Why a VAIO?

I have nothig against vaio users, but I don't see the point in buying them. They seem to cost way more for the same hardware than other companies.

 

So why post this here? What kind of responses are you honestly looking for?

 

hmmm, i dont really understand why you would go into a sony forumand ask such a question, judging by the fact that you have a new computer, your either looking for an argument...or simply trying to understand another point of view... either way.. why we here love sony...

A) The are very innovative, everything they do...apple steals...keyboard design, opticaldrive-less super thin notebooks, etc etc etc. Sony is a very innovative computer brand, they are the original designers of many visual cues other brands use.

B) They have excellent Sony screens, while other brands have brand X, Y, and Z screens on the same computer!

C) They are considered to be very reliable(i cant confirm yet, because this is my first vaio). but, many people i know have had vaios for ages...

D) While they are pricey in terms of bang-for-buck performance compared to say... a dell. You get what you pay for, a vaio is less likely to break down, more stylish, usually do not contain workmanship flaws(like dell's) and usually packed with some more innovate/unique/one of a kind features that many brands will eventually copy.


Granted i may have repeated myself a couple of times in this argument, the point is, people buy Sony for a similiar reason that they buy apple. They are stylish, they are reliable, and they just work.

 

very well put

 

Now that's a good question. I question I've had myself many times in the last few months and over the years too.

I hope a lot of people reply to his post ... WHY buy Sony, how do you use or need it that makes it so special? Is it because you're constantly traveling and need the latest thinnest/lightest 13" notebook? Or is it the design or quality or something in particular that made you buy Sony?

Here's my comments ... first to note - a few months ago I came into this "anti-Sony" ... imo their good name for quality isn't what it used to be in recent years ... I thought for many of their electronics they're over priced compared to the others ... and for what reason, in recent years (imo) it hasn't been becasue their product was 'better' than the rest, yet they always ask (and get) a higher price.... again just my opinion/experience with Sony.

So a few months ago I laughed and thought why would anyone buy a Sony Z for more money than an LG P300, or a Thinkpad or Latitude ... I opted for the LG P300 because it had a superior screen and HDMI port and I wanted a change from the tradional Dell/IBM ... they in my experience didn't turn out to be the computers I'd hoped they would be...

I bought the P300, loved it, couldn't beleive I got so much computer for such little money, to this day I REALLY like the notebook, for $1439 it's hard not too

Yet many people I talked to and articles/forums I read online where so hyped about this Sony notebook and being that my wife loved the LG as well and wanted it I decided to just go ahead and buy one so I ordered a Z570 from the States ...

For first impressions you can read in my previous posts that while I really liked it I wasn't sure it was better than the LG, and when you consider the Sony is quite a bit more money I was more doubtful.

Since I'd already spent my money on the Z570 I thought I better give it a weeks solid use and use it as my primary pc so the LG to my wife.

I type a LOT everyday and now 7 days into this I'm SOLD this Z570 is for sure the best notebook I've used/owned to date. My only disappoinment with it is the 13.1" screen, I wish it was 13.3 - there is a difference.

Why the change in heart? First the keyboard, at first I was very unsure about it, now a week or more later its the only keyboard I'll ever want in a laptop, after practice you do type faster, with less errors and you don't hit the wrong key as often because they're spaced apart. I especially like the distance between the keys, for me it's perfect.

Next, is the screen, after you look at a Z screen for a week not many other screens look near as good. Odd size or not the Sony screen is the best on the market, imo.

Next is using and handling the notebook, it 'feels' good, its handles and feels like a very well made laptop. The DVD drive door is precise and clicks into place well, the placement of the ports are good.

I used to travel the world with a heavy 15 inch notebook, now I don't travel very often, my little Z just sits on my desk or on my lap in my lazy boy. Anyway I work on it the notebook seems 'perfect' for me. It 'feels' better to use than the LG. Sony did a good job on the engineering and build quality, you'll know that after having and working on it for a little while.

