Info on Z model for Aus

I see a new one in our system:

VGNZ17GNB

$3699 RRP
Centrino 2 2.53ghz
4GB RAM
320GB HDD
DVD RW +/-
13.1"
Vista Business
Bonus W910 Mobile

Cost price: $3271

 

Thanks EffZee, do you know what screen it has?

That's gotta be at least a grand more expensive than the equivalent US model even after currency conversion

Looks like it'll be P1 again...

 

That price is ridiculous. Btw EffZee if you don't mind sharing which store is selling at that RRP of $3699?

Cheers mate

 

hi effzee, you seem to have the early info from hn. any idea if you will be getting the sr with integrated graphics. really need to extra 1 hour battery, particular with the battery drain problem

 

Whoah Sony maintains the ridiculous pricing they had for the SZ. I would get it if only Sony offers better warranty support options as standard, especially at such a price. Unfortunately, I expect this will only have 1 year local warranty as always.

EDIT: Oh wait, it says bonus W910. Will it be cheaper if bought without the "bonus" phone?

 

Thanks for the cost price!

I reckon there will also be a cheaper version

VGNZ16GNB

~$3000 RRP
Centrino 2 2.4ghz
2GB RAM
250GB HDD
DVD RW +/-
13.1"

 

All stores will be selling it at RRP. Vaios are rarely on special unless they are end of life.

 

Nope, no news about that yet. Only see the 16 in our system

 

No. I dont know the details of the phone yet. I know with the SR you get a bag IN STORE that sony provides to us for free. Also with the lizard CR's you get a vaio bluetooth mouse. If its that arrangement, its not exchangeable for a cash discount, because those things cost us nothing. OBviously a phone is a much bigger item

 

The model will also be made from the premium material, whatever that means.

 

to Drvec, have you dealt with P1 (laptopsinc.com) personally? their resellerrating seems quite good. Any problem with the customs?

 

thanks effzee. keep us informed

 

Yes, I bought an SZ691N/X from them last year with the HDD changed to a 7200rpm 200GB Hitachi and a clean Vista business image.

The first one they got from Sony had the yellow band problem, they picked up the problem and got a new one from Sony before shipping to me.

As a result of this and other small things, they come with my highest recommendation (for basically solving all the problems with Vaios for you: QC, crapware etc).

However, I did get snapped with GST by customs. Next time I think I'll try get it shipped to a friend in the US, then get him to send it unmarked via USPS.

If you have an ABN, you may want to check, perhaps you can avoid the GST based on it being a business purchase.

 

Another ones popped up:

VGNZ16GNB
Centrino 2 2.4gHz
2GB RAM
250GB HDD
13.1" LCD
Vista Business
$2999 RRP
Cost price = $2652

 

any info regarding the resolution of the screen at all?

 

sorry this was a quote from another thread but thought i would answer it hear since this thread is about aussie z (and sr)

the code is 15 rather than 16

 

I was right on the money!

Both versions are 1600x900

 

thanks Drvec!!

i contacted P1 and their response was prompt, however Patrick couldn't answer questions like which models are built in the US or Japan. Also, with shipping, they prefer to use Fedex which can cost between usd150 to usd250. I asked if they can ship via usps but Patrick said that will cost me a bit more as p1 will need to send it down to their local USPS - pretty lame!!
I asked about shipping weight and he gave a vague answer like 10 lbs - when i checked shipping weight on amazon it was only 6.6 lbs.

So, despite p1's famed service, for me it was ok. I may consider purchasing it in HK instead as the price there is quite competitive.

 

Talk to Ivan, he's the man.

 

Z540's & Z590's are made in the US, the rest are in Japan according to Ivan.

I was given a shipping quote with a weight of 9.0

So the model I am interested in:

Z540
-----
Base Cost: $1,899 US
FedEx Shipping: $180 US (Including Insurance)
---------------------------------------------
Total: $2,079 US
Total: $2,400 AUS (Approx @ 86 Cents)
---------------------------------------------
Custom Fee: $120 (%5)
GST Fee: $240 (%10)
---------------------------------------------
Total COST: $2760 AUS


Might as well buy it from Australia!

