Vaio Pro 13 Discontinued

Hi,

Has this machine been discontinued by sony?

You don't seem to be able to spec one up on their site any longer...

Thanks.

 

They are probably preparing for their Spring refresh. I hope.

 

fingers crossed, cheers.

 

I don't think so. They specified the 21st of March as your "last chance" to configure one on their site.

 

It was the last chance to use the VAIOBYYOU 5% voucher. If I'd known it was the last chance to actually get one, I would've (it was the Pro 11 I was after).

I hope they do bring out a refreshed version in the near future...

 

That wasn't on my screen. It said "last chance to configure", etc. There was nothing about a voucher.

 

Plot thickens....

 

This is the unfortunate impression I had today. A few weeks ago, I attempted to order another Sony Vaio Z series, after mine was stolen. It had been pulled from the Sony site in Europe. I thought about other laptops for a while, and was about to buy a maxed out Sony Vaio Pro 13" today. Yet, on the sony website they showed as being "unavailable". I called them up and was told that they were sorry but Vaio is 'discontinued', and my best bet would be to use their Outlet site to try to buy a refurbished model.

So I'm sitting here looking to spend around EUR 2500 for a top of the line 13" laptop, yet I see no obvious contenders, aside from a maxed out rMBP (but I prefer the Windows ecosystem).

If there is a refresh, I hope Sony confirms it somewhere (can anyone confirm this? Then I'll wait), but if not, this really is disappointing.

 

Pro 11/13 and Duo 13 no longer available on the UK sony store website. Fit Flip is out of stock. Seems they're closing things down pretty quickly.

 

Sony will no longer be selling laptops, sometime soon they will pull them from japan and USA.

If you want vaio pro 11 or 13 or tap 11 then order one from america ASAP. From talking to about 50000 thousand sony staff it would seem that
sony is closing shop, no more laptops since they have sold VAIO to a Japanese consortium.

Because of this I bought a sony vaio pro 11 and pro 13. My last Sony laptops ever and I been buying them for almost 15 years.

sad very sad our only hope is that the new company will continue sony design spirit but importing from Japan aint gonna be cheap.

 

I wonder what the chances of Sony discounting their existing Vaio's in their stores before they close the doors? I don't mind picking one up with Windows 7. I've been monitoring their site daily and everything is still at non-discounted prices.

Edit:

I spoke too soon. Most PRO 13 are now "NOT IN STOCK".

 

The Flip 11A is gone from Japan already. I have a Tap 11 v1, but kinda want the 8/256 configuration. I didn't love the Pro 13, but am on the fence about the Pro 11 because it's under 2lbs and portable.

I have no problems importing (says the guy typing on the Panasonic LX3). My problem for example is that as much as I love something like the Tap, the MX3 fits my bill more. I'll see.

I'll be in a town that still has a Sony store next week so maybe I'll pull the trigger. Or not.

 

For example the french store lists the vaio pro as officially discontinued right now. So yeah it's dead. Only the online US store still has some of them, and I don't think we'll get the updated models europe had.

 

I don't get it, they just announced a refresh at CES 2014. Are those newer models never going to see the light of day?

 

I am so annoyed! I was waiting for the refresh because of the wifi problems and they had them on the store for one week, that's it. Then it went back to the Windows 8 version only.

Also, I was waiting for a discount or flash sale, etc, instead Sony put the price UP!!! by £200. No way I was going to buy one then, basic configuration but an extra £200.

Now the page actually says discontinued. I suppose I could get one in the outlet but they seem expensive too.

 

I heard about that announcement too - re: refresh, In fact, I went to a Sony Store to ask about it. I was told, the last refresh would be available at the end of March through June. June was the final month Sony would be able to sell the VAIO line. Sony may have scrapped the idea of doing a last refresh as they don't exist in stores and online. I'm not sure if I should go ahead and buy a PRO 13 from Sony.

I should have picked up a Pro 13 from Microcenter when the model I wanted fetched for $1249.00 - W8, 8GB Ram, 256SSD. I thought it was strange why it sold for less. Plus, the whole wifi issue scared me. I'm thinking now that MicroCenter knew back then that Sony was getting out of the VAIO business. This same model at Sony sells for $1799.00

 

To play devil's advocate, when the announcement and press releases came out, they said the refreshed Pro line would be in the US around April. So that usually means a few weeks before at least for pre-orders if not outright availability. So the refreshes are there, they just made limited quantities. I think in the US the convergence of closing many of the stores and the sale to JIP being done limited availability and accelerated things a touch.

All the Pro 13s on Sony's site:
Compare and find the VAIO Pro 13 inch ultrabook laptop computer that's right for you - Sony US

The 8/256 refresh with wireless ac is there at $1799 (SVP13226PXB). So is the 8/128 (SVP13223CXB) at $1349. These are NOT the same as what MicroCenter has/had.

