Apple Refreshes PowerBook Line

With the much-anticipated G5 PowerBooks yet to be seen, Apple has refreshed its current PowerBook line with speedier processors and faster DVD burning. Apple's portables now top out at 1.67 GHz and feature two new technologies: a scrolling touchpad and motion sensor to protect the PowerBook's hard drive in case of a fall.

Dubbed the "Sudden Motion Sensor," which Apple says is patent-pending, the feature senses changes in position and acceleration. If the PowerBook is dropped, the hard drive heads are instantly locked to protect data from being lost. IBM has included such technology in its ThinkPad notebooks since late 2003.

Along with the processor bump, Apple has increased DVD burning speed to 8x and upgraded to ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics processors with 64MB or 128MB of graphics memory. Faster 5400 RPM hard drives are also now included in all PowerBook models.

"Apple continues to lead the industry with the most innovative notebooks," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With new features like the scrolling TrackPad and Sudden Motion Sensor, the new PowerBooks are the ultimate combination of performance and portability."

The new 1.67 GHz 17-inch PowerBook with 100GB hard drive and 512MB of RAM is priced at $2,699 USD. The 15-inch counterpart with 80GB of storage is available for $2,299 USD. The smaller 1.5 GHz 12-inch PowerBook offers includes a 60GB hard drive and GeForce FX Go5200 graphics for $1,499 USD.