The Official Haswell/Z Speculation Thread

Now that IB is being released, it's time to put all those old Z3 speculations to rest and to start thinking about what the Haswell-equipped Z will be like.

 

Haha Louche... talk about beating the crowd .

Well, for 1, i'd like to see REGULAR Thunderbolt, so eGPU options will be out there. And increase in res 2560x1440 (or 1600p if they go 16:10)

I know some will ask for Quad-cores, but some people like me don't need it.

 

Sadly I have nothing to add here

 

^Bummer that.

The 1600p would be my pick for a single upgrade. I'm not much of a power-video user and while a quad-core would be nice, with Haswell I don't how much that's going to be needed.

 

what is the release time form intel for the haswell (laptop), summer 2013? if so then next z (Z3) will be around sep2013?

i will love to have touchscreen for the win8

 

Give it time.

 

1600p/1440p ? You would need magnifier glasses ('O-O')...
1080p is just quite a lot for 13,1" already.
I'd be much more enthusiast for a better monitor technology and get rid out of the TN. A well calibrated IPS with adobeRGB coverage and good contrast.

Quad-Core would be nice too!

All USB to the latest version and one on each side would be great (3 would be great).

A mini-display port instead of that old sucking VGA port and replace HDMI with a mini-HDMI to save space.

A more powerful PMD.

More RAM.

More colors.

Reinforcement of the chassis near the SD/HG DUO emplacement.

 

^you are getting quad core and likely more ram with the Z2 rev.

I personally like the vga port. I plug in to way to many projectors. And the hdmi port while we're at it.

Just my $.02

 

^
Sounds good

 

OOH! Did you just say we're getting Quad-Core???? How about a more powerful GPU in the PMD? Possibly something closer to high range as opposed to something slightly more powerful than what the SA has... I mean, it's external there's got to be better cooling there (and if it gets a little too hot, who cares). I'd like the thunderbolt/DP port (redundant?) of a macbook pro as long as sony includes a free dongle, that way I can use my external monitor that only has DVI (don't even think HDMI to DVI is possible)

Other than that, maybe a larger touchpad and thinner bezel. And as mentioned before, better screen

 

As ivy bridge includes a 35w quadcore this option is very likely. Still, a quadcore might prove thermally more challenging than the current i7, as it really will max out the thermal design of the Z2.

 

Far too early to discuss.

 

intel i7 - 3612QM is a quad core and only require 35w and it is only for oem like sony.

edit1:
-smaller pmd with slimmer blu ray drive
--samsung SE-218BB

 

A bit of a contradiction there.

Isn't the current gpu already underclocked? I don't know if the Sony implementation of LP can effectively handle more horsepower.

 

Beaups' first post was related to the Haswell Z and the second one was about the IB Z.

 

thank beaups,

can you let us know the time frame of z2 quad, i have my cc ready now.

 

My bad. ....

 

He mentioned late June/early July in another thread.

Me too.

 

I thought it was lightpeak itself which can't handle more horsepower. Unless some form of compression is added to the transmission a faster GPU will likely be not really faster.

 

If it's lightpeak, it can support 10 gbps up & down. I'm sure the GPU in the Z won't bottleneck that...

 

so beaups can you tell us about the gpu for quad ib z? Is it nvidia gt 640 underclocked?
will it be vpcz3?

 

I believe gpu is unchanged, not sure. Not called VPCZ3

 

The new E series is called SVE (I suppose it is short for Sony Vaio E). So maybe the new Z will be SVZ (SVZ1).

 

^Nope. And the new E series isn't called SVE either.

 

On the Asian Sony site that I linked above it is called SVE, e.g. SVE14A16FGH (if you click on "Models" it will list them). Maybe it will be different for other regions then

PS: I'm just speculating without insider knowledge

 

Sans "SV" here in the states

 

So it's going to be Z13?12GXB with some new prefix instead of VPC for IB Z?

The "?" between 13 and 12 would most likely to be A, but I guess they can do whatever they want. 36 alphanumerical means at least 9 years if they use 4 each year for each of the seasonal refresh.

 

By the way, while we divert to IB for the moment, any chance any of the new 11" is available for pre-order in US by May 31st? That's the last day to use Sony's Earth Day $150 trade-up credit. Was thinking about throwing in my 12-yr-old Z505 for $150 trade-up, but right now there is nothing in the line-up that really fits my requirement.

 

I think the GPU is one of the weakest point on the Z2, am really disappointed they aren't planning on improving that yet...
So I guess 2560x1600 res will not be supported for the IB Z?

 

I'm looking forward to the new z's screen resolution.

 

This was a dream come true..

 

Beaups do you know if it will be PCI 3.0 compliant or not ?

 

^I do not, sorry.

 

Speaking of Haswell, I'm thinking that the PMD is going to be non-existent or, at most, optional. The on-chip graphics should be a nice step up from HD4000 and optical media wil become ever more scarce. Until its comeback.

 

hehe 10char

 

Optional, perhaps. But docks are still handy for those of us that come to/from the office. I don't care about the GPU too much but single plug connection to power, network, usb stuff, etc is a must for me.

 

I would have liked an external hard drive to be in there, but that might be pushing the capabilities of the connection a bit.

Perhaps if they changed it a bit and had 2 connectors on it so that an external HDD in the PMD could connect to the other USB port.

