Vaio Revival in America, Vaio Z Canvas Coming to the U.S. Fall 2015

??? are you sure we are talking about the Vaio Z 2015 series ?

 

Intel HD isn't "high performance" Nor is a dual core.

 

Yes... check out the specs on the Japanese site. It's only dual core. The Canvas has the specs you would expect out of the Z (quad core, Iris, lala). Except it's this awkward desktop-type machine coming in two big pieces that doesn't seem very convenient for portability.

 

If you want to see my impressions of the Z Canvas, check out http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/new-vaio-slate-12-3-3-2-w-95-rgb-yes.64132/page-21 starting around post 207.

It's actually optional; you can order it without the screen protector. I did, and am keeping it on. One of the reasons I did is that it is not available separately. Plus, it was put on perfectly

A day or two after you could start, so end to end, three or four weeks tops. PriceJapan said that they were backordered, which generally means the demand was higher than anticipated.

Hyperbole much? They are far from cancerous. I see quite a bit of Surface Pro 3s out there (I even own one that I'm selling) when I'm traveling for work. Sony started down the path with the Duo 11 (which I still like). Are non-traditional hybrids for everyone? No. Can't speak for the Z, but on the Z Canvas you can disable the touchscreen. As I mention above, the Z Canvas was doing well in Japan. Vaio will by nature of who it is these days be a niche player with a premium price/product.

The new Pro 13 mk2 is what the Pro 13 should have been. It looks to be a very nice machine - that's your business computer for the Air crowd. I prefer the Panasonic RZ even though it is Core M. Panny just upped the spec on that to have 16GB of memory.

And it's not like Sony never did weird form factors. U line anyone? I have the U70P - still unique to this day. Never liked the UX which came after it, but the U series that came before the U70P was what inspired me dnwn the ultraportable path. So I would say a machine like a tablet hybrid (Duo, Fit series, new Z, and the Z Canvas) are intrinsic to Vaio's DNA. Whether you like them or not does not matter and no one is forcing you to buy.

Dual core is good enough for most (but not all ...), and at least the new Z can have 16GB in a 13.3" form factor. The Pro 13 mk2 is still capped at 8. I will know soon how the Z Canvas travels. The SP3 is a bit awkward but the Z Canvas may be better. I will let you know. As for portable, I would say it is. It's a 12.3" screen, so it's pretty small in general. It does not feel like a desktop machine.

I see a lot of the old Sony Vaio spirit before it became much more generic and they lost their way. If these don't float your boat, they don't.

 

Intel HD is high performance for this form factor. Otherwise you would see a dedicated graphic card all over the market. The razer blade has the top notch and is really thin. Not as thin as the Vaio Z.

Dual core doesn't really matter when talking about performance. Most of the application you will be using use only a single core. The clock speed of the i7 in the Vaio Z is high performance.

 

In terms of performance, my Core M-based RZ4 can run multiple VMs just fine. The overall speed of the laptop is great. Most people are not processor bound these days, especially when they can go to a higher clock speed. Real world performance in my experience says that as long as it's Core M or above, you may be fine. Yes, you will get different graphics performance based on what is bundled with the processor. Not everyone needs dedicated graphics or even, say, the top end Iris.

 

Look's like maybe a Surface Pro 3 killer who know's i will definitely i will buy this when it comes out i always loved Sony laptops not always the best for gaming but great multimedia and school machines. I am very happy about this but not just enthusiastic just yet. Time will tell.

 

I completely disagree with mostly everything you've said. Tablet hybrids are cancerous as they encourage low performance, and a non-true design, and dual cores are a thing of the past. Tablets are a fad that will end in a few years.

