Whats Next for the Vaio?

I guess you think your spam at the moment is better appreciated than an honest opinion...?
As you can see there are different opinions - some see what I see, others not! Learn to respect the opposite point of view.

That's all from me on THIS subject. I'll leave the spamming entirely to you.

 

That's not the Vaio F2 though. How did we get from the F2's styling to the S's styling inside of a single sentence? I wasn't talking about the S with the language you quoted (but for the record, I think the 2011 S looks very different from similarly-priced Toshiba offerings when you see it in person).

What makes the F2 unique compared to that Toshiba:

(1) The profile when closed, where you have two widest-at-the-top pieces offset from each other. The Toshiba's aren't offset, and the bottom doesn't have the same dramatic wedge-shaped profile (it's rounded, and it looks like the widest point isn't quite at the top edge).

(2) The unusually-designed hinge of the F, which not only looks unusual when the laptop is open, but lowers the screen at least an inch compared to a traditional hinge like the Toshiba. This gives you the screen size of a 16.4" machine but the vertical height of a 14" or maaaaaaybe 15" machine, making it easy for shorter people (like me!) to look over the computer at other people during a business meeting or class.

(3) The palmrest, which not only is unique but has a widest-at-the-top wedge shape that follows the design ethos of the lid and base.

(4) The trackpad, which isn't just a square sunk into the base, but is actually just a highly-textured area of the palmrest. Very unusual-looking.

I think I'd come up with more if I thought about it, but those were the first to spring to mind.

 

Gracy,

I have a good respect for Hayte's intellect, opinion, and for how articulate he is. I ask that you consider the point he's making to you, at least in part.

I have expressed my displeasure at the aesthetic of the F2's. What more can I say that will change the look?

After the horse is dead, sometimes it's nice to leave it be.

 

Anyway, to get back to the original question, I don't know if this IS on the way for Vaio, but what I'd LIKE to see on the way for Vaio, is a more powerful GPU for the F. I know it's a multimedia rig that can game, not a dedicated gaming rig, but nevertheless, topping out at the 540M seems odd in a machine where you have a choice of three different i7 quad-core CPUs.

While I'd like to see a 555M or 560M available for both the F21 and the F22, it seems particularly necessary for the F21, since 3D gaming takes a LOT more GPU power than 2D gaming. But since I'm buying the 2D model, I'd like the better GPU available in the 2D as well

 

I think you misunderstood. The F2 is completely different and as I said - I agree it has unique design! I personally don't like it at all and still prefer the F1, but this is a matter of taste.

But to call the S2 (SA/SB/etc.) unique........ maybe the stupid idea with all ports on one side. Nothing else. Absolutely mediocre.

Z2 on the other hand has only "some" uniqueness - I do like it, would buy it (and I think it is the only 2011 Vaio I would buy), but again find the 2010 design better.

But let's distinguish here - one side is the taste - obviously many prefer 90° Edges and "ironing-board"-flat design which I can't argue with... a matter of taste. The other thing is the uniqueness and this is something that has no 2 sides - it either is or it isn't, no matter ugly or not.

My personal rating of the 3 2011 models, based on uniqueness only no matter whether I like them or not is as follows:

S - 2/10
Z - 6/10
F - 9/10

And this is exactly what I hope they are going to improve in the next production line.

 

Kudos for wanting better GPU's!

This is actually the thing that's keeping me from getting another VAIO, as much of a Sony fanboy that I am. :|

 

Regarding GPUs - one thing I can wish for is Optimus on all higher end models (like F, S and Z). This is the only thing I like about the 2011 S compared to the 2010 - the Optimus.

I can't complain from my NVIDIA, as I am not a gamer, but do intensive photoshopping quite often. So to me - a low or mid class GPU is absolutely fine, as long as there is a dedicated one and Hybrid technology

 

I would also like switchable graphics...IF they implement it without bugginess (see the XPS 15's fan problems appear to be partly related to nVidia Optimus software). I think an Optimus-enabled 555M (like what the Alienware M14x has) would be the perfect fit in the F. It'd add what, $100, $150 to the machine? And it would increase battery life at low load by around 50% and would improve gaming performance from "adequate" to "respectable." Good move for Vaio's desktop replacement.

 

So that is you in your avatar pic? I always assumed it was a Sony promo photo.

 

No way, Sony just isn't demonstrating such sophisiticated taste.

 

I find optimus to be awful. Much prefer the switchable graphics from the '11 S and the '10 Z. I like to be in control of which GPU is active.

 

I agree. The manually-switchable graphics on my 2008 MBP work perfectly. When I want the dedicated GPU on, I turn it on. When I don't, I turn it off. No problem, and not much inconvenience at all. I think automatically-switching GPUs introduce too much complexity and room for glitchiness. A switch the user actually flips--whether it be a physical switch or a setting in the control panel--seems like the best solution to me.