For a notebook aimed towards business users they missed the mark in a few area's, but nothing is perfect. The screen, keyboard, wieght, battery life and how it handles with daily use puts it on the top of it's class. For business it's easily a desktop replacement... just plug into an external monitor via HDMI and you're all set. For mobile/casual use you'll apprecaite the clarity of the screen and it's size whether you're on an airplane, sitting in your living room, or using it on a table in a meeting or Starbucks.

After a week I am SO sold on my Z. Yes, compared to my initial comments I'm eating my words a little and I'm GLAD. I wanted to really like this Z and get my faith back in Sony, that's why I up and ordered it from the States, I had to see what all the hype was about ... and it turned out true. Forums like this are the very best place to get info to make a decsion that will put you in the right notebook.

Had I never came here I would of never taken the dare to stray away from IBM or Dell, I'm glad I did and very glad we bought both the LG and the Sony, both are great, but the Sony is better and my wife ends up happy because she likes the zebra lid on the LG

 

Sony is still the best in term of weight vs performance ratio. Other notebooks are usually thicker and heavier. Sony Z, for example is very light and thin for what it can do.

 

Interesting to hear your experience uniquestco! I myself, would have bought an LG P300 if I could purchase it easily and if I could get it easily repaired in the US if necessary. I thought the model would arrive in the US over the summer but it never happened and it doesn't seem like it will ever happen. So I bought the Z590 and I love it!

The parallels between why users buy Apple and why users buy Sony is dead on.

 

I think it's inacurate to label all vaios as being the same as the competition only with a premium price tag.

I can't speak for all models, but I bought a TZ because it's unique feature set was not offered by any other maufacturer.

Was the $3,500 (AUD) price tag a bitter pill to swallow? You bet it was. Despite there not being any other laptops that suited my needs it still took me a month or so to convince myself to part with that much cash. But the fact of the matter was there was no other laptop on the market that could compete in terms of size and battery life. It was one of the smallest laptops, with by far the best battery life.

They were the only two things I cared about, size and battery life, so I either had to fork over the cash or buy something that didn't meet my requirements. If there was a cheaper alternative I would have took it.

Having now owned it for the better half of a year I feel like it was worth the cost for a lot of other reasons too. The screen is amazing, it really is fantastic, I can stare at it all day. This diminutive laptop has actually replaced my desktop and that's something I didn't expect. With an excellent keyboard and a dual layer DVD burner and fantastic screen, I never turn on my desktop anymore.

Anyway, I'm rambling now, but the point is, look at the actual specs, right down to each detail before you cast judgement. It's not good enough to say "this other manufacturer offers pretty much the same product". If you want a particular feature set, and only one person is offering it, you're gonna pay for it, even if it isn't good value. You could save your money and buy something else, but then if it doesn't have that feature you really wanted, you'll probably end up wishing you'd stumped up the extra cash.

That's my 2 cents anyway, and yeah, obviously my point of view relates specifically to the TZ which, when I bought it at least, was in a league of it's own. Pretty sure it still is.

One complaint: the track pad is crap, my girlfriends EEE PC 701 has a better trackpad, and it cost one seventh the price.

 

I brought a Sony Vaio because in New Zealand they are the only notebook manufacturers that can actually do the majority of notebook repairs etc in New Zealand and don't outsource it to a low quality third party (yes they occasionally have to order parts over from Australia). Also Sony does not defer you to an overseas support place, you talk a New Zealander who can actually speak English when you phone them.

On another 'New Zealand' thing, Sony is one of only two manufacturers that will sell straight to consumers without a middle man (the other being dell).