There's too many tablet hybrids on the market. Acer, Lenovo, Microsoft etc. That is the problem. Because of Microsoft and Apple's marketing campaigns, most will go for those two despite their higher price tags. Vaio sold well because they were doing something different, and their non-tablet hybrid laptops had interesting touches such as wacky and unique designs and being crazy light weight along with having better performance/battery life and feel than most of the competing laptops. The E (All of them.) series sold like hotcakes. With Vaio, They were unique. They added their own unique touches to their laptops, but did not ruin the design. It was still a laptop. These new Vaio are just unoriginal and uninspired. They're bland to look at, and to match they have bland performance.
The tablet hybrids are what killed Vaio and made Sony disband them in the first place. People are too busy buying Macbooks and Microsoft Surface tablets. The last "proper" Vaio would be the Vaio before 2013.

 

The Vaio Z canvas has the same performance as the latest macbook pro 13". Tablets are useful for a lot of people, it's not because it doesn't fit you that it doesn't fit all.

These two devices ( Z series and surface ) are an inspiration for the future of computing. Having a powerful tablet and a descent keyboard is key for portability. Intel is doing an awesome work working on fanless design processors. When we are going to reach the performance of the i7 series fanless, a lot new form factors will appear.

Thanks to these companies we have something to enjoy.

 

Exactly, but it's not a Macbook. It's a Vaio. And the Z series was known for being expensive.

There's not much of a selling point.

 

Just the "There is no other hybrid tablets as powerful" selling point

 

Which won't matter in a few months time when hybrid makers release Skylake systems with better specs, and when Apple releases yet another Macbook.

 

What are you even talking about ? Skylake is due in 6 months that is 1/4 life of a macbook. Not taking into account in which macbook they will put it and the time required to test the processor. You are looking at 1 year time period minimum for the macbook skylake line.
And it won't be touchscreen capable.
And it won't be hybrids.

For the hybrids maker adopting skylake please do some reading. For superior performance on the new architecture, the form factor of tablet supporting haswell can't be met. You will likely see those processors on gaming computers or thin laptops

 

The word myopic comes to mind. Like I said, weird form factors and tablets have been in Sony's lineup for well over 10 years. Microsoft introduced the TabletPC before then (2003ish, maybe slightly before - going off the top of my head). Tablets are not a new fad, and with Apple making the iPad a mainstay, tablets are here to stay regardless of whether it is running iOS, OS X (if Apple ever makes such a device), Windows, or Android. And what the heck is "non-true" design? You're making things up now. My U70P was a tablet in the mid-00s.

Tablets encourage low performance? Huh? Things like the Duo had the same processors as things like the Pro. The SP3 has the same i5 or i7 in most clamshells. If you're going to try to give facts, you're not. Sure, if you're going to get a $200 tablet with an Atom or something like that, yeah, it's going to be lower spec'd. But don't confuse a real tablet like the Z Canvas or SP3 with those.

I think you've got some mythical vision of what you THINK Sony Vaio was. Sony made crappy clamshells as much as they made cool, innovative form factors. The cheap clamshells they started making towards the end were more of a blight on their name than things like the Duo would ever be. The tablet hybrids had nothing to do with killing Vaio at Sony. The PC market changed, it wasn't super profitable, and Sony got rid of it.

A clamshell is about as bland as it gets in terms of design. Sure, some look nicer than others (the Pro 13 certainly isn't bad to look at but was awful to use), but it's still a clamshell. A tablet is a tablet. Not sure what your point is.

You don't like tablets or hybrids. We get it. Now get off of everyone else's lawn.

 

And you're a very ignorant person who does some crazy illegal hooning in his Chevy Camaro on that said person's lawn completely destroying it.



I never once said I "hated" tablets. I just said that the approach that Vaio is taking nowadays is not a good one as millions of other companies have beaten them to it. Deny it all you want. Tablets are cancerous. There is far too many of them on the market. You ignored most of what I said completely. Tablets do encourage low performance much like AMD encourages Intel to not take a step further in their CPU designs. They are slow, and have minuscule performance.

And by the way, tablet hybrids are the reason why Sony disbanded Vaio. Nobody was buying them because there was no money to be made. Too many Apple products, and Android devices to go around which are far cheaper, and more simplistic. If those never existed, they would sell. Unless Vaio goes back to their old roots 2 years ago, this will just be a massive waste of time. They're selling well in Japan because Vaio is the top brand of computing devices in Japan right next to Toshiba. They will not sell well outside of Japan. These new Vaio Z are SLOWER than their 2011/2012 counterparts due to them being a tablet hybrid. It's more of a step back in the wrong direction. Disagree with me all you want, but you'll always be wrong.

