New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

From this line from the article at SI, we can assume that the main unit does have at least one USB port.

"The connector is kind of funky and reminded me of VAIO DVD-RW i.Link plus power connector, only this time it looks like it’s gonna use USB and AC connection."

 

Yeah they must have mistaken the thunderbolt/light peak connection for USB. There's no way the dock or whatever you call it is going to connect to the main unit with USB.

 

Thanks. This really spells things out. I hope the wait for the Z-successor is not too long.

 

Sony crafting VAIOs with Chrome OS, external GPUs and Thunderbolt tech? -- Engadget

Maybe this is the new z?

 

I thought the Z is aimed towards the business user. As one of them why would I want a Chrome OS instead of Windows?

 

Read the last paragraph

 

I'm new here. Which last paragraph?

 

highly doubt this thing is coming this summer, especially after the earthquake.

 

The Engadget article is just a repost citing the Sony Insider article that ascariss posted, no new info there. Interestingly though, Sean Holister's article doesn't suggest that the dock uses USB like the original Sony Insider article, but rather suggests it's Thunderbolt... so perhaps he has read Beaups' comments!

This paragraph:

 

So for those that never saw it, the old iLink + power connectors were used for the slim external DVD drives that were designed for some of Sony's earlier ODD-less notebooks. Also, Beaups mentioned that the article was mistaken, so assume that when they said "USB and AC connection" they meant "Light Peak and DC connection".

...so we should expect the size of the external unit (with AMD discrete graphics and Blu-ray drive) to be about the size and weight of an old Sony external ODD. We could perhaps guess it'll be something like this:

This weighed in at about 410 grams for just an ODD, and the Sony Insider article mentioned 680 grams - this seems consistent to me.

Note the old iLink +power plug:


Interestingly, iLink was actually Sony's name for IEEE1394, a plug which Apple called "Firewire 400".

In a similar way, "Thunderbolt" is actually Apple's in house name for Intel's "Light Peak", and don't expect anyone else to use the name "Thunderbolt" since they are going for a trademark: Apple applies for Thunderbolt trademark

Given the history, I'd expect Sony to come up with their own trademark name for Light Peak and then sit it right next to a power connector just like the old iLink in the image I included above.

Anyway, I think this is all fantastic. It's the best of all worlds IMO, since you get a MBA / Samsung 9 Series style ultra lightweight ODD-less notebook but with the potential to be a full powered desktop machine. I'd hazard a guess that unlike the Samsung, Sony will cram a full power, normal voltage Core i7 in there.

Furthermore, if the external unit has USB and multiple monitor output support, then it will answer all our docking station dreams.

I appreciate that everyone has their own specific wants and needs for notebooks, but I just can't see why one would want an ODD weighing them down during travel now that HD downloads are widely available. Secondly, I do understand that some will want "portable gaming" and be disappointed at leaving their GPU behind. However, the Z has always been marketed as a business machine whereby discrete graphics would be wanted for running big external monitors or driving graphics intensive software like CAD, but not for lightweight tasks like travel which involve meetings and presentations rather than productivity. Just some rambling thoughts anyway.

I say Yeha! bring it on.

 

I hope the dock can power the laptop. One less plug to shove in when I get to work

 

Hmm, i guess they're going to stick the fan within the ODD/GPU accessory... i don't know how the airflow will work... Let's see the actual laptop, i don't want to lose any functionality because of this...

 

so the new z is a X505 + external box. interesting...

 

4 things:
1) Socketed CPUs
2) Proprietary SSD configurations
3) No 2 USB + 1 iLink option for the US models
4) No HDD only option for the US models

But you're probably correct, it is only just me but unfortunately, the path Sony is moving towards, is slowly pushing me to their other competitors. Fortunately for Sony, losing just 1 customer (a very insignificant SPEEDwithJJ) doesn't matter at all to them & I doubt they could even be bothered.

 

I'm just wondering how the external thing works being so small

 

oh dear lordy....that new z sounds like esctasy.

personally, for me, the battery life > having a discrete GPU.

that IS the only major difference right? i will cry and buy the z13 if they don't offer fullHD for an affordable price(i would jump for joy for the impossibility of a 19x12 screen on it).

 

The new VAIO Z looks promising! A couple of questions..

1) What GPU(or GPUs) would be in the model released this summer? Radeon HD6750 possible?

2) Is Thunderbolt truly fast enough or would we see a performance hit?

3) Would future external Blu-ray+GPU combo drives work with the upcoming Z redesign?

Guess nobody really knows the answers so far but it'll be nice to know what is rumored so far.

 

I just had a crazy idea... the external unit will have
- power in
- HDMI out
- a GPU
- Blu-ray / DVD drive

could it be possible that it works as a standalone blu-ray player???

 

It hasn't been confirmed that this unit will be the same size as an optical drive, although this is possible. My first thought was that it might be a 'sheet' similar to the sheet battery on the new Vaio S series, in that it could be a slab of some sort that's the same size as the laptops footprint that contains the gpu/BD drive. But after considering it some more, it seems more likely that this unit will look similar to any old docking station.

I think this is a really sweet idea. (I'm assuming this is probably going to be the Z replacement.) This wouldn't have worked with the current Z because many people wouldn't be able to get by with the integrated graphics, but now with sandy bridge this sounds very realistic.

Also, I'd probably plug an external HDD into this thing and use that drive for media, so as not to fill up the SSD.

@ eddieaus - really sweet concept picture!

 

I'd say that it will be designed to sit alongside for two reasons: 1) hearsay is that it will connect via side-by-side ports on the edge rather than on a docking interface on the underside, and 2) there were two values given for battery life, which suggests that the new Z will employ a sheet battery on the underside similar to the SA - although if I'm not mistaken the SA has a dock as well??