I found when I dealt with Sony tech support they were very open about problems and they certainly don't treat you like an idiot. When my motherboard died with a month of warranty to go, they happily replaced it and gave me another years warranty for my trouble (I had taken it in earlier saying I was concerned about the heat it was making). They didn't do what Dell to a friend of mine and refuse to replace faulty components, accusing him of overclocking. You can be arrogant and say Sony shipped a laptop with faulty parts but the reality is once in a while a dead computer is going to be made, what matters is that the manufacturers tries to avoid using dead parts and is then willing to admit there was a fault in the event one arises, Sony did that.

Sony's are light for their power, my FZ for example when it came out was at the top end of the power versus thickness ratio. They are also very good at laptop design, best shown by the way that other manufacturers will 'steal' Sony ideas for their own laptops.

 

Thanks for your answer. All these were thing I did not really look at, and that's why I missed them. I'm mostly using my laptop as a desktop replacement.

 

Another way to look at it might be to describe Vaio as the Audi or Mercedes of PC's. Yes you can get something much cheaper that gets you from A to B.............but its the way it gets you there in mechanics, innovative features and cutting edge design that make the difference.

Ive been into Vaios since they came out, having owned about eight over the last 11 years....the trouble is that the innovations are always so good...you canthelp but want to upgrade (thank God for ebay ).

I find them reliable with good build quality and a real cool factor that turns heads. I have to say that the Z90 is the best pc Ive ever owned and think it will take some beating - carbon fibre / alluminium body and that screen is just awesome. I bought it from Sony Japan where custom made has been standard for many years (new to the US). Some people hate it, but I like the Vaio software (sonic stage excluded) - it adds to the whole experience of being something different and a cut above the rest.

My only gripe with Sony is there marketing teams - in the UK this is billed as a business machine. This is especially odd as there is the BZ which has hot swappable hardware. The Z there is no option of the 2.8ghz processor, ssd, blue ray or even large battery. Huh?! I dont like being told what I might like or not like...and expect to be wowed. Buying from Japan, its uber cool...and the grass is most certainly greener. Sony should wake up to the fact that customers are now global...the UK marketing team selling an inferior machine isnt really on.

ive been bying Vaios from Japan for years now, ainly because they come out first, and yes youve guessed it, the specs are better. My Z rocks.

 

Why I lean towards VAIO...

1. SCREENS - For the last decade or so, Sony has had some of the best screens on notebooks. The color correctness, saturation, and brightness tends to be balanced the best. Others may try to copy the glossy screens but they always looked washed out to me.

2. PORTABILITY - Sony is the king of electronics miniaturization and they are constantly leaders in creating designs that are best in class in terms of weight, battery life, and performance. Battery life tends to be better than anything in the same class. They owned for the size/thinness crown for a long time until they reached the point where they felt that too thin wasn't so practical (case in point: MacBook Air*).

3. DESIGN - Sony typically provides unique designs that are copied by others. You can tell that some thought went into the design and there are always little subtle niceties that make the experience much nicer. Yes, it's just aesthetics but if you're using the thing everyday you appreciate it more.

4. BUILD QUALITY - Generally speaking, the higher end VAIOs have excellent build quality (especially the ones made in Japan) and last a long time. I still have two others (6 and 4 years old) that are going strong.

*I'm not saying MacBook Air isn't a good product. It fits a specific niche perfectly just like netbooks do. The MacBook Air just makes a lot of compromises that a majority of users may not be used to. Lack of upgradeable memory, lack of user removeable battery, few connectivity options, and questionably designed ports. You also end up having to carry a extra dongles, adapters and/or external drive just to get things done. And it's only .3 lbs less weight than a VAIO Z which is way superior performance wise. Sony went down this same path before with the VAIO X505. Awesome design but ultimately not practical for the majority. It did have a removeable battery though.

 

I agree with all the above. It's true.

Also Sony's laptops (at least the smaller ones) are very good at keeping cool, no matter where you use it (in hot temperature outdoors, on a non-air-circulating surface like a bed or pillow, etc.), or at least my SZ is. A good cooling system is unfortunately an area is seems some cheap laptop manufacturers neglect, even though it's actually one of the most important aspects of a portable laptop (besides weight and battery life, both of which Sony also excels in).

