New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

it's a premium thin and light, with a stunning screen and portability with the option of powerful graphics via PMD (a solution that can be attained short of getting a ViDock - which most consumers probably couldn't manage).

Personally, if Apple were to make their air or 13" pro with a 1080p display I'd probably go with that and just play SC2 at lowest graphics settings (that's the only game I play these days anyways... can't keep up with the hardware wars)

 

Beaups are you allowed to disassemble the media dock and take pictures of the innards?

 

Exactly why you can't argue with thse apple fanboys.

They argue that the Z failed because of lack of ODD and discrete GPU while singing praise for MBA. Umm, hey genius, the MBA wouldn't look like a MBA if it had 330m/6650 level GPU and ODD in it! How is this a valid argument in your head

 

I'd say the new Z works for me. I'm a software developer who works mostly at home, with occasional travel. I want something that has a good cpu, fast I/O, and can hook up to multiple monitors when I'm at a desk. Also something portable for travel or when I want to, for example, walk to the local coffee shop and work there. The external GPU is a small mark against, however, since I will need the dock to fill my occasional gaming needs. This is mitigated by the fact I mostly game when I'm at my desk, however.

Unfortunately, I have a perfectly good Z that's just over a year old, and the new Z is not nearly enough of an upgrade for me, especially at the premium price point. I figure my Z will last me another 2-3 years, though if the new Z can be had for cheap a year or so down the road, I'd consider upgrading then.

-Peter

 

Sandy bridge 2x better than Arrandale? Are you serious?

I did mention about the ability to not bring the dock. Businessmen are unlikely to need that power, but then, which businessman needs the power of an i7-2620M? Most business users are going to be answering emails and taking notes and editing documents with MS word using their computer. A fast and snappy computer should suffice, such as the Macbook Air. The SSD is appealing, but the Macbook Air uses SSD as well, and many other laptops can fit an SSD in place of their drive. Anything more won't do you too much good.

I mean seriously, the new Z has a very weird target audience. Apparently it is targeted at those people who need to game at home and do graphics work at home, or to those who need top notch performance without the need of a graphics card in the most compact and light package and are willing to sacrifice their first born with it.

 

Sure, you may not need the dock with you everywhere & I definitely have no arguments to that.

No offense but you're saying it as though everyone work the same way as you do or need to use it exactly the same way as you do. You need to understand that not everyone use the dedicated GPU just for gaming, there are some potential VAIO Z buyers whose work involves running quite heavy 3D/graphical modeling & so on. I'm sure these same people want a VAIO Z notebook because it is super thin & light, the same main reasons as you do. I guess maybe they should just suck it up & run their applications using the Intel GPU if they don't have access to the dock since it doesn't matter if they use the Intel GPU or the AMD GPU?

 

I'm pretty sure that is the Asus UX21 (without discrete GPU) and U36 (with).
But those are not in the same class as the Z.

Add the qualifier 'with 1600x900 or higher resolution', and we're somewhere.

 

you're right here.
the "premium" target audience is rather weird.
most "premium" users won't buy anything short of the best of the best. Even though they hardly need the power.

Gaming and BD on the go I don't think is part of that picture necessarily.

"premium" target audience just want to know that they're getting the power. The dock is more for the BD than the graphics. IMO.

The "premium" target audience is also why there's so much whining in this thread. Lot of people feeling like they are owed more.

 

I think we are overcomplicating it.

I look at it like a macbook air 13" compeitor...only with a better cpu, better display, and a unique way to make it more functional.

And it's lighter and smaller than the air (except thickness).

And it has a backlit keyboard.

Price out an air with 4GB and 128GB SSD, you are approaching Z price. Pull out the Z dock (if possible) and it should be close to a wash.

I think the formula would have been PERFECT had they put a better display in the SA to round out the lineup.

 

actually, the thickest point on the z is less than the thickest point on the air, so I spec sheets its thinner too

but yea the air tapers to .14 inches so in real life I guess it can be called "thinner "

 

with you on this one.
problem of course is sourcing a 13.3" panel with the same quality.

 

?????????????????????????

 

He means if you buy a 1080p screen but set the resolution to 1600x900 through windows.

 

He was quoting his own post to bump the question

 

If that were true, there wouldn't be a HiFi industry.
I think the majority of the premium group buys based on impressions more than anything else.

 

oh haha....awk

 

just try it at home with your current monitor, by downrezing your screen resolution to a comparable aspect ratio. for me that'd be from 1600x900 to 1360x768

results are not great.

you don't need someone else to take a screen grab for you.

 

Agreed. If I could put a premium display in the SA for an extra charge, I would take it.

