Alert - Sony has Z's back in the outlet

UPDATE:

The outlet has a new coupon rolling for 15% off.

outletvaio15pc <--- Discount code.

Hope this helps.



Thought I would try and help my brother and sisters out. They have Z's back in the outlet. Coupons for the outlet should be out anytime now. Lets hope more stock builds for the sale.

I know many of you have wanted a Z with 1080p. I saw a few at $1600 with 1080 and 256gb.

Now wheres our 20% off coupon?!!! Dont forget to rep me if this helps you

 

Thanks for telling us mate.. Just placed an order for a silver base spec for 999.95 =)

Wish it was black instead, oh well

Edit: if you're looking to get the same thing, search for vpcz1390x
And vpcz1290x are also available

 

Glad I could help! Dont forget the rep

 

Would I be better off with this or going with the newer SB model? I'm leaning SB if for no other reason than the sandy bridge/WIDI 2.0. Thoughts?

 

The first time I read the title I thought it was, "Alert - Sony has Z's back in the toilet".

Hey it's morning and I have not had my coffee.

 

$1600 for a refurb Z with 1080p w/ basic specs? they must be on crack

 

Thank you! I just bought a silver refurb VPCZ1390x with basic spec last month from sony outlet but at the back of my mind I keep wanting a black one instead. I just jumped at the $1600 deal (premium carbon fibre, core i5-580m, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1080p).
I don't see any $1600 deal that has both 1080p and 256GB SSD though. They must be out :/

 

It's a great deal, the reason i won't get one is that i want my next laptop to come with usb 3.0. This would be a 3-4 year purchase. I have an expresscard usb 3.0 adapter but i find those just not that convenient to use. I think i've used this as a result less than 5 times.
Really, if you're looking to get a performance increase over the Z the SA with a 6630M is the way to go.

There is the issue of fading palmrests with the Z also. It though has a great display.

Sandybrige integrated graphics are decent and your notebook will run cooler than using the 330M in the Z. I think you have to determine how important those two things are to you and then decide.

 

Can't disagree with anything you say, but personally, the "inconvenience of an EC usb3 and the fact that the SB models have a better integrated gpu that can't do a whole lot more than the GMA HD of the Arrandale, and the fact that you can run on the 330M and do some gaming and control the heat in numerous ways, with that in mind and the gorgeous screen and silky smooth look and feel of the Z1 makes it hard for me to lust after any S model when excellent Z's with 256 can be had for $1,500. My best solution to palmrest fade (other than special skins/coatings) is to buy the silver one. I happen to like it the best, but even if I didn't I would go for it to avoid palmrest issue.

It's surely a personal decision, but I have never used a lappy for even the first month as much as I continue to adore the Z1 for 4 months of almost constant use now. It still feel like "my new toy." Somehow, the SA feels like it would be 'just a laptop" after a very short while.

Again, just a personal thing, no "right" answer. But I will add, I have never seen so much dissonance about upgrading to a new model as I see on the Z threads, even among people who have owned for a year or more.

UPDATE: I just bought an almost never-used 384GB Z11 with 3G, 8GB RAM and the 900p screen, which I actually prefer. Got $200 off by letting him put the original DVD in for the BD. $1,650 shipped. Can't decide whether to sell my present Z or keep it for backup, spare parts, friend (or NBR bud) who is salivating for one that won't cost an arm and leg. Can't wait til my new "adopted" child arrives!

 

I can't seem to find any. Links? Thank you.

 

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_Sony_Outlet

As of now, there are no Z's under $1,600 and most are higher, few with more than 128GB, though quite a few Z1x390s, which have Core i7 and 1920x1080, but those are closer to $2,000. If there are any new Z's left at Blinq.com for $1.419, they are probably better bets.

EDIT: as of now, there are more than 10 still left according to their listing (though we have learned to be a bit suspicious of ebay listings for Sony Z's

 

^^^link leads to a page that reads:

However, I searched...and found that the Z2 is aavailable for pre-order on Sony USA now! The base model and signature collection series!

 

Google 'sony outlet'.
Click on the first link; you'll be brought to sony outlet's page.
In the search box on the top right, type in either VPCZ1290X or VPCZ1390X.

