Sony SA Series Discussion Sony's next new 13.3 laptop

Wow I have to get an i7 to get the 6630 GPU -_-

 

They've taken all the money out of my bank account and not sent me a laptop yet, bloody cheek!

(joking aside, I would consider that to be fairly standard - especially for CTO type stuff)

 

yep. I did hear from someone in their callcenter that you can send back the laptop in 30 days if you want to. Even though its build to order. Only if you engrave it you can't return it.
(this is in the netherlands)

 

The confirmation email I received when ordering (UK) specifically states otherwise:

I thought that the Distance Selling Regulations was one of those synchronised through some EU directive so it was the same in every country, but apparently not?

(of course, there is always the possibility that they will accept returns of non-engraved CTOs; they could just charge you a restocking fee and get rid of it quite quickly because it's such a new model, but I don't blame them for not advertising the fact or making it standard!)

 

When i was going to order a CTO laptop from Sony in the UK i was informed that i could only return a CTO laptop if it was defective within the return window. Just returning it because you changed your mind was not an acceptable reason to return a CTO laptop.

 

That seems logical and reasonable (hence the exemption under the Distance Selling regs) and confirms what I received from Sony. I was just a bit surprised that the Netherlands would be any different, perhaps they have a specific law that states you have to be able to return CTO stuff? Seems pretty unlikely...

What is more likely is that the person in the call centre was wrong/mistaken. Like the guy who told me 100% definitely that the SB was being made in Japan, but all the stuff I've been able to find indicates China. I am waiting 'til it actually turns up to find out though.

 

Where the parts are being made or where the chassis is made + assembling are 2 different things.

In the netherlands there is a law that you can return almost everything bought through internet within 7 days of arrival except if it is especially made for you.
Looking at the sony site you can return everything within 7 days. (there is no engraving on the dutch site it seems)

(btw, this is one very small 90w adapter, i hope it's the adapter included with the SB laptop VGP-AC19V51 (VGPAC19V51) : Technische specificaties : VAIO notebooks & PC-randapparatuur : Sony )

edit: nope it isnt

 

I think its just a case of sony customer services being confused, as the Vaio Z I returned as defective a few weeks ago I was specifically told on the phone that I had seven days to return if I was not happy with, which at the time i though was unlikly as is was a custom product.
Which is why you should always record phone calls with customer services so you have evdience of what they have promised.

 

Yes, this is your equivalent to the UK's Distance Selling Regulations. I'd be very surprised if Sony did let you return CTO stuff though, I think there may have been a breakdown in communication when they told you they would.

Well, clearly I'm not expecting that they move Seagate's hard drive factory, Intel's processor factory etc etc to Japan, I'm talking about the assembly.

As I have posted up thread, I made a point of asking as IME the Japanese-built Vaios are much more nicely made than the Chinese ones (I've had a few of each), and was told that they were being assembled in Japan, but the prototype seems to say China.

I will have to wait until I receive it to find out for certain.

Edit: @ Nc79, which country?

 

UK sorry, its just the usual case of phone support saying things or making promises without being sure.
In such cases Sony has made the mistake so shoudl have to pay for it but most time you will get nowhere with some evidence.

Saw some pricing for the tosh r830 - £1381
Toshiba Portege R830-112 (PT320E-00Y00SGR) | Skinflint Price Comparison EU

while a bit lighter the equivelent SB is £928 although not as good warranty.

 

I saw the new S last night. I just dont like everything on the right side.

I dont mind if no DVD drive.

 

Where did you see it?

 

everything on right side? like the MBPs?

 

any chance of going back and grabbing some photos? could you use it?

 

I'd much rather all the ports were on one side. Makes far more sense in terms of cable management.

And it will be a long time before I buy a laptop without an optical drive, if I can avoid it.

 

agreed, I have some old games like simcity 4 which as old as it is, I still play it to relax. Damn, still nothing on Sony canada regarding the SB.

 

SB1 CTO is available in the USA. Starts at $989 (not bad!)

But the 6470m GPU you get at that price point is pretty much worthless (1.5x or less the power of the intel on-die GPU), so an upgrade to an AMD 6630 and an i7 is pretty much required. That puts the real starting price at $1269, which still isn't bad.

I'm pretty tempted to buy one. I wish I knew how much Sony is going to screw us for a real high-def screen on the SA1. (SB1 doesn't allow screen upgrades, we're stuck at the craptastic 1366x768 standard rez every laptop screen has these days)...

Seems like the only real competitor available now is the Lenovo y460p, which is about equally powerful in Gpu and processor, but half again as thick and a lot heavier.

 

It sucks a bit that they force you to get the i7 to get the higher end graphics card - they don't in the UK.

I stuck with the 6470 though, £60 on a graphics card upgrade is a total waste of money when the machine comes with a perfectly good one anyway.

I would guess that the SA will be priced quite a bit higher, for the carbon fibre, the higher res screen and the fact they will try and differentiate it as a premium offering, particularly since the Z is being discontinued.

 

Another palm rest question... The UK models come in different colors. Would one assume the chassis is painted on top of the metal? Or is the color somehow integrated in a deeper manufacturing process?

 

Anodizing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

easily scratchable, like previous magnesium VAIOs

 

Hmm, yep. So wearing a watch with a metal band is generally ill-advised when using something with this type of material. Thanks for the link; I just lost an hour of my day in a wiki black hole!

 

Behave like me, no watch at all! XD

In this case I have no problem..

 

I just use my phone as a watch. Hopefully someday my phone will become a watch.

I'm not too worried about scratching, if you treat it right and carrying it around in a case you'll be fine. If you treat it like yet another disposable laptop, that is what you will get.