I'm conflicted about the new Z. It's hugely expensive, at least with the size hard drive common in new laptops (larger SSDs are expensive, that's just the way it is). There are some compromises I really don't like that I've already mentioned. I'm also concerned about the keyboard but I can't judge that without trying it. Of course, there hasn't been a keyboard I really liked since the XT -- the best computer keyboard of all time.

I don't know whether I'll get the new Z or not. I'm still hoping someone will come out soon with the equivalent of a maxed-out SA with premium/super-premium display. I'll definitely try the Z at a store before even seriously considering it.

I do know that I'm very appreciative of beaups (I thought of it as bay-ups) for providing ongoing information about the Z.

 

Agree that premium group buys based on impressions.
But... fact that premium buyers want what they perceive as the best of the best... doesn't keep the HiFi industry from existing...

 

With the common integration of graphics into documents, availability of modeling software on notebooks and the like, buisness users are more CPU/GPU hungry every year. I use my CPU/GPU to edit and process Aerial images, which I then organize into presentations (also conducted from the notebook) on smartboards. Add to that, video conferencing, 3D rendering and an occasional game when you're unpacked in your hotel room while on the road, and you have a decent picture of the modern business user.

If you handle medical records in the US, mandatory HIPA encryption also suggests that a CPU less than an I5-520M is unacceptable, given the absence of the AES protocols. Thus, virtually every medical records custodian or transcriptionist should have the I5 or better CPU in their notebooks if they are handling and transmitting large files.

Engineers typically do a lot of data crunching and modeling on programs like Matlab. I can tell you from experience that Matlab likes running my I5-540M at 3.66 ghz.

I could go on. So, I guess, at its core, I disagree with your premise about how busiess uses notebooks and the need for power. At least, that has not been my experience.

Bronsky

 

Wish I had one to take apart! I get to spend some time with things like the new Z, but they don't stay. I'll have to buy one when it's released just like you

 

I don't think he's talking about medical / design / engineering.
he's talking more about the folks down the hall in the C-Level suites.

anyway... I'm going to stop posting about our speculation of who we think sony's trying to build the laptop for... cause... again... neither here nor there...
I just think that they've come up with an intriguing product... and it'll be curious how the market at large will respond.

Personally I use it mostly for graphic design work (80% screen, 20% print).
And cannot wait.

 

you have got it wrong. user that buy sony Z is not college kids who burn all they credit card just to buy the Z. but it is the same folks who buy BMW5+ Mercedes E+ or similar (even tho you cannot drive above the speed limit anyway).

you get it now?

 

Im going to be a college freshman in the fall...

 

There are a lot of assumptions about whether the target audience needs this kind of machine. I know from my experience that there is indeed a need to be filled in this space.

Many professionals need to run vertical apps that are very demanding. Engineering, financial analysis, parametric simulations, etc that go far beyond just web browsing and email.

I know I am interested in the new Z because I want horsepower in a small light package. And while it is bigger than I want, the weight is perfect. I have not seen the need for an internal ODD in 3 years. I prefer the external dock solution as a way to get more processing power by leveraging the GPU.

I am glad Sony chose the sacrifices needed to make this a highly transportable platform that can hopefully crunch as much as I can throw at it. There is no such thing in the world as perfect solution for everyone, at least I haven't found one yet.

 

Thanks for the reply and images by the way look great. I should be receiving mine today or tomorrow at latest, as we both, saw that post and ordered around the same time frame. That guy that posted the review probably had no idea it had already been stenciled, and all was needed to be done was peel it off.

By the way, did the lid skin come in two pieces - the main piece w/ vaio cutout plus the narrow long horizontal piece that goes across the edge of the Z right above the logo? I had no idea it included a palm rest skin as well. Thanks again.

I have back-ups as ISO, but I wanted to eliminate this process because there are too many files and steps - two subfolders to link to before I get to the ISO to start the movie - too many steps to get the movie going. I just want to be able to link to the title and have the movie start immediately without having to search. Can't seem to figure how is why I asked. Simply changing the ISO title to the movie title itself doesn't work. I was hoping there would be an easier method. Thanks.

The Z2 seems to cater to those that have no need for the ODD, possibly the same people that were finding ways to modify the Z1's ODD to add extra SSD or HHD storage and at the same time eliminate that extra weight and have it more so portable and thinner that the Z1. Those dreams were finally granted by Sony. However, where the Z2 dissapoints, are from people that use it for on-the-fly gaming - requiring this external unit. Or even for people who still use CD's and BD to watch movies.

IMO, the Z2 is the eye and wave into the future, meaning, the Z3 most likely won't have an ODD either. Hopefully, a better design. Cloud computing, streaming, downloading, and simply backing up movies onto SSD's (which by the way is super convenient) is where its at and where we're all heading. CD's will become as obsolete as have 8-Tacks, Cassetes, and VHS. My hunch is flash drives and external drives will follow next when everyone starts using and storing files on Cloud.