Mouse over the unit you want, 'quick view' appears. Click on it. A box shows up with the system spec. If you're happy with it, click 'add to cart'.

The earlier you buy, the more options you get to choose from, and you have a higher chance of getting a high performance/price unit.

If you want 1080p + 256GB, the cheapest one costs upwards of $2.1K.
If you want just 1080p + 128GB, there should be a few between $1.6k and $2k.
If you want the cheapest base config (900p + 128GB), there's one for $999.

 

The cheapest base model @999 (model VPCZ1390X ) is in stock with many left!

I just bought one fearing that there was only one left, as when I increased the quantity to anything over 1, it said it was out of stock. But I just purchased one and it is still in stock if you only had 1 to cart. Nice move sony haha

EDIT: whoops that was the last one, score

 

Thank you! I picked up a Z12 FHD, 256GB, 8GB, i7. The Z13 equivalent was ~$200 more.

 

i just received my system, it's suppose to have 1080p but guess what? it's the lower res 1600x900 display! it could be the technician's mistake but i feel so cheated

 

I'd be very upset if the same happens to me on Tuesday. Sony would be getting an earful if I were you.

What are the other specs? V12 r V13 (is it the one for sale in your signature)?

 

Have fun with the sony customer service in phillippines!

 

it's the one that says 1080p (well, not anymore, since they gave me the wrong system)

i'm on the phone with sales support now...says their record indicated they sent out a 1080p one, and tech support will have to verify i got the wrong system before issuing me a return label...

 

great, now they transfer me back to sales dept...

 

now sales wanna transfer me back to tech dept to re-verify coz they did not get any info from the tech dept...

 

sure it's a 900p? maybe it's just a 1080p with dpi at 125%?

 

Positive. I opened up Screen Resolution dialogue, as well as the NVIDIA Panel. Both report that 1600x900 is the highest they can go.

 

There were a few members that received thir Zs with the wrong display about a month ago. I wonder if its the same units they returned.

 

Ahh okay, just checking you'd be surprised at how many times i go crazy over something stupid when i get a new toy to play with

i could actually believe that... managing inventory over an organization as large as Sony is a pain in the ... not to mention all the people in the warehouse do with returns is probably just scan them (with the erroneous tag) and put them back on the shelf.

Hey OP, see if they'll just send someone to replace the screen as opposed to returning it (cuz you dont want to lose the deal)

 

I asked the same thing, but they told me what I could do was return it and re-order a different system (which is more expensive). They wouldn't budge on this matter.

I would've been less frustrated if they hadn't treated me like a ping-pong ball between the sales and the tech support dept

 

+1. Anyone interested in these systems may want to wait for the 13" Macbook Air refresh scheduled for release this week. Samsung have been slashing their Series-9 prices in anticipation. 14" Toshiba R840 and 13" Sony SA, both < 1" thick 'thin-and-light' systems with 900P panels being great Sandy Bridge alternatives to the 1st gen i-core Z11/12/13. See thin-and-light link in sig for more details if interested.

 

Since I'm getting another Z from the Sony outlet, I'm in the process of selling my Z on eBay, but within minutes of listing my Z, a Nigerian scammer used the buy it now option and bought my Z and requested that it be shipped to Nigeria. I specifically excluded shipping to anywhere else except US 48 states only, but eBay allowed the transaction to go through anyway. I had to open a case and now I have to wait 7 days for response.

This is ridiculous. How can I list any item at all if within minutes of it going up some random scammer snatches it?

I appreciate any advice on dealing with this situation.

 

Call ebay support. Just today I was dealing with a buyer scamming me, the seller, and I was pleasantly surprised to find eBay support on the phone (americans, too) to be very helpful.

 

To each their own. However, the SA/SB & SC screens are horrid compared to the Z. The Samsung 9 and MBA have no drive, ULV CPUs and intergrated GPUs. Thus making the Z1 with a full powered CPU, dedicated GPU, drive bay, an superior 900p or 1080p screens a steal in my book. The Z1 looks.to be the last of its kind in the new ultraportable world.

 

+1. There's a gap between the Lightpeak-equipped Sony Z2 and the expresscard-less SA/SB/SC that a SB Z14 would fill very nicely. It's a shame Sony abandoned that chassis. I can't imagine it would have been overly difficult for Sony to change the board to one-gen newer SB components and stuff a GT525M or GT540M in place of the GT330M. There is certainly a market for such a system. Maybe interested parties could petition Sony to make it for them? Otherwise you are correct that the one-gen older provides a compelling all-in-one package.

