New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

That is the exact type of subjective impression answer I was looking for. I find it very helpful. Thank you very much.

 

Is there any information regarding 2560x1600 output resolution?

It's the only reason i don't have a Z laptop already..

 

I have something like that on a 27 inch iMac and the pixel density feels greater than the 1920x1200 on my 17 inch MacBook Pro. I think it's 2550x1440. BTW, that would be an interesting resolution on a 17 inch laptop. I think that HD on 13 inches would be nice for me - I'd prefer 1920x1200 but that's where the world is running away from.

 

Sorry for being lazy and not reading 200 pages here...

I bought the SA and am seriously considering returning it to wait for a new Z. However, I want to be sure (i know no one here is 100% sure) of the specs and what I'd be waiting for since the SA was such a let down...

Assuming the new Z will have the 1080p screen res

Are we 100% sure they will not include an optical drive with the new Z?

Can someone briefly explain what it means to have a separate GPU? I dont understand the benefits or the reasoning and how it would even be possible?

What is the speculated release date of the new Z?

Will the Z have an HDMI port? I assume it will have Intel Wireless Display.

Thanks in advance

 

^ These questions are actually answered within the last 10 pages or so.

But anyway...

Everything we know at this point is rumour.

There is an external unit which contains an ODD and a GPU, connected by ThunderBolt.

The expected use-case is that you will leave this unit on your desk and use it similarly to a dock. Plug in when you're at the desk and get improved graphics, availability of ODD. When you're on the go, you will get Intel integrated graphics (which aren't shabby, but not as good as the external GPU.)

The external unit weights 1.5 lbs, so is reasonably portable in a pinch.

 

thanks baldrake

that just seems really stupid imo. Can anyone here honestly say they want all these bits and pieces to be connected externally to save some weight? I hope Sony recognizes that. The current Z is honestly light enough.

People who do want this should just buy a damn netbook.

Is the optical drive 100% going to be external or is that just a strong rumor too?

 

optical drive is confirmed to be external.

I think the majority of people including me very rarely use the optical drive anymore. Storage has gone to flash memory, content distribution has gone digital. Optical drives are going the way of the dodo bird. I think in 5 years times (once the windows app store is ingrained), most notebooks will have ditched the optical drive, they are a waste of space.

The only thing an optical drive is useful for is blu-ray because movie studios want the DRM protection of blu-ray and are too scared to go digital like the music industyr.

 

I think optical drives will die when similarly-priced permanent-storage alternative will appear. Price and permanency is one big advantage of optical disks over USB sticks.

Besides, everything is digital already. You're talking about cloud vs local storage. Local storage won't die anytime soon because it has its own purpose and its own benefits/advantages over cloud. All computer users aren't just consumers.

 

1) I don't watch movies on the laptop much, I have a 3D projector for that
2) I don't play games at all
3) I don't agree at all

what's wrong with bragging rights

I don't like Samsung... but I might start to like them a little more if they do something like that.

 

Samsung makes very nice LCD displays at very good prices. They are well-able to make very high-res displays.

 

Yes.

.....

 

Someone should make a poll. I have a feeling those that want all these parts externally are in minority. I even remember some user here saying that Z (the old one) felt too light to him/her. I assume it wasn't enough heavy to stand still in his/her lap while typing.

 

Having the optical drive external is not really for weight. Because it's not like they eliminate the drive and leave the space hollow, they are probably going to enlarge the battery going by some of the rumors on the insane battery life of the new Z, and batteries weigh more than optical drives.

They can also make the computer a lot thinner now.

 

I hate Samsung with all of my being. I bought their first gen Blu-ray for something like $1,500, biggest piece of crap ever. Lost a bunch of data on one of their SSDs (kinda my fault, but it was like six months old SLC SSD, that should not have failed) this was back when a 32GB SSD was like $1K.

Samsung is everything that is wrong with the CE market. They don't innovate, their high end stuff is trash, and they flood the market with cheap garbage which actually hinders innovation because the competition becomes all about price rather than quality. I hope they go bankrupt and die.