 

If we could actually get driver updates for Hybrid graphics I would agree. I do appreciate the switch though, in concert with the BIOS hack.

 

^I don't think optimus users are getting updates either, are they?

 

I thought they were but maybe I am wrong, I don't really follow the Optimus threads because of the battery drain issue.

 

Nvidia drivers updates include Optimus support (some OEM's) and it's easier to modify Optimus inf's.

 

My vision/dream for a laptop in 10 years - *everything* in a single chip. Everything else connected to this chip using *one* standard interface- mice keyboards, screens, you name it. and water/coolant based internal chip cooling - IBM has this in R&D already.

So no need of motherboards, caddy's, big fans, bioses, memory sticks, network controller chips, etc.

That would be fun

 

I actually agree with that!

But most importantly - switchable! That's the one thing I miss on my S.

 

What I'd really like to see is Sony add a dedicated gaming machine to their lineup (what letter series could it be?). Forget the 555 and give us a GTX 580M, please. Sony, do this and your money will once again be mine.

 

So long as they keep the great screen and the excellent build quality of the F2, I'm in line right next to you. Improve the cooling and the GPU of the F and you'd have a fantastic gaming-friendly rig that's still a Vaio at heart. What I don't want them to do is sacrifice build quality and refinement to deliver the best gaming bang-for-the-buck like many companies do on their gaming machines (Asus G53, for example).

 

Funny, AMD's next gen Brazos - Wichita, puts the Southbridge and the main Fusion chip together.

So only one AMD chip has the USB3 interfaces, SATAIII, PCIe, Audio, Quad core CPU, etc...

Just no Ethernet or WiFi

 

Wouldn't an all-in-one-chip design result in limited configuration options for consumers, not to mention the loss of the opportunity of replacing just one component if one component went bad (i.e., hardware failure means you need a whole new computer)?

Those aren't jabs, those are serious questions (I don't have as good of an understanding of these issues as many people here do).

 

The CPU and GPU rarely go bad...
Well, unless if you are nVidia

Same with the Northbridge and Southbridge. One unified chip should mean lower power consumption, and greater overall system performance (due to greatly reduced interconnect latency).

 

I'm sorry, to me that sentence is as indecipherable as "Scotty, you're going to have to reduce the polarity of the neutron flow in the warp drive!" Sorry, I'm an idiot

I'll take your word on it. The discussion about unified chips is out of my league.

 

Think of how software does it, say windows. Any version of windows has all the files of windows ultimate. usoft just enables/disables featuers based on the key given. Same way, Intel could design a singled chip with the highest features possible, and spit out different versions by disabling certain features. By the way, thi is already done in today's chips, just that they cannot be reconfigured to go high up again. If its made reconfigurable, you just pay $x and get a new key and upgrade from i5 to i7

Fault tolerant design will ensure that the chip has redundancy for key features which are most susceptible to damage.

 

yep, the new 15" SE series. comes in black and white. it's a bigger version of SB.

Also, SB series will add another new color: RED/BLACK two tone color, red inside, black outside.

 

^
Any pics?

 

too early to leak pics

 

^
Specs ? Same as SA/SB ?

 

^Similar, yes.

 

Easy way of explaining it:

The closer the distance, the better the communication can be. When the different parts of the system are in the same die, many normal PCB trace restrictions no longer apply. Sort of like two people previously using a telephone in two seperate rooms, and both being the same room. Only need one light, instead of two, one air conditioner, etc. Also *should* improve communication. Of course, they may not be trained to use anything but the phone, so they may still end up... using... the... phone... right next to each other. Case in point, the current generation of Intel Atom chips.

 

But were you really going to replace a one-year-old Z1? It almost makes sense to me to make each year of a model serve a slightly different customer, because most of the people who loved the Z1 just how it was aren't going to be in the market for another $2000+ laptop just one year later.

 

Thanks, that makes more sense

 

That's not the point! The 2009 models had the same design concept as 2010. And unfortunately, we can take it for given that 2012 will have the same concept as 2011. So there you go - now it's 2 years and quite a lot of people buy a new laptop every 2 years and will avoid the new Vaios like me and ComputerCowboy.

I feel just like him - I am not about to buy a laptop now, but if I were to - there is nothing from Sony this year I would invest money in. If at least the quality was at a high level... maybe I would have closed both my eyes, drank a few Jamesons and buy the ugly SA/SB. But terrible design AND lots of technical issues and limitations (mainly caused again by that design) - definitely not. That would be a huge downgrade.

 

^
I think CC will buy the Z2 eventually.