 

well said!

 

Another thing.
When I was looking at the SZ next to finding that I liked it very much, I looked at other companies too.
Dell - Lenovo - Toshiba - Siemens.
What I found was that in this price range the SZ was the best laptop.
It was (still is) very powerful and a full laptop, including CD/DVD drive etcetera.
Maybe for a higher price there would have been something better, but the SZ is the best I could fin at this price level.

 

That's a good point ac500, my TZ is so silent and,although I've heard some people say it gets hot underneath, I use mine on my bare legs all the time and it only gets warm. For a laptop this small and thin, to be this silent and this cool running? You can't deny that's the sign of a top quality product. I seriously couldn't believe how silent the thing was when I first bought it.

 

Hi,

I agree with the opinion of most sony owner in this thread. I was once a sony hater mainly because they did not have a good customer support where i live (indonesia). Previously I used only fujitsu notebook, i can say that in the past their ultraportable is on par with sony's and that they have a better customer service here. but, in my oppinion, since the P7120 they haven't really been giving out a cool small notebook. so i take a brave step to convert to the T series. surprisingly it was a very good notebook. and since then i've been going for sony.

a couple of month ago, i decided to sell my TZ 37 and exchange it to a Lenovo U110. the Lenovo is a good machine, fast, well built and stylish but it doesnt have the battery life or the 3G option of the TZ. so I decided to revert back to TZ, I'm now using a TZ 298 N/XC and loving it. the TZ is my personal choice, its light, robust and have a long battery life (about 6 hour or so).

That said, if there are other manufacture that can produce a better notebook than the TZ and that meets my requirements i would not hesitate to swing the other way. what i love is not the brand but the product produced.

cheers

 

now that the thread starter has become inactive...in this thread, it seems that we are all just being fanboys, myself included as i am one of the first to post... haha

 

I wanted to say something
but everybody seems to have covered everything
haha

 

My primary need is photo editing, so I needed the best screen possible.

Vaio's and Macs are both well percieved, and if you really want to talk about being over priced, go do a hardware to cost comparison of a mac sometime.

 

Macs are better for photo editing IMO
the MBP's screen gives more real colors (i own 2 MBPs)
sony's screens are over saturated for photo editing IMO

 

I am just concerned with sony because in this forum I read a lot of recalls, batteries draining fast, monitor's problems (which should be sony's forte), etc.

so I am getting more skeptical to get a TZ

 

This is a forum, my friend, not a amazon review site, and we're not mac owners. We realize all computers have issues, and by posting on forums, we can usually find the quickest way to resolve the issue. Most of us have used notebooks for some time, know they all have issues, and realize being vocal on a forum is the quickest way to get to the bottom of any problem.

Sony's are great computers and people who buy them love them, but naturally all computers have some issues and/or some have have random defects. In general, as a brand, sony is excellent. The fact that they do recalls should be commended actually, because when dell or apple have a large widespread issue on a notebook they do nothing, but replace them. If you look online for macbook pro problems or dell xps problems, you will finds...thousands...literally...thousands of people with issues(in many different generations), and dell/apple do nothing but replace the faulty unit with another faulty unit. Sony acknowledges problems, and fixes them through the entire series(not isolated incidents). Toyota also recalls their cars sometimes, but its because they truley stand behind their products and dont want their good quality name tarnished.

 

it's funny because I talked to several japanese people, they all told me that sony notebooks are a joke in japan, they even taught me a play-on-word in japanese about sony...LOL...of course I forgot. but it's interesting how in the states there is a bad aura around dell and in japan a bad aura around sony.

it seems that exotic products have always a better reputation. cars is another example. But I have no data to back this up.

 

Different people have different opinions I guess.
I know quite a lot of Japanese people, and most of them really like sony, and use a lot of sony's products.