 

i'm not saying who is buying but what i mean is who is the target of this machine. but if you money buy it but dont put yourself in a hole.

 

That's exactly what I was saying a few pages back. I would have preferred the the following lineup:

• Z2: something like the SA, but with a smaller and lighter chassis, premium display and quality materials (carbon fiber, aluminum, etc.).
  
• X2: something like the new Z that was announced this week. Maybe an 11" or 12" screen and some other changes to differentiate it from the rest.
  
• S2: the SB/SC

This would have made much more sense to me, though it would have probably been much more expensive for Sony.

I see the problem related to what beaups said, that he sees the new Z as a MacBook Air competitor with better specs. The previous Z was not in that category, it was something very different. In my opinion that confuses people, because they are expecting the Z2 to be a new iteration of the previous Z, that's why they (we) are complaining. I also think that if the current new Z would have been introduced as the X2 (or T1 or whatever) people (not only here, everywhere) would have been praising it.



OT:
The "everyone who complains is a troll" attitude of 2-3 members here is a bit pathetic. Why does everyone have to have the same opinion and needs as you do, and like the new Z to an extent that he is agressively defending it? Most of the complaints are or can turn out to be valid (no real hands-on tests exist) for the mentioned use-cases. It's not the single, minor complaints that's the problem for the "haters", it's that there are many of those.

 

its a graduation gift

 

Agreed. I find that I rarely even use flash drives now, only externals only to dump on when my HD gets full.

 

All I got for a graduation gift was a high-five from a friend and a few family members.

 

Well trying it with my current monitor I see no problems. As I said, I believe the better the quality of the LCD panel the least you loose by using out of native resolution. i just wish someone with a Z and 1080p screen do the test.

 

Really? When i downsize my display from native resolution it looks AWFUL

 

Here's my thing. Which I've mentioned before. We all have expectations. And based on what Sony's put out, they've either been met or unmet. From there it's out of our hands.

It is a matter of fact that complaining changes nothing. But I also think it's fair to express disappointment. What I don't appreciate is the virtrol and venom people are expressing towards Sony or other forum members. No one owes anyone anything. Why does it need to be taken personally?

 

Spending time with any other interesting toys lately?

Not going to happen. For reasons of security, reliability, legal (files stored on the "cloud" don't necessarily have the same legal status as if they were stored on your pc) as well as others. There will always be a place for physical media.

 

Couldn't agree more.... couple your points with the average user's throttled upload speeds, the current trend towards capping data usage, spotty mobile broadband coverage and the fact that I've yet to see any streaming video that looks as good as a high quality video file stored locally.... and the 'cloud' seems like a pipe dream at best. I'm certainly not going to get rid of my stack of external HDs anytime soon, and probably never will.

Yeah I too like the way Sony's gone with this...even if it isn't a 'perfect solution.'

Ideally I'd like to see the Z become a range...

- An 11" - 12" that's even lighter for the X-series fans - call it Z-X
- The current new Z as it is
- And a 14"er with a quad core option, an onboard GPU, some extra ports (at least one more USB and an e-SATA perhaps?) and a more generous keyboard/touchpad, but still keeping the ODD external so it stays uber thin and light - call this one Z-S....aka my 'perfect solution.'

Personally it drives me nuts that to get something truly thin and light I need to get something under 14". 15" is too big, and 13" is just a bit too small.... for my taste anyway;-)

 

I decided to order mine tomorrow - this will be my third Z.

Basically, I will be using two 1080p monitors instead one 2560x1600 - so this is the kind of compromise that I hoped I won't have to make, but so be it. However, I will wait couple of weeks for ordering the dock, to see whether it will be possible to use standard Light Peak equipment.

Shipping times in Germany are estimated to be 2-3 weeks.

By the way, I do not think it makes sense to call people trolls just because they do not like the new Z. It is true that the new Z is a significant departure from the VGN-Z and VPC-Z1x design philosophies and it definitely will make certain amount of people unhappy. I guess they are complaining not because they dislike Sony but because they had higher expectations for the new Z.

And, yes, I do find the dock quite pointless - the only real use for it is serving the two monitors. Its GPU is nowhere near desktop-class GPUs so it is questionable who would profit from this, you can get USB DVD/BD drives for much less, and the fact that this thing has to use its own power-brick makes it practically not portable.

So, why Sony did not use bigger case and better GPU? Or why they didn't put displayport on it allowing usage of 30" monitors? It makes no sense from the usability point of view - the only answer is also the simplest: margins. This will sell nevertheless.

