New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

For those worried about the keyboard flex shown in the Sony Taiwan video, the CNET UK hands-on should put your fears to rest.

See 4th paragraph here:
Sony Vaio Z series (VPC-Z21M9E) | Reviews | CNET UK

 

I found this link from the same site that says the VPCZ217GGX gets a "2nd Generation SSD"... hmm, Is there a way we can confirm?

http://www.mmt.com.au/prodspec/15VAIO-VPCZ217GGX/VPCZ217GGX.pdf

 

... is it even possible that sony usa will wait another 20 something days before releasing it? why is it available in europe but not usa..

 

I talked to a guy in the SonyStyle store in NYC and he said they won't have it until August.

 

Who knows... but for SB it has been similar.. released in Europe one week before USA ( I don't remember for SA )... probably it'll be the same..

Strange for Italy, cuz' new Z is shown in the homepage of laptop and even in the small picture to be selected.. but once one enters the z page, there's still the old view and old z CTO -,-

 

thanks for the info!

i can't believe this is the only option besides the LG... which has an unknown resolution, unknown release date, and unknown availability

 

Thanks for the link to the cnet uk piece, but who edited it!!

Hide he should.

 

That was all speculation. If you rrad tye rest of the article, if you can call it that, you will see that they dont even have a review unit.

I hope the claim is true, but this person is talking out of their darkside.

 

i talked to a sales rep today at the sony rehobeth outlet. He said he would ask his superiors to see when the z would be up on sony usa. I doubt he will give any useful information, but its worth a try.

 

It won't be shipping until it's released in Japan, if it's anything like the Z1 was. http://www.jp.sonystyle.com is the place to look for updates.

 

On Sony France, it is said that 3rd gen SSD are only available on CTO models.

 

Speculation? No. They were at the Sony London event. They had hands on time with the units at the show. I would be surprised if CNET doesn't have a review unit already.

 

Is the RAM/memory user upgradable or are they soldered on? Looking at the photos of the guts, it doesn't look like they are user replaceable.

Sorry if someone already asked and was answered. 'Search this thread' doesn't work.

 

No it isn't user upgradable. They are proprietary parts.

 

Yes they are user upgradeable, as long as you source the proprietary memory modules from sony. Probably for big $$$, they do have just another connector so being a little flatter, but they are just plugged in, not soldered. You can see the memory modules and the connectors on the motherboard in the various press photos which are around in this thread.

 

Well yea that's sorta what I mean lol, because they use proprietary parts. Same thing applies to the SSD in both the VPC-Z1 and VPC-Z2, would you consider them at "user upgradable"? They aren't replaceable using a conventional solution (i.e. using standard modules), so it can probably be considered non user upgradable for the most part.

 

Late July. I've given you the US release date already.

 

I've been browsing the preconfigured options on the Sony UK homepage, and I'm wondering about the prices. The model VPCZ21M9E here is listed for £1,999 with i5 processor, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM, 900p display, backlit keyboard and WWAN. What is not clear is if this setup definitely includes the dock or the sheet battery.

The same configuration when you use the CTO option, minus the dock, is £1,549. With the basic dock included, it's £1,948. So surely the preconfigured model includes the dock. But can we also assume that these models will include the sheet battery (listed at £60)? Is there any chance of a cheaper preconfigured model, say around £1,500 (without the dock)?

Here's hoping! Some of us live in countries where CTO is not available

EDIT: meant to ask; should it be possible to order accessories afterwards at the same cost? eg the sheet battery for £60, the dock for £400? Or might there be a premium?

 

If I look at how Sony does it with the new Z in Germany: CTO price for the Sheet battery is 60 Euro. Buy it seperately and it costs 150 Euro. So yes I'd say you shouldn't buy it seperately but with you CTO order.

 

I ordered the sheet battery with my order because of this...

However, I did not order the dock as it is still of a questionable value to me... I asked the sales rep if the dock is going to be separately available, and he said that they certainly plan to do so, but it might happen that it might only appear as a separate item in September time-frame.

Also, he said that there are no new-Z specific accessories, but all of that is going to come "soon"...

So I'd suggest to order the sheet battery now if you needed, as it is very unlikely it will be cheaper as a separate order any time soon.

 

Little OT concerning SB and SA rising prices:

A friend called Sony Italia and they told him that tomorrow prices will be back to normal.. probably somebody in Sony made a mistake -,-

 

YouTube - ‪Sony - VAIO z2 2011 z - VPCZ217GW quick boot comparison‬‏

 

We had that video some posts before, also in this video you can see how much the whole body of the new Z flexes when power button is pressed. This is ridiculous.
Also notice that the screen swings back and forth. I can imagine that it may swing a little bit when typing since the Z gets lifted up in the back when the screen is opened (in the profile shots we had here before, you can see the rubbered screws at the bottom are not touching the ground anymore). Not very impressive at all, we'll see if it will be better in actual retail models - if not - total fail. We are just a month away from that - why would sony advertise such flex rather than present their flagship model in the best light?

 

i HATE the expression "piece of kit"

 

You mean the 27th? Does this mean that when it actually does launch on the usa website, it will be available for purchase, not preorder? There will be no preorder option in the US? and the day its on the website is the same day it will be in store?

 

why are there 4 dislikes on that quick boot video?

 

Perhaps because of the flex on the new Z?

