Would you buy another Sony Laptop?

I've been doing a lot of research about laptops in the net lately and I've come across a lot of people swearing that they're never going to own another Sony laptop again -- issues with product reliability and bad customer service. Of course, I've also heard of some die hard Vaio fans but I'mnot really sure if these people are first time Vaio owners or not.

I'd like to ask those that currently own a Sony Vaio laptop. How long have you had your notebook? How is it performing til now? Finally, would you buy another Sony laptop?

 

I wouldn't say I'm a die hard Sony fan, but do find their wares (not just laptops) to be excellent quality. Without hesitation, I would by another Sony product (laptop or otherwise).

Personally, I have 3 Vaios; XG-500 (about 4 years), NV-190 (about 2 years), and a v505 (just over a year). Two of the machines were refurbished and the other I purchased new. The only problems I've had have been cosmetic (broken hinges, flaps, missing screws, etc.). Performance wise, none have given me any issue...that I didn't cause. Admittedly, I did slam the NV190 closed one time which frigged the HD. My v505 has been dropped twice (the XG I think has been dropped 4 times and stepped on once)...never a hardware problem. Excellent quality!!

From what I've seen, the beef against Sony seems to be that people think the machines are over priced when compared to the features you get. That I tend to agree with and will never buy another Sony machine at full price. A good example would be the new T-series and the Fujitsu P7000. The T is at least $100 more expensive for a comparable configuration from Fujitsu, but the P7000 offers more functionality (Compact Flash, S Video support, SD/MMC, biometric scanner (fingerprint). While the T is a slimmer and lighter machine, you're paying in excess for the Sony name, VAIO badge, and a unique design. I also think that with Sony, you're also paying for all the 'value added software'. I was happy to see that my P7010D didn't have alot of excess software that I had to uninstall. It all comes down to preference...do you want style, quality, or performance. Sony gives you all three, even if at a premium.

As far as support goes, I've never dealt with them. haven't come across any issues I couldn't figure out myself. Although, a majority of Vaio owners do say support is bad.

In the end, if the features are right, I'd definately go with another Sony...w/o hesitation.

 

I agree with Big Calhoun. Perhaps in the early days of VAIO's, Sony made some subpar machines. But I have owned a GR series vaio, and it stood up like a champ for years. So have other people's VAIO's I have seen. I find them to be no less (and no more) reliable than any other offering these days.

And also agree on support, I've never used them. I find better and quicker info on the internet if I'm ever stumped. I don't think I've ever had good support -- even when I had a Mac and apple is top-rated for support, it was still staffed by a bunch of know-nothing people who searched through a database for your problem and read off a script.

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Sure I will.

The built quality is super.

 

I just bought my third in a row.
I had a PCG-F430 a P3 400Mhz machine. Had it for 2 years. It just had a screen problem that Sony repaired within a week (or replaced it with another one) no hitches and Sony Warranty didnt give me a hard time getting it repaired. Their courier even sent me a box to use when i ship it in for repairs.
I sold the F430 to my sister in law who mostly uses it for word processing and surfing. It's stil in perfect condition and the floppy drive, despite abuse, hasn't skipped a beat.
My second was the hefty PCG-NV200. Its heavy but its a terrific desktop replacement. Had it for a while and it never gave me any problems.
I recently ordered an S series and i'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

Would i buy another Sony? UNless the S170 is a lemon i'll surely get another one.
PS My laptops have helped me acquit several innocent persons, convicet several defrauders and helped my clients collect hundreds of thousands of unpaid revenues.

 

Definately! I have a PCG-FXA63 that is still working flawlessly, and I just purchased this VGN-A190. Wouldn't know about Customer Service, nothing has ever broken. The few times I had questions, my emails were answered the same day. Always polite, and to the point. Most of the electronics I own are made by Sony, TVs, VCRs, Home Stereo... all working as if new. [ ]

 

Another yes [ ].

Three VAIOs (Z505 for 4 yrs, GRX550 for 2 yrs, and S170 for 2 months) and all are going strong. Never needed to call the tech support, so never cared about it. [8D]

 

No.