When people that aren't you look at Vaio, they are looking to purchase a high-class, unique laptop. Not a tablet. They look at other manufacturers like Samsung or Apple for tablets.

 

I like how you generalize your knowledge of everyone's mind. I look at Vaio and am really happy about the direction they take.

 

Because you're one of the people that is obsessed with tablets. Everyone is different.

I also like how you generalize my opinions, and imply that I am "generalizing".

 

Who said i'm obsessed ? I had far more laptops than tablets. Argument invalid.

This is semantically incorrect. I am making an observation of your sayings. Not generalizing on everything you say hence the quote.

 

Really, at this point I am going to have to say that we have to agree to disagree. It's obvious that the both of you are tablet fanboys. All three of us are brick walls. Neither of our points will get across to each other.

I'm quite the Vaio enthusiast myself. I have around 16 or so of these machines mostly from the 2004-2013 period as I tend to collect them because I just love them so much. I and many others were disappointed at this "new" approach that they are taking as it's just more tablets. Here's hoping Vaio will go back to their roots and make unique, high performance machines in the future. The 2012 Z was an absolute beast of a machine. This new Z is just a Macbook clone with a higher price tag on a manufacturer that little to nobody cares about anymore. It's not an Apple, so when your average consumer looks at it, they'll just say something in the vein of "meh" and move on.

 

You should read the press release (yeah I know japanese is tough) to see how amazing this machine is. I have it along with a macbook pro 13". There is absolutely nothing comparable. Again please do some research before reaching such conclusions.

 

You find it amazing because you're a tableteer. In reality, it really is a 2015 Macbook clone with a touch screen and is able to run Windows. You could say it's just a Windows version of the already existing 2015 Macbook.

 

Sony should have stayed away from making 'cheap' laptops. They had built a sterling reputation for themselves as makers of premium laptops, VPCZ1 being the best of their offerings, and then they threw it all away by making cheap stuff and trying to compete with the rest of the field.

Make a flagship product that leaves everyone else in the dirt. Even if it is too expensive and doesn't sell like hot cakes, it gives you mucho street cred. People will buy your cheaper offerings because they can't afford to buy your best, but your best is what they'll dream about, and that is what will bring them to your door.

 

Thanks for the laugh! Tablet fanboy? Far from it. I use what I need. Currently typing this on a Panasonic RZ4 - gasp - a great LAPTOP. My computer for the two years before that? A Panasonic LX3 - a LAPTOP. I have a SP3 I got to play with, but used for a week or two and it got relegated to being used for sheet music. Slow your role, as you are super arrogant and the ignorant one. You have zero clue.

You are talking out of your rear end here. The Vaio Duo 11 was the first hybrid tablet out there if memory serves me correctly - everyone else followed. Sony folding tent on Vaio is why all of that ended, and if it was SO unsuccessful why did they even bother with the Z Canvas? The reality is that most laptops/ultrabooks these days have a U processor - period. Most cap out at 8GB and have the memory soldered onto the motherboard. Like I said, tablets like the SP3 and Z Canvas are true computing, not consumption devices like an iPad. They do not have miniscule performance.

The reality for most people is that a tablet or even a low end Chromebook is good enough for most people to surf the web, do some e-mail, etc. The day of the power user is gone. I fall in that category, but I'd say we are the 1% these days. Vaio, Lenovo, Toshiba, et al. are in the busienss of making money. Why cater to 1% when the 99% pay the bills? I'm amazed Vaio released the Z Canvas - it flies in the face of reality, but is very much in the spirit of what Vaio has always done.

