New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

^
Yup it works.

 

If you order it through the education store, you do get a savings over the old education store price. About $150 dollars cheaper for my configuration (i7/8GB/256SSD/1080P), which I then used to get a sheet battery for $85 through the education store! However, I don't think you can get the $200 off PS3 through the education store. But then I didn't really try too hard to get the PS3 with it since I don't need a PS3.

 

If i cancel my order and reorder now to get the savings, will I suffer any penalty in delivery time? (Im in US). Could I get a sony rep to change the hold charge on my card instead?

 

I talked with a sony rep this morning and they told me that they are unable to change the price on my old order and if I placed a new order, that I would essentially lose my place in line. I told him that a new order right now has an estimated shipping date of 8/12 versus my old order had an estimated shipping date of 8/17, and he said that the estimated shipping date is just an estimate and most likely it'll slip. At which point, I started a discussion with him of what is the point of their estimated shipping date if

1) they're not accurate in the first place (why would the system calculate 8/12 if you know that it's "most likely" going to slip)
2) they don't ever update it (why my previous order, placed half a month ago, calculated an estimated shipping date of 8/17, when new orders are now calculating to be 8/12, so one of those dates have to be wrong)

Anyways, for me, waiting another half a month is not that bad, considering I've been waiting half a year now, so I placed a new order in. So far it's still showing 8/12 as an "Estimate ship date" with a status of "Processing"

I also asked him if he knows if there are still any shortage on components that's causing a delay, and it didn't sound like he knew what I was talking about with shortages in the first place. He just basically followed the standard spiel of CTO systems takes 2 weeks at a minimum because it's build in Japan and that in the system it looks like everything is "processing". Not much more informative than that.

 

So did you find out whether or not a new order will come in later than the old order you had? Cuz if it came in alot later I'd be willing to pay the extra $240 to have it come in earlier.

 

The upgrade discounts have been extended to September 6th. PS3 deal remains August 13th.

 

He wasn't very helpful at all on providing a timeframe for either my old order or my new order. He just said that I would lose my place and be at the end of the line, but as far as actual production timeline, he had no more information other then, most likely it'll be later then 8/12, which isn't very informative at all imho.

 

Whops I forgot to login when I reconfigured my model. Thanks for the heads up.

 

I did some "tests" about this. All offers combined together, have a cap at $200. So if you are buying a PS3 for $300, your cart will show -$200 (the maximum). If you are buying through the educational store, you can for example already have savings of $137 (in my case). If you add a PS3 for $300, then you only get an additional discount of $63, since this discount combined with the one from the educational store, brings you to -$200.

 

Odd that they don't offer that configuration on the Z. I guess there wasn't the space for the extra chips.

At free it would still be overpriced.

That's good to know.

The laws of physics have yet to repealed.

That was a really good review. Thank you goldentreesang.

 

Yes it will. In Vaio Control Center, Settings for the Auto Dimming is under Display, and Backlit Keyboard under Keyboard and Mouse. Basically, they don't affect one another as they are independent.

Thanks for the review.

 

god dammit the sony reps are retarded. She tried to tell me that if i placed an order now it would get here sooner than my current order because its shipping from a different place. Then she put me on hold for like 15 minutes and came back with the dumbest answer, saying that sometimes on the CTO page it'll say a date and when the order is placed the date will change...!!! And then she tried to compare it to a ps3 and say sometimes components are missing and pretty much made up a bunch of bullsh!t so she didn't have to say "I dont know the answer to that question"

So I still do not know the difference in arrival time between my current order and whether I replaced an order. And whether or not that time is worth the $240 i would be saving.

What do you guys think? Will there be a difference in shipping time? Or will all the preorders taken now be sort of a "first batch" and arrive at the same time?

 

^
In my opinion, the preorders will ship first...

 

^Yea but the my current order and the order I would be placing would both be preorders. So they ship same time?

 

Comparative benchmarks from Product Reviews.