 

I dont think an external HDD will push the capabilities of the connection - in fact I guess there's actually enough bandwidth for a few!

 

Even if GPU & Blu-Rays were being used at the same time?

 

He probably won't until 2-3 months before release

My guesses:
Possibility of a future PMD appearing: 50%
Possibility of it working with existing Z2: 0%
Possibility of it having some build quality / cosmetic issue of one sort of another that no other manufacturer in this day and age has: 100%

RIP Sony, 'twas nice to have known ye...

I'll just go and hug my D-Z555 now.

 

I'll disagree at the risk of being over optimistic.

I'll put the possibility at 10% based on the possibility that Sony, seeking cash, could sell off their Vaio business to someone who sees value in the name and distribution and who could restore Vaio to what is was. Were that to happen, incompatibilities that serve only to raise costs and tempers might be avoided and then I would able to disagree with this:

I suppose this thread could be interpreted as speculation on the future of Sony since that is intimately tied to the future of the Z.

Were Vaio to be sold to someone who put in the management skills and all rest needed to make it THE quality Windows notebook, I think the new product line would be heavier on Z-type executive computers with maybe a foray into Alienware-style gaming machines. I think there would be way less emphasis on any remaining commodity-grade machines.

Just a thought.

 

I agree with much of that. I'm guessing all of Sony doesn't go down and get parted-out for inventory and brand equity value - if there's any left, but that will likely be true of a number of product lines and, unless notebook computers drive their purchase of components used in other products that they will continue to make and sell I would doubt they would keep the business. I'm thinking something like Lenovo's purchase of Thinkpad from IBM, using the IBM brand for several years, still invoking it today at times. It could ultimately become that company's slick/high end product line, the way Alienware only partially for at Dell, but the Voodoo acquisition totally did for HP (first Envies were VooDoo designs)

One key question about Sony's future is: does the new CEO have the smarts and gonads to do some radical things? I can even envision a joint venture, in which Sony contributes the brand and the design "language," possibly continuing to do design work - if they have anyone left with that talent - and retail distribution - and the partner does most of the engineering and all of the manufacturing and customer support. But I think I'm pulling at straws here; does the Vaio brand really have much cache anymore, except for us diehard Z devotees?

 

I think it does. Many people know it and identify it with something pricy/classy(?). For me it definitely does, but I'm a "diehard Z devotee"

And I really like the VAIO logo, too. In fact, it's the only logo that I like on the lid of a laptop, all others seem ugly or dull to me. (very important thing in a laptop... )

 

Too true, especially about the logo . But how many of us diehards do you think are left? To be "elite" is fine, except in business when it's a euphemism for "appealing only to very tiny niche of the market!"

I hope someone keeps making Vaio Zs for a long time, not only to keep us well supplied with leading edge computers but also to keep this great forum alive. Where else on the web can you find so many, er, elitist diehard technology enthusiasts with so much knowledge, intelligence and wit? (Actually, not joking about the last part.)

 

What's with the VAIO doomsday predictions lately ?

Sony isn't selling the VAIO business in the near future. At least not for the next 5 to 10 years. The Vaio group continues to show tremendous growth and is one of the major profit drivers for Sony Electronics on the whole.

Sony sells more VAIO notebooks now than ever before. And the profits have also gone up. So the future is certainly all rosy for the Vaio brand at least, if not the whole of Sony Electronics.



And in a few countries like India (which is a big market) Sony Vaio is the largest selling consumer notebook brand since last year. Selling more notebooks than Dell, HP, Lenovo and other big players.

 

Good question but perhaps the wrong question. Let's try this one instead, Could the Vaio brand's cachet be restored through engineering, build quality and customer service? From a purely business standpoint, the "new Vaio" laptops would have a profit margin significantly more attractive than that of the endless me-too commodity products they are putting out.

Which is exactly why it's an attractive business to sell and could pull in some cash that Sony needs more than an aging, low margin business.

 

Yes, but I feel at this point that it's like asking whether Lindsay Lohan's reputation could be salvaged by returning to a freshly scrubbed youthful look.

CS is really key for consumers now - Apple has really raised the bar for non-pay / fixed-price consumer support and by my experiences both in-store and phone Sony cannot even begin to touch them on that front. So competing on CS is never going to happen, which means that to be a primarily-premium brand they've got to have faultless leading-edge products. Which they just don't. While their core product engineering is, relatively speaking, still superior to Apple they don't pay enough attention to really simple design and build-impacting issues which fatally affects buyer perception and worse, actually results in clearly flawed products from a handling point of view. And I just don't see anything which leads me to believe it's going to change for the better - quite the opposite I think.

I'd very much like Kaz to prove me wrong, but I kind of doubt it. I wouldn't be surprised if we're talking about new Hon Hai VAIO's in 2020 or sooner...

 

i have a link
http://www.sony-asia.com/product/resources/en_AP/flash/vaio/vpcz3/ft1_movie_01.swf

it clearly stated vpcz3 and yes the video is available as i post this message,
design wise it is 100% vpcz2.

 

I think it's a video for the Z2 as it talks about HD3000 graphics.

 

It also says Intel HD graphics 3000 for internal gfx and AMD Radeon 6650M for PMD, so it's still very much Sandy Bridge. Probably an old video for a z3 that never materialized.