Why is Sony Vaio SR so flimsy and uses cheap plastic?

I'm going to be ordering the Sony SR in a couple of days probably. Today I went to Best Buy to look at it. Everything about it I liked except for the casing. It's so flimsy and seems like it's made out of cheap plastic. I recognize that this helps to keep it light, but still, just touching it made me feel like my palms will break the computer after a while, lol. Seriously, why do they make it like that? The thing bends so easily, including the screen. Making it of something a more strong would not add considerable weight!

 

I was also considering the SR series but felt it was lacking quality.
I'm going for the Z series now which is made out of carbon fiber and has a aluminum keyboard/palmrest area.
They have similar styling and form factor, longer battery life and more business oriented features (built-in WWAN, fingerprint reader, etc...) but it will also cost considerably more.
I really liked the SR's but after seeing them in real life and getting some hands on experience, the feel of them was a real deal breaker for me.
Sony probably uses cheaper plastics to keep the costs down and to distinguish the SR's a bit more from the Z series.
The SR's are also more general purpose business and home use machines though whereas the Z series are made more for life on the road and durability for commuters, executives, etc...
That doesn't mean a new SR will break down anytime soon.
I've had a few laptops that are made out of thin and cheap plastics and they are still in very good working condition even after years of abuse but I just don't like the feel of them and that's why I'm going to buy a Z.
If only they were cheaper...

 

The casing of the SR is made out of magnesium alloy not plastic.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644570898

 

Yes, thank you. You're right.
... and to be specific, the carbon fiber used in the Z series is also not 100% pure carbon fiber.
It's more like carbon fiber flakes mixed into other materials.

 

Yeah, I also checked out a Sony SR this past weekend. I really wanted to like this laptop, because I'm hesitant to spend the extra on the Vaio Z. But I also thought it felt cheap, and there was a lot of flex in the middle of the keyboard.

I can't seem to get myself away from the Z!

 

It's not even 50% carbon fibre. It's plastic epoxy with a small amount of chopped up recycled fibres mixed in, mostly for the visual effect. I've noted that it's not advertised as carbon fibre in countries with strong consumer protection, which indicates that it's less than 50%.
Recycling is good for the environment, though, so I don't complain, but its rather sneaky of Sony to charge extra for that.

 

Examples?

Technically its carbon fibre reinforced plastic - often referred to as carbon fibre.

On screen flex - the Z's screen flexes a lot - its built like that on purpose so it takes pressure better.

If your screen is 100% stiff and you put pressure on the middle it'll crack (casing or screen) because there is space underneath it between the keyboard and no support.
If it flexes it can give way until it meets a support.

 

It's reinforced plastic. Sony does make a habit of referring to it as carbon fibre, ever since they pioneered use of it in the consumer space with their Discmen.

However this - from one of my old Sony headphones - is what is actually often referred to as carbon fibre.



It's just that Sony feels the need to charge you ~$3K for a (ultimately not very good) headphone which incorporates 'real' carbon fibre just in the headband.

 

You're right, carbon fiber can be a composite and still be called carbon fiber but in the case of the Z series the amount of carbon fiber used in the composite is so low that it shouldn't really be called carbon fiber.
There's also no mention about carbon fiber on Sony's German or Spanish websites (maybe they really can't legally call it that in these countries).

I can't really comment on the screen flex and I think it might be designed to flex a bit but is the Z's screen prone to pressure marks due to the flex?

 

Sony Germany mentions Carbon - http://www.sony.de/product/vn-z-series

And so does the spec sheet for my SZ.

 

Oh, you're right. I must've missed that.
The Z series is also much lighter than the SR series.
If this is due to the use of carbon fiber, I don't know ... but I know that the Z's feel stronger and seem to have a better quality than the SR's.
I've had a few magnesium alloy laptops before and they were incredibly strong and also felt very rigid and stable but these are things missing from the SR's.
This is just a very subjective feeling though and doesn't mean that the SR's quality is bad in a any way.
Only time will tell, I guess.

 

Well, the Z and SZ are carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
Result:
Lighter, thinner but stronger - I also have a feeling that pure carbon fibre would be a bit brittle and easily scratched - kites have carbon fbre frames, and I think they are nearly pure carbon fibre.

So the weight loss definitely has something to do with it.

The SZ is a good one to compare as they made it from Magnesium and carbon fibre.

 

The Vaio SR feels fine when it's closed IMO. The keyboard flex you mentioned does not exist unless you slam your fingers on your keys while you type.