 

The Z model $1734.00 in Canada !!!

 

Z Series now listed on sony.com.au website.

 

Z16 and Z17 are selling for AUD$2413 and AUD$3017 in Hong Kong. the australian pricing isn't that bad considering you are getting free leather carry cover, 1 year overseas service and W910 phone. that leather carry cover worth nearly $200, nicely designed.

 

where in Australia is it best to buy one of the Z series laptops?

 

hi H Girl

i can't say where would be best to buy one in aus, i'm still looking myself.
i know David Jones sell vaio's and sometimes they have 10% off electricals.
you could try sonycentre and see if you can get a little off the price or haggle for some extras thrown in like extra ram. you never know until you ask.

i know Harvey Norman sell them to but i don't believe they have the room to move on pricing.

hopefully someone else can help with your enquiry some more

 

I bargained a Bravia from $4,000 to $3,300 at Harvey Norman, but I understand the margins on laptops are a lot smaller.

 

i have successfully bargained with HN in the past as well. my local HN did tell me they would not be able to bargain on the sony notebooks though as the price is set by sony and they don't have the 'something' to come down on it. i can't recall the exact word he used.
mind you i would still try

 

I just reckon that is salesman drivel!

You can see that the actual cost prices listed in this same thread. You can also see StaticIce and find that the cheapest version is edging close to cost price, within $100. So if these computer stores can do it, im sure HN can aswell.

 

^actually where i live HN is the only seller of sony notebooks. its several hours to get to another seller. so i guess this is why they said it to begin with. but i would still haggle - i can't not haggle on electronics

i'm sure most other HN's probably would drop price on vaio's within the limits

 

anyone know if the upcoming refresh on the Z will come to australia?

in HN this week it was mentioned that the Z's have been dropped from their order form, and suggested there may be a replacement model

 

possible update if anyone is reading this thread

i heard today from local rep that there will be a Z26 and Z27 and they should be instore within 2-4 weeks
the Z27 will be a premium model at $3999 with blu-ray. didn't find out whether it has premium carbon lid or SSD though
the Z26 is meant to be a small refresh and i was told there will be basicly no difference. it will stay at $2999

i'm unsure if the Z17 will still be produced, i doubt it - but having to jump up again in cost to $3999 i think is just asking too much!

i checked at another store and they had no idea what i was talking about and said there was no refresh coming, so will wait on further details etc yet


i noticed the Z16 has dropped to $2799 on sony australia website

 

the z17 will be discontinued. A friend of mine wanted to buy the z17 in hong kong but they didnt have it in stock, so the store guy called sony while he was there to place an order and they informed him that it has been discontinued.
i hope the the z27 will have a 256gb ssd.
$3999 **** thats expensive....but from what i have heard aussie prices are high.
do let us know if you find out any more specs.

 

fyi

below is the spec for the z26gn/b
http://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/english/cp/vgn-z26gnb.html

..cant find z27 spec :-(

 

thanks for the link mith500
looks like the only difference in the z26 is an extra 1G ram and larger HDD

possibly some minor improvements like bios updates maybe?

will keep an eye out for the z27 specs

and yes aussie prices unfortunately are very high

 

Hmm....
no sign of updates on the sony NZ website yet...
I am surprise the price is not hiking more given the exchange rate just plumeted like that!

 

Good to see BD, disappointed to see no 13xx x 768 option!

 

spec for the z27gn/x
http://www.sony-asia.com/product/vgn-z27gn

the diffrences i can spot compared to the z17gn/b is 320gb (7200rpm), blu ray drive, bluetooth ver 2.1 and premium carbon fibre lid

 

cheers
was looking about this morning but hadn't found anything
i'd agree with your asessment on changes
looks like tiny change in software list as well but i'm not familiar with software listings

i'm not interested in blu-ray drive and the extra money is too much just to get premium carbon lid. i'd give this model a miss myself

 

Thanks for this info guys.

The Australian Z17 doesn't have Blu-ray and it is outrageously expensive at $3,700. This makes me wonder about what price they're going to set the Z27 here with its BD??