The Duo (11 or 13) didn't kill the Vaio line. Thanks for the laugh. The entire rest of their line was laptops. The fact is they were not making enough money, and sold it off. Sony was trimming their fat in order to increase profitability. PC manufacturers have fairly low margins, and that was not a business Sony wanted anymore. The Xperia line's day is coming, too - which is sad, but a reality. They've been basically losing money in a commodity market with nice, but in many ways, similar phones.

Huh? I never heard that from anyone I know. Vaio = only laptop. TIL

It was in some ways, but it was an absolute joke since it capped at 8GB of memory. I dismissed it on that.

First and foremost, it's not even released outside of Japan. Right now only the Z Canvas has been announced anywhere else (US this fall). Sony has been gone from the market for a few years now - of course there's no mindshare. What world are you living in? A lot of the PC vendors are cutting SKUs and such. Heck, Samsung outside of the US is pretty much out of the market for the same reasons Sony got out.

Traditional PCs - desktop, laptops - will be around. But they are not the primary device for many people. Period. I use my laptops for many hours every day. The number one device most people use is arguably their phone or a tablet like the iPad. This is the world that all PC vendors live in today.

 

The one thing Sony used to do with Vaio and Vaio now seems to be doing that is trickle down - start with the high end and add features to the others later. Look what they just did on the Pro 13 mk2 with all the ports as an example. They constantly tweak and tune.

If they can get what they did in the Z Canvas into a normal Z form factor, that would be neat. I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen, but they clearly refined the Z they are selling now from what they did in the past.

And you reinforce my point earlier. It wasn't the Duos that helped nail Sony Vaio. It was all of the cheaper, lower quality laptops which did not stand out in any way. Weird as they may be, stuff like the Duo or Z Canvas are very Sony/Vaio and what people think - it's not the "oh another laptop" syndrome. They can get that anywhere. When you start to compete basically on price point just to be a player, you've lost.

 

The only "cheap" laptops Vaio made were the C series (Sans the CB and CA) which has been long discontinued. They did fly off the shelves because of the low price. Vaio has always put effort into their systems not just the Hybrids and Z's. What did you think "C" stands for? Have you used any other Vaio laptop besides a Fit? (Yes I am aware of your sig)

 

Do we think they'll refresh the regular Z to have much higher specs at some point? Are we even going to get it in the U.S.?

@FenderP how do you like the Canvas so far?

 

I agree. Let's move on...

@FenderP - also curious to hear any additional thoughts about it. For example, with a full-voltage processor in there, does it get hot; and are the three fans very noisy?

 

Short term? Probably not. Longer term? Anything is possible. Look at what Vaio did to the Pro 13 mk2. It's not really an internals upgrade per se, but all the ports they added while basically keeping the same form factor/weight? Nice. I think at some point what they did in the Z Canvas will land up in some clamshell. Heck, look at the transition from the Duo 11 to the Duo 13. That wasn't small, and it was less than a year.

Vaio seems to want to test the US waters with the Z Canvas but considering the Z got a US keyboard option in Japan, it's pretty likely they'll introduce it.

I haven't had a chance to use it much since I did a basic initial configuration, but all of my first impressions are over here (start around post 207) http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/new-vaio-slate-12-3-3-2-w-95-rgb-yes.64132/page-21

Quick few words for here: I like it.

Again, see my link. I'll probably update over there as it's too much to bounce back and forth. Plus some will have an aneurism since it's a "tablet" It has not been very hot at all. They managed heat well. The Surface Pro 3 can get VERY hot (to the point of shutting itself off) and can sound like a plane taking off. It's not 100% silent all the time, but it's fairly quiet to be honest. I laugh at the SP3 because Vaio engineered something much more difficult (IMO), and pretty much nailed it. MS has had a few iterations and are still struggling if you ask me.

 

Hello guys ! I received mine and I put in the following link my thoughts !
http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/new-vaio-slate-12-3-3-2-w-95-rgb-yes.64132/page-23

 

The Z and the Z Canvas are made in Japan (AFAIK), however, the Pro and the Fit are made in China.

I was in Yodobashi Camera the other day to take a look at the Canvas. I didn't find any "Made in ..." text on it, however its keyboard is made in China. I also checked out the Pro 13 mk2, it's made in China, too.

