerBook, MacBook, MacBook Pro or Cube | Stock:  | £29.00 + vat (£34.80) | |  |
| Internal DVDRW for Al PowerBook, iBook G4, G4 Cube, iMac G5 or Intel, Mac Mini and MacBook Pro | Stock: | £119.00 + vat (£142.80) | | |
| REFURB 8x Internal DVDRW for Al PowerBook, iBook G4, G4 Cube, iMac G5 or Intel, Mac Mini and MacBook Pro | Stock: | £49.00 + vat (£58.80) | | |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 5/5 - Very Hard (internal)
The optical drive on the PowerBook G4 12" is not classified by Apple as a user installed part - it is difficult to fit, and requires the logic board to be removed. Mac Upgrades can install drives for you, please contact us for details.
You can purchase the drive for installation yourself, but Mac Upgrades cannot provide instructions or support for the install process.
Internal Hard Drive Upgrades
This range of drives will work in your PowerBook G4 12", although user installation is advised against
(see below).
If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.
Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.
| 1 | Professional installation recommended. |
| 2 | IMPORTANT: This caddy allows you to fit any 2.5" SATA hard drive into the optical drive bay. These hard drives are used by Intel Mac laptops such as the MacBook and MacBook Pro and can be found on the pages for those machines. It will not fit the drives listed on this Mac\'s page. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 5 / 5 - Very Difficult
The PowerBook 12inch's internal hard drive is very difficult to get to. It is not classified by Apple as
a user installable part. Installing a replacement drive during warranty will void any remaining warranty.
Mac Upgrades does sell drives for user installation, but we cannot offer instructions or support for the install.
We do offer a drive fitting service, but this is for out of warranty machines only. To preserve warranty, a drive must be fitted by an Apple Centre.
Graphics Card Upgrades
The graphics card in your G4 12" PowerBook is part of the main logic board. Unfortunately therefore it is
not possible to increase or change the graphics card.
There are no graphics card upgrades available for these Macs
Expansion Card Upgrades
Your PowerBook G4 Aluminum has no available PCMCIA sockets for connectivity expansion. It does have a socket that will take an Airport Extreme card.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 2/5 - Reasonably Easy
The Airport socket is accessed through the battery bay. Unplug the
PowerBook, remove the battery, and open the revealed flap to fit
the card. Apple's guide can be found here.
Keyboards & Mice
The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy
Keyboards plug into the relevant port on your Mac. Mice can either be plugged into your keyboard, or they can be plugged directly into your Mac.
Power Supplies & Batteries
Listed below are power supplies, batteries and related products
we supply for this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Cables & Tools
Listed below are power cables, tools and related products
we supply for this Mac.
| 1 | Only suitable for later models of the Mac (those with a FireWire 800 port). |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
External Hard Drive Upgrades
This Mac can use any of the following external hard drives.
| 1 | Requires Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or later. |
| 2 | Only suitable for versions of this Mac with USB 2.0 built in, will not boot this Mac. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy
Install any supplied software and connect the new device.
You will need to format the drive before use. This is done with the "Drive Setup" utility, which can be found in Applications > Utilities.