 

Four VPC-Z1 people jealous of the speed of the Z2? Well, I am in no way jealous especially considering I have the ability to go to Starbucks and play some FPS without needing a PMD.

 

It's an ultra-light carbon fibre laptop. I think we have to expect some flex when you push down hard on one side. It doesn't imply it's any less sturdy - it's just a product of the design and materials. If you want a 'solid' aluminium laptop I think you're going to have to buy Apple. If you want a solid plastic lunchbox you're going to need a Lenovo.

For better or for worse, Sony have done something different. I'm pretty satisfied that the flexible materials used don't detract from the durability of the laptop. If anything they add to it, if the X is anything to go by. And if you use wake-on-open and sleep-on-close then you won't be hitting the power button anyway

 

I love the new Z21, but will not let go of my old Z13. For me the new Z is a Vaio X series that becomes a Z when its at home with the docking station.

Not worth the upgrade IMHO. Would rather spend money modifying my current Z13

 

I'm having trouble determining whether the unit is flexing or it's just an artifact/shimmer in the video. Too bad it's not higher res.

 

Uhm... Sony says: "Palm Rest: Aluminium" : Sony VAIO Z components - Engadget Galleries

So why not make it as stiff as the Z1 - I have one btw and loving it, and I would expect sony NOT to pull off such a step back mechanics-wise.

Absolutely no doubt that has to be flex.

========

Once again, let's see how actual retail models are in this respect.

 

According to this french review on PCInpact, the VAIO Z does not flex at all.

 

that doesn't look like flex at all. it looks like somebody pushing down VERY hard on the power button and slightly tipping the machine over.

he's pushing hard because he doesn't want to mis-click and mess up the demo run.

 

I highly doubt the actual unit has a fle problem. otherwise, we would have heard at least one of the many hands-ons to have mentioned it.

 

Or probably a prototype...

 

Flex or no flex, I think I am just going to put my money into some SSD and a ViDock for the Z I already have. I am on the fence about it but I am leaning more toward not getting the new Z. The gold one looks cool though. The black one is so boring, and I don't like the lid design at all. The current Z has so much upgrade potential. I also like the proper dock for the Z1. The lightpeek thing could have been great if it wasn't proprietary, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

The keyboard/palmrest plate *IS* aluminium.

Secondly, aluminium has a stiffness of around 70GPa whereas carbon fibre composites have a stiffness of around 150-400+ GPa depending on the fibre volume fraction, resin and layup etc. This, however, is irrelevant since the keyboard plate is aluminium anyway.

The reason MacBooks have to be so rigid is primarily because of the glossy glass screen which has very low compliance to flexure (it'll crack if bent!). Second reason, IMO, is because Apple know that the average lay consumer (incorrectly) universally associates rigidity with quality.

 

Why is flex bad? the old Z had admirable screen flex but strong.
pls go

 

i'm disagreeing with you about the rigidity/quality thing.

most people don't care about the drop-survival tests. they care that the laptop feels like it won't break(because it bends/creaks). the former is something that benefits them once in a time that they hope will never happen; the latter is something that they notice every single time they hold the laptop.

 

so you are disagreeing that it is incorrect to "universally associate rigidity with quality"?

My previous statement was carefully worded.

Anyway, another thing that consumers will notice every day is the extra 1/2 pound hanging off their shoulder. This is the real trade off.

 

i'm disagreeing with the fact that youre saying its wrong; from some(myself included), rigidity is quality. Everyone's definition of quality is different - in the exact same manner that everyone's definition of perfection is different.

to be more specific: your definition of quality is the ability of a material to survive catastrophic conditions; my definition is the ability for the material to show no visible signs of deterioration under normal conditions. they're not necessarily mutually exclusive, but in this case, they are.

 

funny thing, I don't remember saying that.

 

Can I say the new Z2 is using the real carbon fiber
but Z1 is only using carbon fiber reinforced plastic?

 

then what ARE you talking about?

 

Sony has said carbon fiber in their powerpoint slides, video, press release, and with reps at the event. There has been no mention of plastic, so it makes me think this is real carbon fiber.

 

Carbon Fiber is a general term used to describe a composite material containing carbon composites. What the layman considers Carbon Fiber is actually CFRP, or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer/Plastic. Both polymer and plastic are okay to be used, but polymer is the more technical term.

So, it's the same thing in this instance.

The real complications start to arise when you consider the nature of the layup, the resin, and the curing method.

Ideally, I would hope that the material and method Sony uses is dry layup Epoxy Resin Pre-Impregnated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer compression molded and autoclave cured.

However, to save money, they may also go with advance OOA (Out Of Autoclave) composites which require only the compression molding by vacuum bag.

Hope that helps.

 

that didn't help at all

 

Guys what are you saying?? When somebody talks about carbon fiber, carbon fiber always comes with plastic as matrix. We're talking about a filler of carbon fiber ( to be seen if long or short fiber ) with a resin (plastic) matrix .. the only other common usage of carbon fiber without resin is in case of yarn/woven and such stuffs.

But in these case, we're talking about carbon fiber reinforced plastic, a composite material. With out resin, it's impossible to stuck fiber together. Composites materials are meant to fuse good point of filler with good point of matrix (and they're not so cheap due to their production processes and type of mats).

PS. damn,obiwandado wrote before me XD

 

Simply, it means that you'll see ALWAYS a chassis made of carbon fiber with plastic/resin/polymer. The plastic permit fiber to be together.