 

I wear rubber gloves till the elbow when handling the Z.

 

Sony maintains that the Z is not being discontinued:

Sony VAIO S arrives stateside, brings along an advanced extended battery -- Engadget

I'm still waiting for it to become available in Canada, it's funny that the Canadian site still has the old S series marked as "New". I'm upset that they've abandoned the circular hinge with the green power button though, that design is classic and should never have been dropped.

 

A noob question here, does anyone know the if the raid 0 ssd option for the sb is SATA 3? If not then is it possible to install raid 0 SATA 3 with aftermarket ssds ourselves?

 

Waiting myself for the new SB as well in canada, but nothing on the canadian press site just yet.

But I disagree with the circular hing, the hinge would mean a minimum thickness of the laptop unless sony changed the shape of the barrel and eliminated the silver area around the light and just kept the light as the power button to minimize thickness, but I guess the hinge was not what people wanted since on FW models it broke off easily.

 

My gut feeling is the SA being mentioned here will be released under the Z brand.

Pricing, super high resolution in a 13" frame...it all fits.

HIGHLY doubt there will be a separate SA as discussed here and a Z label.

Anyone know how easy it'd be to swap a 1600x900 screen onto the SB's?

I know the Dell guys have been swapping the XPS 14 and 15" screens for better ones.

 

I agree with you. I think that's the case at least in the US. I think that's why SB was released as S instead of SB in the US.

 

And the SB is being released as the SB...SC is being released as the SC...and so on.

 

I don't understand how many times Beaups has to repeat himself and how people manage to pull other assumptions out of thin air all the time. Beaups has been saying the same thing since the end of last year over and over.

 

what fun are forums if everyone knows the answer early. then theres nothing to discuss...

 

It's 141 page thread. That's why. Not everyone parses through 1400 posts to glean that information. I repeat 1,400 posts. Never been a fan of these mammoth threads and this is why.

In any event, it's going to be crazy to see what stops Sony pulls out for the Z since the SA seems decked to the hilt.

 

beaups, could you gently tell which would be the typical price for the SA without SSD, with 6630M, 1600x900 premium and i5 2520 or something similar (wich I think it would be the base-config)?? Not specific, but a range.. To understand if it's better for my budget (1400€-1500€ to aim to SB or waiting SA, starting from the fact that I'd love to have the premium display.

In addition, do you know if the HDD in SB uses Sata 2.0 or 3.0?

 

That's probably the config a lot of people are going to gun for. A high res SB with the 6630M and I am golden.

 

Yeah:
i5 2520M
HD 6630M
4GB DDRIII (+4 post-order)
1600*900 Vaio Display Premium
HDD (SSD post-order)
Additional Flat Battery

This would perfect if it'll be below 1400€, cuz the nearest SB to that config would cost 1200€

 

In my opinion...

Not a chance of that sort of set up falling under 1400 euros on release.

Past pricing of the Z series, premium part selection such as graphics, Sandy Bridge, design and not to mention industry leading display resolution for a notebook this small will come at a much higher premium.

 

Sorry, equal to 1400€, not below..
I say that because some months ago it was possible to order the same kind of config at 1399€ of Z... so I don't think it will cost much more (it's SA not Z)

 

Less than $1400 US. Not sure on the Sata, can't see why it wouldn't be 3.0 but don't know for certain.

 

And that's list, obviously you should expect the typical $100-200 discounts from time to time.

 

Wow more than happy to be wrong if less than $US1400 w/ 1600x900. That seems extremely competitive. Hope the conversion to my local currency won't be too far off!

Just need to wait it out heh...

 

As I expected.

Thank you very much for this info. This means near/below 1400€ (since quite everywhere $ = € in practice )

It would be great if it will be sold before June..

 

The barrel hinge looks nice but imho its more trouble than its worth. The assembly is quite complex and expensive - especially if you have to manufacture and assemble lots of small, interlocking parts in lots of different sizes for bigger or smaller notebooks. The infamous 'creaking' hinge is almost a scourge on this forum.

Lots of small interlocking parts means more mechanical stress on the hinge as you tilt the screen. After 2 years my VAIO SR is not holding up so good. The keyboard tray is lifting on one side due to one of the clips snapping off. The buttons recessed into the hinge no longer "click" in when you press them and they often get stuck when you tilt the screen back more than 45 degrees. The number of screws you need to take out to remove the backplate and hinge is kind of insane. The battery requires a screw driver or some type of shim to provide the necessary leverage in order to remove it when you disengage the lock. It feels built to look pretty, not to last. Some folks deal with it by babying their Sony notebooks and I hate babying things. I like really using stuff.

The design of the SB has much less interlocking parts which should make it sturdier, easier to repair and more tolerant of mechanical stresses. I have really taken to the new aesthetic because there is beauty in function. My SR looks pretty I guess but its an impractical sort of pretty. In hindsight I now think its a little bit obscene.

 

Oh hell yes, looks like I'll be waiting on SA

 

A quick question that someone may be able to answer. With my current Vaio SR, I'm able to create a power on password and a hard disk password. Is this feature likely to be available on the SB?

 

I bought a CTO Vaio Z about 1-2 months ago, wasn't happy with it's high pitched fan noise so I returned it (no defect). Got all my money back. (Austria)

 

Bye-bye Z. Been a great 6 months. Hello SA!

 

Not sure about your first question, but to the 2nd one: unlikely, as there won't be anough space to fit more than one SSD in there yourself.

 

SB and CA/CB/3D F available for presale in Sony Hong Kong.
Pick up on March 24th (March 17th for the F)

Sony VAIO - Sonystyle.com.hk