 

Those are nice scores, the Z2 stomps the competition... except when it is competing with the Z1+ViDock (which I would say is a fair comparison due to the fact that the Z2 has the PMD)

 

A fairer comparison would be a Z1 w/o ViDock versus a Z2 w/o PMD. Ultralight, Does-It-All has been and continues to the Z's theme. Let's leave all that desktop nonsense aside and compare them mano-a-mano.

 

As I've said before, one of the really big stories here is how well the Z2 does for 3d Mark 06 without the PMD. If you're willing to stick to games that are a few years old, it's a pretty reasonable gaming machine all on its own.

Interesting also how well the Air stands up even with the low-voltage CPU.

 

Here in Japan, Sony runs two pre-order periods: one general pre-order period for everyone, which starts on a set date and continues until the product starts shipping; and one early period which starts one day before the general pre-order, and is for SonyStyle Japan members in order of member points (which you accumulate when you shop at Sony). Basically if you are rich and have spent a lot of money at SonyStyle (and therefore have tons of points), you get to pre-order pretty much before everyone else. And that means you usually get the product a little earlier than everyone else, or are at least guaranteed a unit from the first batch before stocks run out.

In practice, the time difference (when you receive the order) between the early pre-orders and general pre-orders is only about 1 week for basic pre-built electronics (cameras, TVs, game consoles, etc). But of course with VAIOs we're often talking about CTO, so the actual shipping depends completely on availability of whichever components you ordered.

But the same pre-order principles would still apply. If you are the first to pre-order, there's a good chance all of your chosen components will be available. But if you're at the end of the line, your components might run out before your order, and you may have to wait (while other orders after yours, without the missing components, are completed first). On the other hand, you may just be lucky enough and pick a config that few other people want, and have your order completed before others with missing components.

Of course, I don't know if this is the same way Sony carries out pre-orders in the US or other countries. And I have no idea if Sony has set quantities of all components set aside for each region.

After the Sony Japan pre-order goes up this Friday, there should be a link on the Sony page showing how much stock of each commponent is available -- at least for Sony Japan orders.

 

Thanks! Ur post makes me want to just stick with my current order, seeing that I ordered on the first day. meh...3 grand computer what is $240 worth to me

 

I'm sure that someone has said this somewhere in this very long thread but is there an ETA on when Sony will deliver the new units - preconfigured or customized?

Thanks

 

On the US site when you customize one, it says the estimated ship date is 8/12/2011.

 

In Europe/Germany the ETA is 11/08/2011

 

Japan 13/8
Taiwan 10/8
Hong Kong 12/8
China 16/8
Korea 15/8

 

Tested one in the Sony Centre in Tottenham Court Road today. The following are my thoughts:

1. Asked the sales guy if the screen was matte or gloss. He refused to say, and responded it was "premium". I pushed him and he kept saying it was "premium" and wouldn't say if it was matte or gloss. What does premium mean for the screen type? What a dumb ****! Looking at it when I saw it, it was most definitely gloss as it had the usual charateristics of bad reflections etc. Yes, the image quality was first class and couldn't be faulted, but why not produce it in matte. Would have been so much more professional and better for those commuting on trains etc.

2. The keyboard. The short travel didn't bother me, but the distance between the keys felt unusually wide. I can reach an octave and a fourth on a piano, yet struggled to comfortably reach Shift - T together. I could do it, but it was awkward and would irritate the **** out of me if I had it. I do need to type a lot regularly. Indeed, don't most business people, i.e. their market?

3. The case and screen were both robust. I needed this, but the case (the standard black), looked so dated and slightly cheap, a bit like my Toshiba R100 I had 8 years ago (though the touch felt good quality).

4. I asked the shop sales guy to do something to test the processor so that I could test the heat (and the noise). He said he could not do this. He could only run a DVD and no more. They had no programs installed and weren't allowed to! So they wanted me to pay £2,000 for a laptop, based on its supposed power, without letting me see its power running before I bought? Crazy! I mean wow, it can run a DVD. So too can my 4yr+ old Toshiba Portege R500-10U. And when it did run the DVD, it didn't run totally smoothly (it was 90% there, fine for e.g. a £1,250 machine). I'm not paying £2k for a laptop that cannot run a DVD totally smoothly.