 

I appreciate your post. I didn't even pay any attention to those model #'s. I can tell by the model #'s that those are the the only two refresh models. Thanks. I need to act fast on this. I wish I knew if the company that purchased VAIO will be manufacturing any notebooks soon.

REP +1 FenderP

 

In case it makes you all feel any better, the Pro 13 has been trouble-plagued since its release. It's a beautiful design, incredibly thin and light, but with a very mushy keyboard and trouble-prone wifi, among other problems. Just look at low owner scores on the Sony site for verification. Also, I consider it risky to buy any Vaio product (except a used one for a great price on eBay) given the handover to the new owners, who have not announced anything about their model plans. Warranty support - never a Sony strong suit - is likely to be very difficult due to the transition. Sony will likely typically try to get out of supplying warranty support (they often use the term "owner abuse" to get out of performing wtty service and, if the service responsibility shifts to the new owner - an investment group, not an experienced computer mfr - there is even more uncertainty.

I'm with you all mourning the end of Sony's Vaio line, but for the time being I would suggest either waiting to see what the new owners do with the line or choose a non-Vaio product this time around.

 

Do you have the original or refreshed version? Because I heard the refresh fixed the wi-fi problem.

Trouble is, the new owners are Japan only, it won't come to Europe, etc. I'll have to find another brand, but they all look ugly (apart from Apple Mac, but I refuse to buy Apple), plus all my other stuff is Sony.

 

I thought, maybe, this wifi issue (with AC being implemented) has been resolved in Sony's final refresh. Is this not the case? Also, there's no word if the new owners will follow Sony's vision.

I'm also considering getting an open box. There's two available at MicroCenter. I have to visually inspect it. It's $1100. But, it does have the so-called WiFi issue since this is not the final refresh model.

 

I thought the same as to the Wifi issue being resolved. I'm confused.

 

While I didn't love it when I had it (didn't like the keyboard or trackpad), my Pro 13 had no WiFi issues. I got it shortly after it came out.

I don't know anyone who has the AC version (i.e. v2), but I would hope it is better for those who had major issues with v1.

 

You can import. Most of my laptops (like my Panasonic LX3) are from there. Dynamism or Conics solve that problem. It will be interesting to see what JIP does.

 

As anecdotal evidence, I saw the refresh i5 Tap 11 was out of stock online (EDIT: it's back). I was in a Sony Store tonight and they had it. They did not have any of the refresh Pros (11 or 13).

 

whats too bad is that they have no refreshed 512 model.

 

Battery of Tests for new VAIO Pro SVP1322A4EB 13.3” Touchscreen :

Can anyone suggest a list of checks I can carry out on the Pro 13 - I will pick one up
in UK and run some tests before leaving to ascertain if it needs to be returned before I
leave UK.

From the many messages so far this would at least include:

Wifi
Bluetooth
Fan
Anything else you can think of!

 

I'm looking forward to your tests and review.

 

still a classic.

 

Do you guys think if it's worth purchasing this pro 13 model SVP1321HGXBI with Windows 7 for $1699.99? Some time ago this went for sale for $1249.99, but for some reason, this same brick and mortar store is selling it for MSRP. I'm thinking about picking one up tomorrow, and test out the wifi issues during their 14-day return policy as some of you had no wifi issues.

 

Most of the responses to this post were people questioning whether the wifi problem was, in fact, taken care of. I'm not claiming superior knowledge or advice but if you want a cautionary point of view on buying a new Pro 13, consider re-reading my post, above, for all its points, not just the one about earlier wifi problems.

I really love Sony Vaios and part of me wants to throw caution to the wind and get a Duo 13, but I don't have thousand dollar bills to throw around and I consider the purchase of a new Vaio today to be a high risk purchase - depending in part on the retailer you buy it from. Highest risk, imo is to buy from Sony, who will soon just have a sign on their website: "We're out of business; Good luck, suckers!"

All this said, some of the best close out discounts seem to show up at the Microsoft store - brick and mortar and web site. They are in business to stay for the time being and are excellent in backing up their products. Micro Center is pretty good too, but I strongly suggest checking MS Store daily if you are hell bent on getting a last-ever Sony Vaio.

 

so thats it. i believe i got the last vaio pro red .. maybe ever to be sold in the US. Kinda cool. last unit of last limited edition of the last vaio they'll ever make - probably.
it went out of stock the second after i ordered it online.
and now its on my laps.

no regret so far. i don't see what issue people had with the flex. when you type there's no flex. it only flex if you do it on purpose. anyhow. yay!

 

(deleted/moved to the Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge-thread)