I will have to say no. The problem isn't VAIO - but Windows. I am fed up with this operating system.

I will get an Apple with OSX, which in fact is a shame seeing how good Sony's hardware is.

 

The Sony S260 is the nicest laptop I've ever used. The features,the weight, the widescreen, its in a class by itself.

 

Yup deffo

I have had the PCG-747 PCG-VX71P PCG-Z1RMP and my VGN-T1XP is the new Vaio in my life

 

Yes (But I did not this time)

I have a Z505SX I "preordered" when it was first announced which makes it what 5 years old, maybe six?

It's been a wonderful machine and absolutely trouble free (as are my two Sony desktops)

I very strongly considered the New T and the X505.

(If the X had had a Dothan, and a built in wireless card I would have bought it)

 

I am on my third SONY...Not because I am a Sony diehard, but because everytime I went shopping for a desktop or laptop, it was a SONY that fit the bill as to what I was looking for..I just picked up a 260 because it was lightweight, large HD with X-brite..If it was HP that had it in this size or Dell I would have bought that..

 

got an S recently, have a 5 year old 505sx that continues to work perfectly (never had any issues), so I guess my answer would be YES.

I've had many other notebooks, and luckily had good experiences with most of them. Don't have much experience with Sony tech support (which was virtually non-existant in the past), but coworkers and friends have noticed improvement. Still, can't compare to IBM or DELL for tech support--although apparently DELL will try to get you to reformat and reinstall the OS to fix simple problems.
I generally look for the best features at the best price, and obviously the right size/weight. Good screen and keyboard are paramount, along with excellent build quality. And Sony has never disappointed with innovative design.

 

sony is nice but a little pricy

 

Well, yes, since just recently I did. My first Sony computer was a Picturebook. What a sweet little machine, but a niche product that only if mobility is of the utmost importance to you, then the sacrifices that you have to give up for the size wouldn't be worth it to you. I owned the Picturebook for about 2 years. My next computer was a Fujtisu P-2120, also a very nice ultraportable that was terrific while in grad school (I owned this for almost two years). Then a month ago I sold my Fujitsu and bought a Sony V505EC. The price was right but after a few weeks I just kept getting the itch whenever I visited BestBuy and looking at the S260 (but it was always too expensive for me). However, last week the price came down to $1,650, and I decided to see my V505 on eBay and pay the extra for a better notebook (the Pentium M processor which gives MUCH better battery life was a big reason).

Based on my past computer experiences, I've owned Dell, Fujitsu and Sony. Dell is without question the best in terms of customer support while Sony has historically been the aboslute worst. Obviously that hasn't deterred me from continuing to buy from Sony. Why? Two main reasons - one, I hardly ever have a need to call or rely on customer support (so usually this is a non-issue for me) and two, the design of Sony computers is hard to beat (unless you want to go in the direction of Apple, which I'm not willing to do because of compatibility issues).

Based on my experiences with Sony, the following are the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. The design - very cool and sleek
2. Built well

Cons:

1. Customer support
2. Accessories are VERY expensive (however, now days, you can find 3rd party manufacturers for their batteries and other parts in many cases so you don't have to buy "sony" - which can save you a ton!)

I don't have any allegiance to Sony whatsoever, but if you came to my house, you might think I did (I have a lot of Sony electronic items) Main reason for it is that they tend to have the most innovative and coolest design. As for laptops, I wasn't particularly planning on buying another Sony, but after looking at everything else that was out there in the 4 pound market at about $1,600-$,1700 range, the S260 was a no-brainer for me. I love it!

I hope my very long, long winded post offers you something - basically what my post all boils down to is that I wouldn't necessarily buy Sony unless I really, really liked the design of it. My take on it is that especially with Sony, if the design doesn't blow your hair back, you can find another laptop that will offer you better customer support and will be less expensive if you want to buy accessories for it. You tend to (but not always) pay a little extra for the cool design and Sony name. However, when I bought my Picturebook (there was no other laptop like it on the market) and the S260 is hard to beat as well, particulary for the size and the price that I got it for. Good luck in your hunt!