5. The trackpad was odd. I hadn't used one like this before. It was ridged, like an alternating grid. Pros is it won't wear. Big con, it was very difficult to accurately use it and to judge distances, and the cursor would jump lots.

Overall, my experience was a frustrating one. I SO wanted to buy this over the Macbook Air and the Sony SA. But I did have reservations before I went in. The SA has so much more functionality that the Z does not, for much less, e.g. a graphics card, a DVD drive etc. The only difference appears to be:

1. The quality of the case.

2. The quality of the screen.

3. A small difference in weight.

The MacBook Air solves all these problems the SA can't, but at a fraction of the price of the Vaio Z, which remains a deeply flawed project. The down side is it is an Apple with all its stupid non-upgradability etc. that I really don't want.

Anyway, is the Sony Vaio Z worth £600 than the SA or MacBook Air even without a PMD, which is a darn stupid idea anyway. The whole point of a laptop is it is self contained. The ONLY merit in having a PMD is for people who don't have a desktop. But I and a lot of the market do, and it is awesome compared to the Sony, for much less.

Sony, you need to go back to scratch with this new Z range. It just doesn't work. You need premium components. Everything needs to be top of the range and excellent to charge these prices, but there were so many flaws. You can't ditch so many components and get people to pay more for less. I cannot see a second version solving it. They have to dump the idea and move on.

MacBook Air it will be. Will hold it until something PC decent comes along. There is nothing right on the ultraportibles anywhere. Then will sell and buy the PC laptop.

 

Seems like you had a very different experience compared to mine.

Keep in mind that display laptops are usually very different from actual retail laptops. They've been loaded with bloatware and everyone that has used the computer has screwed it all up and the guy that just finished eating at the burger joint across the street got grease all over it.

1. The screen is "semi-matte" And there haven't been wide complaints about reflections on the z1 (which is the same panel) so idk why you saw bad reflections.

2. Its odd that you found the spacing large. I thought it was great, and I have small hands (used to play piano to and i could barely reach an octave+1). And your generally not supposed to use shift and T with the same hand

(I had to leave work at this moment... brb soon!)

 

This brings up a basic question I'd like to ask of all you experts. Given the choice between either moving up from the i5-2540M to the i7 or keeping the i5-2540M and ordering more ram, which has the greater improvement on performance and why? Thanks for you input.

 

What are you talking about glossy screen? Afaik it's semi-matte, like the Z1. Looking at the reviews or dozens of pictures it never looked like a glossy screen finish.

"Not able running a DVD smoothly" - Highly doubt that as well.


No offense to you, put imo you are wrong in many aspects.

 

Go for the RAM.

The performance differences between the i5-2540M and the i7-2620M will be slight. The i7 is really only for people who either expect to push the CPU's performance envelope or want to get the highest-end dual core processor they can. Depending on what tasks you plan, the 4GB RAM may be plenty but if you do have more demanding requirements, you'll likely need more RAM before you need the modest step-up to the i7.

 

That was exactly my thought. My understanding has been that the bump to i7isn't that huge, (except of course in the all important area of bragging rights!) I was never that good at bragging anyway. My usage will be photo editing. Thanks!

 

^Dem batch processes be in up all yo RAMZ!

 

Custom configurations wont be available with Norwegian keyboards untill September/October I'm moving to the UK mid September so can't wait that long...

Guess I'll have to go with the i5/4GB/128GB, which is still very decent. If I end up wanting more performance then I can get something new next summer.

If you are gonna run Windows on it primarily, then I can almost guarantee you that the battery life will be worse than the VAIO Z. Apple don't care enough about Windows users to optimise their Windows drivers properly.

 

If the screen is semi matte, fine, but it is not described as such on the Sony Vaio Z UK website. It just states "premium". Even the description as to what features the premium has, it never uses words matte or semi matte. This is why I asked the guy in the store, who could only tell me the screen was "premium" and refused to use the words matte or glossy (or semi-matte)

I should add, I have not used Sony Vaio Z's in previous ranges, so I cannot say what earlier models had. I come to this with fresh eyes, and I can say that although the gloss might not be as glossy as some, there is nothing matte at all about the screen. It is the emperor's clothes / spin.