EDIT: my girlfriend had a Samsung phone when I met her, I bought her a new one almost immediately, her phone was just such horrible trash.

 

Hardware wise, they can be good. Software wise, they are absolute trash.

 

I try to avoid korean electronics, Japan is really the only game in town for high quality stuff. But even the Japanese stuff is slipping as the pricing pressure is so strong that they have to shift production offshore to China. So that's why I'm jumping on this new Z like white on bread, who knows how much longer products like this will exist. The entire PC notebook market is trash really, if Sony stops making the Z I'm going Apple.

 

^Apple's are made in China too, so it sounds like they should be off your short list.

 

^ Yeh they are but they seem to be engineered better than most china made computers.

 

Me loves teh compiz from Japans

 

Me too, to be honest. I carry my laptop everywhere. There's a huge difference between 2.5 lbs and 4 lbs.

 

Right. My point is it doesn't matter (at all) where the PC's are built. It's all about the engineering done by the OEM and the QC the OEM provides at the factories. A Z could be built in China and be built identically to a Japan-built Z.

 

And me.

It's an utterly perfect concept for me. Light and powerful on the move and with a great screen. Dock it back at the desk and (hopefully be able to) drive a 2560 pixel wide 27"/30" monitor. And I've never, ever used the ODD on the move.

S

 

But I think if that same Apple computer was made in Japan or USA it would be better quality than the China made version. Even if that difference is not huge.

 

Uh...

There is no smiley that accurately depicts what I think of that post.

 

Agree on that but it's not their fault, the problem is the average consumer becomes dumber and dumber, quality and longevity is absolutely no concern anymore. Samsung is only doing what they are supposed to do: Satisfy the market's needs. You and many others including me hate this cheap crap, but many people on the other hand do not bother. Consuming as many as possible, as cheap as possible even if it has some ridiculous piano finish plastic crap is what the average consumer wants. Each to their own - I also dislike big trucks which you adore. Anyways, in both cases, I would love to see people widely beginning to think different about that.

 

Sorry that's just not an accurate statement.

 

A huge resounding no.

I wholeheartedly agree. Intel integrated graphics is something you'd expect only in a netbook.

 

I know it is market driven. It is really sad. Harder and harder to find hand made leather goods, pretty much all nice stuff is drying up. Pushed off the market by cheep crap.

Naturally you don't like big trucks, you live in Germany. If you lived where I live and you had to go barreling through 1.5 meter tall snow banks you'd start to appreciate a 2.5 Ton truck over your Mercedes. We also have floods and roads wash out entirely. 4x4 is a must. The thing is I appreciate the quality of my vehicle probably as much as you do. My truck is a '97... and the just don't make them the same way anymore. It was the end of an era. I guess what I am getting at is to each his own... yes but all these dumb just want more stuff. I would rather have like 3 quality things than 15 pieces of crap.

 

@ etacarinae. You guys are funny. Over 90% of notebook sales are with integrated graphics...including (but not limited to) Macbook Pro 13", Air, Samsung 9 series, Thinkpad X220, etc.etc. There are very few 13's with discrete GPU, sony's own SA and SB being 2 of them.

Some want all the bells and whistles, some want a thinner, lighter chassis. Considering the Z is targeted at the executive crowd (think Thinkpad X300 customer), I think Z with integrated GPU is spot on.

 

Indeed.

But there should be.

 

I believe you, though in the states, I've seen tons of 4+ liter engine SUVs with 20" rims and low-profile tires which are indeed NOT suitable for purposes you are talking about (sadly, it's the same here with house wifes picking up their kids from school with a Porsche Cayenne or Audi Q7). I mean, just to think a little bit greener would not hurt anyone - buy products that last longer / will be used longer instead of buying all the cheap BS over and over again.
I'd rather have one nice, juicy natural steak than a pile of crappy MSM burgers, really.

So, lets get back to the topic then

 

^ Yes... we are way OT
FWIW my truck has a 7.5 liter engine, now back on topic

 

I can't wait to get myself one of these to go along with the new Z Toshiba Mobile Monitors | US.Toshiba.com

Yeh I know the resolution sucks but I can't find any other portable monitors that are higher.