 

true. I am talking about computer science graduate students, people who know a thing or two about computers.

it seems to me that sony does a lot of cool things and a lot of R&D, but they are losing ground on a few things like camera, camcorders, videogames.
they laptop are definitely a product of their philosophy but I can't speak in terms or reliability

 

Agree with the saturation, but, that can be tweaked in the control center right? (Haven't checked myself yet).

My primary work will be done on external anyhow. I couldn't justify the cost of an expensive mac plus replacing all of my pc software, or spending waaaaay too much money on a pc mac clone.

Ultimately, none of my customers have ever complained that I'm editing on PC instead of Mac.

 

I don't think a macbpro costs THAT much more than a vaio.

 

Yeah, on the SR i'm using right now, i can adjust the saturation level

 

people who study computer science are not nor do they call themselves computer hardware experts. You want to know the best most reliable brands in the world? Go ask IT departments, the ones that deal with the breaks and the errors of the computers. Go ask Quanta Computers which computer is more reliable... they make a staggering 33% of the worlds computers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanta_Computer

In regards to exotic products being considered better, i agree that is the general assumption. People believe mercedes and bmw's are great, reliable cars, but when you look at the stats...they are not at all.

When you look at Sony's stats, their notebooks are the least likely to "fail" or break according to consumer reports(they beat out everyone, including apple in the failure rate dept. as being the least likely to fail). So their is some evidence to suggest that in the united states, Sony is a very reliable brand.

 

I Agreed

 

yup, vaio fanclub strikes again, haha

 

Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A Intel Core 2 Duo 2.40GHz 15.4" WXGA+ 2GB 200GB DVD±R/RW NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT - Retail
Your Price:$1,994.00 newegg (don't forget to add on hundreds of dollars to replace all of my pc software, or to add windows- lets say conservatively $2,200 all in)

You can get an HP DV5T with the same graphics, but better all around specs (screen is questionable though, and I hate the metalic finish-especially on the mouse pad) for less than half of the mbp.

I got my FW for $1,300- tax and shipping included. Granted I won't be playing any games on the FW, but that's not what I bought it for. My FW was 59% the cost of the base mbp above- and I have more screen which is a plus for me.

 

Wasn't one of the main criticisms about the Apple laptops the none-removeable battery?
I mean, that's a standard for laptops for how long?
Our very first laptop, an Acer about 8 years ago could do that. (remove battery)

 

To my knowledge, only the recent Macbook Air's battery is non-removable, or at least not easily.

 

the MBPs have removable battery
MBA is the only one that doesnt have removable battery

 

I was comparing MBP with VAIO not HP

 

Ah well.
But then, I hate (I know its a strong word) Apple, so not being up to date on them, happens.

 

I gave you my Vaio to MBP comparison? I don't think $1300 to $2200 is close at all.

I threw in HP to give a more apples to apples comparison in regards to graphics.

 

Sony is also helping to lead the charge with HDMI and blu ray (dell and other manufacturers are also doing so). But then there is apple which still does not offer blu-ray or HDMI in a notebook when the likes of sony have offered the technology for a year or so now. Apple laptops are out of date as far as I am concerned and I am glad that in the coming months there is a high chance of a Apple notebook refresh so that the apple folk can finally enter 2008.

 

i doubt apple will put blu ray in their upcoming new notebooks though..

 

Why a Vaio? Because they are exquisitely designed and still reasonably priced...

I also like the fact that Vaio's have all the latest revisions of "integrated circuitry" in their laptops such as Bluetooth, 802.11, HDMI, etc, while some other manufacturers are unexplainably cheap on things like this...

 

Because Vaio's design and materials have no rival

 

Yeah I have my doubts to, DVI though was so 2003...That brings me to one of biggest annoyances i have with some apple notebooks, the stupid requirement for an adapter to connect to an external display.

 

why vaio?
1.stylish, elegant are words to describe them.
2.best screen quality ever made.
3.the distinguish look of their laptop.