Will Sony refresh the SZ line?

I'm looking at buying a thin and light laptop that will last me through college. I have found that the Sony VGN-SZ450N/C has the specifications I need. However, I have a few months before I actually leave for college. I am aware that the Santa Rosa platform is due for release soon... So I have a few questions before I go ahead and just purchase the notebook sometime this week.

1) Will Sony be completely redesigning the SZ series, or are they more likely to just upgrade the internal hardware rather than the external design?

2) If Sony DOES refresh the SZ line with the Santa Rosa chips within the next two or three months, will they be much more pricey than the current $2,049 price of the VGN-SZ450N/C, with comparable specifications?

3) I was reading about a wobbly battery on the SZ line, as well as cheap feeling keyboards. However, these posts were from early in 2006. Have either of these issues been resolved in the newer Premium SZ models?


Thanks a lot for any responses. I've been spending countless hours lately trying to determine which notebook to buy for college, and I feel that I'm getting closer to making it a reality.

 

I would think the Sony is more likely to just refresh the internals.

If there is a redesign I doubt it would be significant; the fundamental design concept of the S and then SZ series has remained practically unchanged for quite a while now.

Sony has kept the S and SZ prices pretty much the same in previous refreshes, so I would expect something similar with Santa Rosa.

I had an SZ460 (sold it because I wasn't using it, but was a great machine). I didn't have a wobbly battery problem with the standard or extended battery; it was definitely better than my older S360, which DID have a wobbly battery.

Regarding the keyboard, I think you should really try and use an SZ series laptop yourself and judge it for yourself.

It is a different feeling keyboard. I'll admit that when the SZ first came out, I really didn't care for the keyboard at all, especially compared to the S series keyboard which I preferred. It was actually enough that it kept me from even considering the SZ.

However, every time I was at a SonyStyle store or a computer store with SZ's, I spent more and more time typing on it, and found that I was able to be much more comfortable with it once I got used to it. I am now of the opinion that it is a perfectly fine keyboard, but one that can seem sort of awkward on first impressions.

But I would definitely recommend trying to spend some real time typing on one (don't just type a few sentences. Try and type out a few paragraphs, spend some real time with it). If you're getting it for college work, you'll definitely want to make sure you'll like typing on it.

-Zadillo

 

Santa Rosa is not much different, just have more options of core 2 duo moblie model with a cheaper price, and a dx10 card instead of the gma950 which will cause more battery use, then this is not the prepose of the design of vaio sz that swith from the geforce to the lower power gma950 card, and the dx10 intergrated card is not even faster than the geforce go 7400. and last thing it might be at a high price too.

 

Hmm, the new chip is going to drain more battery? Shouldn't things be more efficient as they improve.

 

Sony will definitely refresh every laptop line they sell to include Santa Rosa. I am hoping for the contents in my signature for the refreshed SZ so I could finally buy one.

 

Yes, Santa Rosa as a whole (new chipsets, processors and graphics) require less power than the current generation of Intel chipsets, processors and graphics. Intel's DX10 graphics consume less power than NVIDIA's Geforce Go 7400.

 

Hmm... well I guess the question now is whether or not it is worth waiting for the Santa Rosa. I would think that, even after Intel debuts the Santa Rosa platform, it will take Sony a little while to refresh their notebook lineups. I doubt I would be able to get a Santa Rosa based SZ notebook by mid-August, which is the latest I would be willing to wait.

One of my questions that hasn't been determined yet is pricing. I am relatively unaware of the price trends for notebook computers.. Do the prices continually go down after a notebook's initial release? Or do they stay relatively constant until new hardware is released? If I could get an SZ with the Santa Rosa platform for around ~$2100 with comparable specifications, then it might actually be worth the wait.

 

Prices stay relatively constant.

 

Actually, manufacturers are supposed to start pumping out Santa Rosa laptops this month.

 

Is Sony going to offer 2 different SZ versions, since the Santa Rosa platform comes with 2 versions? Hope the Premium SZ5 gets the Premium one!

 

I really doubt it. The only difference between "Centrino Pro" and "Centrino Duo" is the vPro stuff ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_vPro ). I wouldn't really call Centrino Pro "premium".

 

Well, now I am trying to decide whether or not it is worth it to wait. The Santa Rosa platform doesn't seem to make any truly innovative upgrades to the Napa platform. I see the 800MHz FSB, the 802.11n capability, and the "Intel Turbo Memory"... Right now I believe that the Santa Rosa platform will only provide a moderate performance increase and a smaller battery life increase (~20mins or so is what I read somewhere with the Turbo Memory technology).

Admittedly, I'm fairly impatient when it comes to waiting for new technology (but who isn't?).. I'll have to do some more research on the upcoming Santa Rosa platform before I make my final decision.

 

Smaller battery life increase? Thought the platform itself drains ~13W compared to Napa ~8W?