Re Shift T, I confess, but that's the way I type and I can do 65wpm, so am no slouch. I just felt stretching where I have not felt stretching before, on my Toshibas, desktops or a very old Vaio I had.

Re running a DVD, I'm not saying there were great problems. It was eminently watchable and nearly 100% right, but it was not totally 100% smooth throughout.

 

well that it wasn't "100%" as you called it could have been due to the software running the DVD or just a general hiccup.

But hey it seems like you don't like it that much. Just dont buy it. i hope ur happy with ur mba!

 

ahp, no, I will not be running Windows, which is a shame as it is what I am used to. I will revert to a Windows PC asap and see no harm in learning another OS in the meantime. The MacBook Air is a stop gap until something decent comes on the market that. I can then sell it for a high resale value as MBAs hold value well, and get the new PC then. It may be 2 months, or 2 years, who knows.

Btw, I really do not like Apple as a concept or a company. I have spent the last 5 years being negative about them and my work colleagues will have a field day when I get a MacBook Air.

I can get Office for the Mac (or Office Professional for Windows) for £8.95 as part of a work deal, so the cost of the switch over software wise is minimal.

 

Office 2011 for Mac is nice, no compromises there!

 

I can't believe that anyone still buys MS Office. I much prefer LibreOffice (available for Win/Mac/Linux) even before considering that the price is...free. A modest donation to the foundation is appropriate but not required if you make regular use of the program.

 

Congrats to CC on becoming a Deity.

 

Thanks! What I really want to know is how other people are writing whatever they want there.

 

I have already ordered it via the Sony USA website. Although I now got a 200USD discount the estimated shipping date for CTO has now moved from 12th aug to 23 aug
Vaio Z2 comes out in Australia around the 10th. That's when I'll first see it in my hands hahaa... I didnt get the MacAir because of this laptop. Lets see how it holds up when I see it in real life!

 

What are the requirements for deity/evangelist/guru/consultant etc.?

Is that for one you just ordered?

EDIT: Wait is that because you ordered wwan? Because wwan changes the date from 12 to 23

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/profile.php?do=editprofile and write your custom title in the box labeled custom user title

 

The MacBook Air is not even in the same league as the Z2 performance wise. True that Sony premium is larger than most, but as long as they continue to sell, the price will remain. Shesh, the Z2 is cheaper than the Z1 maxed!

The screen on the Air is not even close to the quality of the Z1 900p or 1080p. Also, the Z1/Z2 use full voltage processors. I like having all the ports I need onboard. MBA fails there too. Lion is a PITA as well. I suggest going back to SL if possible.

I live in a warmer client and the MBA gets hot fast due to the aluminum casing. It throttles down quickly and becomes really slow during these times. Battery life on the new Airs are not very good either. The Z2 and Air are showing about the same numbers.

Get adjusted to the future of notebooks. Externals are the answer for most manufactures.

I am a happy Apple convert. Resale was excellent before the Intel conversion. Now, with refreshes every six months, coupled with the amount of systems being sold, Apple product resale values have started to take larger hits.

 

My buddy typically breaks even or even makes a small profit (load some software) when he rotates out his Macs every few months. He's constantly switching between a Pro and an Air depending on the life cycle. I wish Sonys had that type of resale.

 

Dude!

"Ya betta check yaself befor ya wrek yaslef. Westside!"

I just wish you could actually hear my laughter! :laugh: You really got me with that one. Sweet!

 

its not there.

 

Before the promotion (discount of upgrades and ps3) the CTO ship date was 12th. Once the promotion started the eta was changed to 23rd. My international money transfer didnt go through thats why I didnt get it before the promotion started. Both instances I had WWAN included.
I keep thinking... is $200 worth the extra 11 days wait?

 

$18.18/day. To some that is chump change. To others, a day's pay.

 

Hop on ebay and check out resale values between last years and this years Air replacement. It's not what it once was.

The Z has pretty good resale IMHO

 

Sony's marketing guys are funny... I found this ad/insert in yesterday's papers. Looks like the new Z is great for back-to-school too!!! (Must be private schools or something.)