Tom Thompson
In August, Apple migrated its ultraportable computer line (called the PowerBook Duo) to the PowerPC processor. Recast as the
PowerBook Duo 2300
, it provides RISC power while holding the line on power consumption. It measures only 8.5 by 10.9 by 1.5 inches and tips the scales at only 4.8 pounds, making it a welcome addition to anyone's briefcase.
The Duo 2300 uses a PowerPC 603e, which has two 16-KB on-chip caches (one for data and one for code) and several power-saving modes. The processor can idle certain subsystems (e.g., the FPU or perhaps the data cache) when they're not in use. A single Type III nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery provides an estimated 2 to 4 hours of battery life. Base system RAM is 8 MB, which is expandable to a maximum of 64 MB. Internal h
ard drives start at 750 MB and can be as large as 1.1 GB.
The Duo has a 9-1/2-inch backlit active-matrix LCD screen that's a trifle small but readable. The engineering compromises made to achieve the Duo's slim form factor are a minimal set of I/O ports. It has a slot and an RJ-11 connector for an internal modem and a mini-DIN-8 serial connector that can function as a LocalTalk network port, printer port, or modem port, if required. Behind a hinged door lies a connector for plugging the computer into Apple's docking station, the Duo Dock. An optional small floppy docking unit can plug into this connector to provide ports for Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) and a floppy drive. This makes the computer more capable for stand-alone work but requires that you remember to pack the docking unit and the floppy drive.
The 603e's low power consumption, combined with Apple's power-conservation software, delivers long battery life. The BYTE
battery-life tests
showed that the Duo 2300 operated
for 5 1/2 hours. In
terms of performance
, the Duo 2300 weighs in with an integer BYTEmark of 0.986029 and a floating-point BYTEmark of 0.752184. Prices start at $3500 for a Duo 2300c with 8 MB of RAM, a 750-MB hard drive, and a 9-1/2-inch active-matrix LCD screen.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Apple PowerBook Duo 2300 $3500 and up
Apple Computer, Inc.
Cupertino, CA
(800) 776-2333
(408) 996-1010
illustration_link (4 Kbytes)
illustration_link (4 Kbytes)
photo_link (30 Kbytes)
Apple's Dynamic Duo