However, I am not really sure whether this strategy will work long-term for Sony... New Z is becoming not so distant from what is available from the competition, so it will be probably becoming harder to keep charging the "premium" sums for something that is becoming less of a premium product.

But, anyway, this is Sony's own business... I am anyway going to contribute to it obviously

 

Wow, just caught up on the last 80 unread pages!

Ok, so my thoughts on the batter life. I just purchased an x220, after deciding not to wait for the new Z. That aside, some comments about the battery life.

First, I have the 6 cell battery, rated for 62 watt/hours. Lenovo advertises 8 hours for the 6 cell. That comes to about 7.75watts of usage per hour. Ok, honestly, that is NOT a totally unreasonable claim, but under normal usage conditions, we are seeing about 9-10 watts of usage an hour. Thats about 6.8 to 6.2 hours.

When I say regular usage, I mean decent brightness, bunch of tabs open, watching the occasional video, basically using the laptop as you would, without doing extreme things to reduce power usage.

I was hoping for a solid 7 hours, but I get a VERY acceptable solid 6 hours, without much trying for it.

Now, I'm not gonna try and say that there will be an apples to apples comparison here, but sony claiming 7 hours on a 42watt/hour battery... Sorry, I'm calling "shenanigans."

I'm willing to bet you will see around 4.5 hours of REAL WORLD usage.

I have the i7 x220, with an intel 320 ssd and the ips screen.

With all apps closed, laptop totally idle, sitting there, doing nothing at 60% brightness, I'm seeing about 6.5 watts of draw from the battery.

Sorry to burst the bubble, but that's just the way it is. Sandy Bridge is awesome at idle, but as soon as that i7 starts going up in clockspeed, your power consumption is gonna suffer.

 

I agree. I'm not sure I like the new Z. Recognizing someone as troll because they make personal comments about someone providing highly requested information, however, is completely different matter.

 

beaups, can you comment on the quality of keyboard on new Z?

I tried my friend's SA, and I absolutely loved its keyboard (except that it doesn't have dedicated pg down, pg up, and other navigational keys).

Since new Z is thinner, I wonder how its keyboard would feel like compared to SA (does it have much lesser travel time? is it similar to SA? or MBA?).

I am a programmer, so I really care about how keyboard feels and its layouts.


I am a little bit worried because I saw somewhere in preview that new Z has too less travel time that typing isn't much a pleasure.

 

Yep, it came with the long narrow piece. By the way, that guy can be forgiven for thinking so, because 1) the instructions did not explicitly mention about the stencil, 2) the stencil is invisible even if you look up close at the leather skin. I only noticed it because of the sticky paper, and even then, with great effort. To see it on the leather skin, you need to fold it near the stenciled lines to force them to "pop" out. Not something people would do on first thought when it's a leather skin, albeit a faux one.

 

you mean it not look as good as native aren't you?

 

For what it's worth, I went from using the pretty-good keyboard on my SZ to the smaller chiclet keyboard on my X. Initially I noticed the shallow travel and I honestly though that it could be a problem for more than occasional typing. But after a few days I was totally used to it, and I don't find it any less comfortable or more difficult than my SZ keyboard. I'm assuming the new Z won't have a keyboard with a travel less than the X; so whilst most people will certainly notice the difference when trying out this keyboard, it hopefully shouldn't cause any long term difficulties.

Actually, I have never had a situation where I've been writing up a report or a long document and have felt the need to move from the X to the SZ; the keyboard is not an issue.

 

Lots of toys. Lots of good stuff coming later this year.

 

beaups, please hint us on the new P

 

Agreed, at least for me. It will be a long time before I entrust my data to areas out of my control. I work with databases and see too much in the way of human error. I also don't think hacking attacks will abate anytime soon. If companies can't protect sensitive personal data like ss numbers, how can I expect them to give my documents the same security I would? In this case being "in a crowd" doesn't give protection. It makes you the target. From my perspective it is better to stay local with my data.

 

yes

10 char

 

what notebook?

 

then of course, the @ 900p you have less pixel hence look less crisp

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head here. The Z2 seems very aimed at being an MBA competitor. As the new MBA isn't out yet (likely release: mid-to-late-July), it's difficult to say how successful it will be at that. It sure beats the specs of the old MBA (apart from not legally being able to run MacOS, of course). But it's also far pricier.

The continuation of the Z line seems, indeed, to be in the S line now, but downgraded from prosumer to consumer grade.

I don't think the complaints are that the Z2 is a bad machine, but that it's not what was expected, and for many, not what they want or need. So the complaints are about things that doesn't make sense when what you wanted was an improved Z, which this isn't.

I'm still hoping that Sony will release a TT successor one day