 

I don't think the new Z will have a sheet battery. It just doesn't seem likely that this laptop would be separated into three parts. My opinion is that if the second component can be attached to the laptop to be carried around, it will also contain an additional battery. If the second component is merely meant to be a docking station that one doesn't really move, then there would be no reason for it to have a battery. I could very well be wrong, but I just thought the 8-16.5 hour range was given because how much exact battery life there will be wasn't known, but the fact that it will have really good battery life was known.

 

Thanks very much!

 

Or surprise, it's really the PS4 in disguise!

 

well thanks, but that's not a concept picture, it's VAIO X505 released in 2005

 

Oh, right you are.

I saw that picture on my phone and didn't recognize it.

But yeah, I agree with you. I'd be psyched if the new z looked like this without its dock.

 

something very interesting:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/19/sony-crafting-vaios-with-chrome-os-external-gpus-and-thunderbol/

Especially the last paragraph looks like some infos about the next Z.

EDIT: And the source with somewhat more detailed infos:
http://www.sonyinsider.com/2011/03/...hybrid-pc-and-vaio-chrome-coming-this-summer/

 

already posted the sonyinsider link a few pages back.

 

that i7 processor has to be UM version. i can't imagine the macbook air with a proper i7, probably can cook eggs on the keyboard, lol

 

well never know laptop could serve as a dual purpose machine, laptop one minute, egg fryer the next

 

nice

now I just need a 1080p option and backlit keyboard and I'm set

 

What do you think the price point will start as? And does the dock come standard?

I will add some links to the OP.

 

Brawn,

Why are you so sure that the new Z will offer a quad-core? I hope you're right but wondering what you are basing your views on.

 

Beaups said it won't be quad core.

 

I think it will come with the i7 that is in the SB/SA.
I really hope it will come with a FHD screen and backlit keyboard like the current Z.

 

hi, just to clarify, i thought that sandy bridge was going to introduce quads to high performance ultraportables, but it seems that i am wrong on this

by the way, i dont know what to think of this, if it really is a super light laptop with an attachable "dock", then what would make the super light laptop (without a dedicated gpu) different from products from other manufacturers like the macbook air or lenovo x220?

why not sell the super light laptop (the main part, minus the "dock") separately from the dock?

 

Is it official that it will not be possible ?

 

The latest news seems to suggest that the VAIO Z successor will be a lot thinner than the current VPC-Z series. However, I'm dreading this obsession with thinness. Hopefully, this does not result in CPU, RAM, & SSD to all be soldered onto the motherboard due to the notebook design's thickness constraints.

 

Do you really swap out the CPU on your notebook that often? I'd hazard a guess that you are a minority even among the most enthusiastic on NBR.

Mobility = sacrificing the least important things to give you the most important things while away from your desk.

I say solder it all on!

 

Don't solder the RAM or the SSD! Or I guess solder the SSD/RAM if they're going to use proprietary stuff... and no aftermarket upgrades... But some people do swap out the CPU (some did with their socketed CPUs on the VGN-Zs)

 

Since we pretty much confident at this point that Z replacement will not have discrete GPU on the main unit, I wonder if I will be able to adjust brightness and color settings to look as good as on my current Z720 with Nvidia.
I would like to know if it is possible to adjust desktop and video color settings on the integrated intel graphics beyond settings offered by standard Intel control panel utility.

Is there a way to customize color profile on Intel graphics or run a calibration?

 

Has anybody mentioned THIS recent link?

https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wc...10551&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666053682

 

VPCZ116GX/S?

Seems like an older model to me...

 

old model guys

 

It's a little hard, if you are not keeping track, to separate 'facts' from wishes in this thread.
What about splitting it? I think most of us are more interested in news about the new Z and not in wishes of other members of this forum. Sorry guys

 

does it mean you get to choose if you want to buy this "docking" station with external XGP or it comes as a bundle? I mean, if you can JUST buy new Z, being stripped down, it should be much cheaper than current Z, right?

 

^in addition to that question: which ports does the Z provide? (w/o the "2nd part")
Because if things like ethernet or USB are just provided by the additional part, that would be bad.

 

Don't be silly. This is Sony you are talking about.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the new Z priced slightly cheaper than the VPC-Z models as that pricing in today's financial climate would be absurd, but in Sonyland, it really wouldn't be a shock to see them priced significantly higher either!

 

This is exactly what I have been thinking. Quick SSD for the work but then store right way on an external HDD. I am looking to do relatively extensive editing of photographs without being locked to a desktop. I understand, though, that there is more risk of corruption this way. The best workflow would be to move the media onto the SSD while working and then move it back when done. Yes?

Also, if this two (or three) part Z is truely a laptop, how will someone have both pieces comfortably situated on his/her lap? If the external component is attached like an external DVD drive, won't that be a bit of a pain? For this reason, the sheet concept sounds good to me.

Btw, I am new here and very much appreciate the cordial atmosphere of discussions. On Engadget the comments seem to devolve quickly into unproductive name calling. Thanks guys!

 

Welcome to NBR!

 

As for the SSD, and depending on the situation, it could make work much more efficient to transfer needed files from a hard drive beforehand.

We really don't know as of now what the design of the second component of the laptop will be. It all depends on what sony intends to do with the second piece. If it were a sheet, then yes, it'd be fine to put the computer on your lap. It is however possible that the second component is going to be a dock of some sort or an attachment that plugs in; something like this (especially the former) is probably intended to be left on a desk 24/7. Without that second component, you've got a very light laptop that can handle anything not graphics intensive.