 

On the Vaio Z box I can read "Made in Azumino" I cannot read anything on the Canvas box

 

I'm pretty sure they will sell VAIO Z as well. They just released an international (English) version of VAIO Z
https://translate.google.com/transl....impress.co.jp/docs/news/20150521_702938.html

You can buy it on Amazon.com or other international shipping sites.

 

A base specced VAIO Z (i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD instead of the tiny 128GB default, and the fees for English keyboard+screen protector) runs for ~$1766 USD.
If you want options on top of the aforementioned spec:
+$122 to upgrade to i7
+$245 to upgrade to 16GB (ridiculous)
+$320 to upgrade to 512GB.

If you can use a Japanese layout keyboard, you'd save yourself about $45.

 

Just got an e-mail from Vaio about the Canvas. Link to their video:



So dramatic.

 

My friend brought my new Vaio Canvas from Tokyo last weekend so I grabbed it for a week on the road and left my Duo 13 i7 at home. I don't know any Japanese so set-up was a little but switching over to English went great thanks to Google translate. A few first impressions:

Love:
1. Everything is faster, snappier, and better in quad-core land. I've had the last 4 generations of Vaio Z computers the dual core versions where always a little sad to me...
2. Screen is beautiful, resolution is perfect, and with the 16:10 aspect ratio I don't feel like the physically smaller screen takes away from my productivity
3. Tilt stand is amazing, a little on the stiff side but super stable for typing/drawing and so cool how it adjust as you raise the screen
4. Keyboard has a nice texture and the trackpad is probably twice as big as the duo's matchbox
5. Stylus is finally usable! On the Duo pen tracking was really laggy and would skip around but the new pen tracks so much better and the side clip makes pen use so much more convenient. Where the stylus for my Duo eventually made itself into the pen jar on my desk (at least, I think that's where it ended up), the stylus is a good part of the experience on the Canvas.
6. Physical button to disable touch and display on-screen hot keys are surprisingly useful
7. Power brick is actually a touch bigger than my Duo and loses the USB port but is no heavier despite being nearly twice the voltage output for the quadcore

Meh:
1. Battery life isn't great. I haven't done a full test but windows estimates around 4-5 hours
2. Heavy for it's size/appearance with keyboard
3. Magnets for the keyboard could be a little stronger, worried it might move around a little in my bag and scratch the screen
4. I got the 1tb model and it shows as two 512GB drives (C&D) instead of a single drive with RAID
5. The tablet doesn't get that hot and the fans are nice and quiet but there's a ton of heat that comes out of the top vents
6. Plastic pen clip snaps in and feels pretty flimsy compared to the solid aluminum construction of the rest of the tablet plus the pen blocks the volume rocker
7. No drivers for the trackpad to switch scroll direction and two finger scroll is both laggy and too fast at the same time
8. Speakers are better on my HTC phone... a lot better....

 

So I got the Vaio Z and made a review of it if you guys want to see it. Proud to be the first and only English review of the Vaio Z.

 

Thanks for the review !!
Talking about Vaio Z I am selling mine if anyone is interested

 

I am more interested in the Vaio Pro 13 MK2 myself.

Also I am still holding out hope for a "true" Vaio Z successor to the one from 2008-2012.

 

Hey guys. I've been looking for a new laptop and the Vaio Z hybrid has caught my attention. It's expensive, but I like everything about it. It's light, has excellent battery life, a very comfortable keyboard. In fact, all the other laptops that have similar battery life are non-touch screen. The only downside is the price. Because it's so expensive I'd love for it to last a very long time (4 years-ish), looking at build quality that might be possible.
Not sure if I should buy it now. Right now I'm using a Surface 2 but I want/need a real laptop. I hate that Skylake has been announced but we still don't have any concrete about the actual laptops that will use it.

 

Thats a very nice looking laptop and it has such important usages I wish other notebooks had. I love how it folds back into tablet mode and that screen looks amazing. A tb3/usbc would be my only request added.