Is it possible the Aussie one won't have the BD?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the premium carbon lid for sale here, especially considering they never brought the premium carbon lid here for the SZ predecessor. I'll also be looking out for some price cuts on Z1* models.

 

usually australia gets the asia-pacific models so the chances of the aussie z27 not getting BD is unlikely.
According to the earlier post by six (#31) on this page the price of the z27 will be $3999 in australia

 

There has been... Z16 was $2999 now $2799!

 

I went to Sony Store George St Sydney and the Aussie version comes with a leather case. I asked but this is not sold separately. Do you guys know where I can get this case. I prefer not buying it overseas as the aussie dollar sucks. I should of bought it in Japan

 

not sure if this is the one you are talking about.

Black leather case for AUD $179
http://www.sony.com.au/vaio/catalog/product.jsp?id=VGPCKZ2

 

Thanks for the reply mith500. The case you specified is the one you can buy as an option but unfortunatly is not the one thats included free with the Vaio Z in Australia. The optional VGPCKZ2 is bulky and I only want a sleeve kinda thing to protect it from scratches.
If anyone wants to sell me theres for some random Sony outragous RRP price let me know, I might be interested

 

there's no chance the Z27 in aus won't have blu-ray.

i was out this weekend and randomly spotted a sony catalogue, and to my surprise, it talked about pre-ordering the Z27 (coming out nov 10) and receiving free blu-ray discs with it.

the catalogue can be found here: sonycentres.com.au

it's the official catalogue for the official sony stores, and can be linked from the sony site, so i'd say it's got a lot of credibility behind it.

unfortunately it doesn't mention anything about SSD or the premium lid, but i guess i can deal as long as it has blu-ray.

 

the 'pulse' catalogue? i have that and can't recall seeing anything about pre-orders. what page was it on if you can remember? i'll have another read of it tonight.


pracola - if i ever get my Z (money money sigh) i would definantly sell that cover. i don't like it
not sure if the 2 series still have the covers (and phone) offer with them, would be good to know that.

 

nah, it's not in the pulse.

i've got that as well, and they only have the Z16/Z17 in it.

this is the october 08 catalogue for sony stores. you can see the pdf of the catalogue on the sonycentre website.

 

ahhh! got it now cheers..i had assumed that pdf was the pulse magazine so i had never clicked on it
interstingly i rang sony centre nsw on weekend and they had no idea what a z27 even was...guess they don't read their own publications. brisbane was much more helpful.

edit: okey just having a good read through it - it looks like the case and phone are not being offered on the z27, just a 16G microvault (and when they did throw the microvault in with the z17?) and movies if pre-ordering. does anyone know for sure what is happening here?

 

I decided to give Sony Sydney a call as well just to scope out. They mention that the new z27 has hugh changes. I asked him what this huge change was and he said it comes with Blu-Ray. I'm like eerrr ok thats not a hugh difference LOL.
He has confirmed that the phone and sleave case that comes with the Z17 will not be included with the newer model coming Nov 10th. I'm not sure about the microdrive either but the new Z27 will come with 10 free blu ray movies.
Personally I rather get the free phone and sleeve but you dont get a choice if you get the newer z27 model.
I want that sleeve lol, someone sell me!

 

Did anyone see this list of models from the Sony Asia site:
http://extra.sony-asia.com/vaio/irsp/ap/index.html

VGN-Z27GN/X, VGN-Z27TN/X,VGN-Z26GN/B, VGN-Z26LN/X,VGN-Z26MN/B,VGN-Z26SN/B,VGN-Z26TN/B,VGN-Z25LN/B,VGN-Z25TN/B

So far, there is info on:
VGN-Z26GN/B
VGN-Z27GN/X

The model numbers Z25* suggest there may be some cheaper, lower spec releases in Asia/Pacific:
VGN-Z25LN/B
VGN-Z25TN/B

And, there might be a cheaper premium carbon model coming up (Z26):
VGN-Z27TN/X
VGN-Z26LN/X

Then I can't make heads or tails out of what M/L/S/T codes refer to in place of G, especially considering the UK has Z/W/V codes:
VGN-Z26MN/B
VGN-Z26SN/B
VGN-Z26TN/B