 

So you assume everyone wants a battery sucking discrete gpu when Intel or AMD integrated graphics works for many?

 

I have to say that I'm one of those that considers discrete GPU a disadvantage. I'd rather have longer battery life, less heat, less hacking around in Linux and especially lower price.
I just need high-res high-quality screen because it's a thing I'll be looking at most of the time. I have a desktop for heavy applications and I assume most of you have a desktop or "workstation" laptop too.

 

Please bow your heads and observe a moment of silence please as this thread passes the 200 page mark.

 

everyone wants a battery sucking discrete gpu that they can switch to when needed... without having an external unit

anyway, i changed the settings, so this is page 67 for me

 

but this is only page 40..

 

The default is 10 posts per page. Yours must be set to 50.

 

It's not light enough for me, and of course I don't want a rarely used ODD stuck on my laptop!!! Why don't Sony put a floppy drive there as well and make it bigger and heavier?

The Z series is targeted as a high end productivity/business machine, not a gaming machine and not as a portable DVD player. Commuting and travel necessitates low weight; productivity software demands high end full voltage processors and high quality, high resolutions screens.

If you want the same notebook but with an ODD and discrete GPU built in, Sony make the SA Series, go buy it!

 

you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. look at a hd3000 benchmark and tell me you get that performance from a netbook.

 

The beauty of the Z (up till now) is that you have a discrete GPU you can enable or disable at will -- you get to choose between power consumption and performance, without having to dock it.
I use my Z at least 3-4 hours a day, most of it from my recliner or bed, or traveling.

My requirements are:
Light enough to use on my lap.
Small enough to use on an airplane tray.
Fast enough to do compiling.
Built-in graphics card capable of both games and model/render.
High enough DPI that 8 pt serif fonts are easy to read.
5 GHz wifi
16:9 screen with HDMI

An IPS display would be nice. So would extra ports (serial, so I can use it for configuring headless servers, and FireWire so I can connect audio/video equipment that doesn't have USB). And I'd pay extra to get a "no camera" option, so I can bring it with me to facilities that ban cameras. But those are all nice to have; a GPU better than Intel's built-in is, on the other hand, a must.
Without it, the new Z is simply not an option, and I will have to look elsewhere for my next computer.

 

agreed, i used my i5-2500k's HD 3000 and played BFBC2 on low at 1600x900 at average of 20 fps... playable if you're desperate.

 

I'm getting sick of waiting for this machine..I need to decide what it's going to be, Lenovo X1 or this thing.

 

I can tell you that I finally found a phone that tore me away from iPhones. The Samasung Galaxy S II.

 

X1 has 1366×768 screen, but the quality is great (or so I read). I don't know why Lenovo puts high-quality screens in X series (ultraportables) and W series (workstations, 15") but not in T series.
I actually don't understand what's the use of low resolution high quality screen if you can't even, for example, view the whole image you're editing. And most software that lets you work with graphics requires a lot of pixels (toolbars, panels, subwindows, etc).

Is there any laptop that I could put Z's screen in? Probably not since the Z is the only 13.1" laptop with 1600x900 resolution.

 

The Z (Both VPC and VGN) is the ONLY computer with a 13.1" screen as far as I know of. Not sure if its the case for the new Z though.

 

SA's 13.3" screen is 4.4mm larger in width and 2.5mm larger in height than Z's 13.1" screen. If the connectors are the same then it might even fit, although you'd have to fix the screen somehow from inside of the frame to not become loose. I assume screens are actually a little bit larger than the visible part.
But the expenses in the end are probably the same as buying a new Z.

 

Will the new Z support dual external displays? Given it will have two hdmi ports (one on the notebook and one on the external unit). I guess it depends on what external GPU it has, but does anyone know if the newer AMD mobile GPUs tend to support external multiple displays, like that eyefinity stuff?

 

OT
I would like to see that 7.5 liter engine with the gas at 1,70€ (~2,43USD) per liter as here in Portugal!