 

I believe that the new and former Z series are both the best notebooks ever. They are my dream Notebooks but both of them are much more than I can deal with. But I believe that one day a forum member will make a fever for me and will sell his used Z series for a good price

Anyway, former Z series may be better than new series but they are both best of notebook world so whichever you choose it will be the best for sure. But I believe every new series (for almost all brands) because of price war each new series has a lower build quality then former ones.

 

Got my Z12 from FedEx today. LOVE this thing!

 

Did you get 1080p?

 

Yes, sir.

black, 1080p, core i7-620m, 8gb ram, 256gb ssd. almost identical to your z12.

 

congrats
how much?

 

Dear friend, I have a question about your Vaio Z series: Do you realize any noticeable performance differences between your notebooks ?

i5-460m vs i5-580m ?
i5-580m vs i7-620m ?

 

I presume you know none of that matters if it's just normal use.
Amongst the i5's, you shouldn't notice much performance difference, unless you're running a CPU-bound program (an intense prime number calculation program, for example), in which case the ability to throttle to higher frequency will help.
The i7 has 1 MB more L3 cache than the i5's. This is definitely helpful if your program is memory bandwidth-bound.

Really, it's hard to see differences unless you use programs that exploit those advantages.

If there's significant price differences, just go with the i5's.

 

Just got my base model Z13 in from the outlet. I assumed refurbished meant brand new outer casings but old inner workings, but I was wrong - the upper lid had two very slight but long scratches and one very noticeable ding in the side. Oh well, good thing I'm not ocd about it

 

^^^mine came with a couple (very) superficial scratches on the lid. it's not a big deal since i planned to cover the lip with the KH (SGP replica) leather skin regardless. in fact, i ordered that before i ordered my z12. it should be here any day now...

 

I'm not necessarily talking about Sony, but I heard some companies sometimes intentionally introduce superficial flaws into new units so that they can sell them off as refurbs at low price (the two refurb Z's I've ordered so far show really tiny almost invisible long scratch if you look real hard for it). I don't understand the reason behind that, but then again it's hearsay.

Edit: From my understanding of economics (I took econ 101), it makes sense to do so, especially if you have quite a number of units lying around, and there are a lot of customers who are willing to pay, but they are just not willing to pay that high. By selling new units as refurbs at low prices, you get to squeeze out more money from the market.

 

Why not just sell them as new at the same (low/refurbished) price? These are last year's models, so it's expected that they be discounted (new or refurbished). In fact, I'd bet people would be more willing to buy a new unit over a refurbished unit (given they're the same price).

My Z12 was $2.1k refurbished. I struggled with buying it. Had I known it was brand new, I'd have had a lot less of a hard time buying it.

JMHO.

 

I'm probably just spouting off nonsense here, but I can think of several reasons why they can't do what you suggested.
1) There are other resellers that resell new Z1's, and they won't be able to compete price-wise with Sony had Sony sold them at refurb price.
2) Legality (exactly what, I don't know...but whatever the problem is, I think the solution to it was to label a new one as refurb, and sell that)
3) Selling new Z1's at low price could jeopardize sales of upcoming products, in this case, Z2.
4) Selling new Z1's at low price could jeopardize the image of the product itself. What sets this model apart isn't just the specs, it's the price, an indication of exclusivity, of high class.

 

I s'pose you're right.

Either way, glad I stumbled upon mind.

 

any more 999 one??I really want one to replace my z555!!!!!!!!

 

The outlet has a new coupon rolling for 15% off.

outletvaio15pc <--- Discount code.

Hope this helps.

 

I am afraid not ! I am waiting for a Z-Series for 999 but they are 1459 USD now.

 

How do you input the coupon? I went to the check out screen but there was no option to use it.

 

It's on the Checkout page under "eCoupons."

I purchased my refurbished Z12 from the online Sony Outlet store about 2 weeks ago. Anyone know if they will credit me 15% back?

 

I just spoke w/ customer service and they said no.

I may just return this Z12 and pick up another with the coupon...