Z3 "coming soon" says sony rep??

I'm planning to buy a new Z and discussed a Z23 CTO with a Sony Europe salesperson last Friday. During this rather long conversation, I asked the Sony rep about the Z3. I was then surprised to hear that the Sony rep actually adviced me to wait as a new Z might soon be available. Clearly, the salesperson was not referring to the Z23, as that was the model we were configuring. The salesperson did not have any details regarding an exact release date, but gave the impression that something could happen end of March/beginning of April. Although unconfirmed information such as this should be considered cautiously, I'm now, being adviced to wait, in serious doubt whether to pull the trigger or wait for the Z3. So, can anyone in the forum confirm that a new Z is indeed coming soon, i.e. in 1-3 months? Has anyone in the forum seen or played with a Z3?

 

Sounds like he was referring to the Ivy Bridge refresh. Though rumor has it Ivy bridge is being delayed till Q3 2012 to give vendors tie to offload SB stock.

 

Apparently they are going to wait for Windows 8 to launch Ivy Bridge...

 

Wow.

Another Z3 rumor.

Time to start the countdown.

To the next Z3 rumor.

 

Can anyone casually say how long it took until the Z1X series was succeeded?

 

about 1.5 years.

 

What about no new Z ??? haha

 

well... you can't blame Sony... Intel had the SNAFU with Cougarpoint. I'd expect the Z3 to come out 1-2 months after the Ivy Bridge announcement which is rumored for May->July. Intel lagged this year on the revealing of their Ivy Bridge, but it looks to be one AWESOME tick

 

Improvements are in the eye of the beholder, but from what I've read the two major areas of improvement from IB are in integrated graphics performance and power profile. The Intel HD 4000 is said to be roughly equivalent to the n
Vidia GT 330M, the discrete GPU in the Z1. I guess it's "better" in a kind of "back to the future" way . I do believe that an IB dual core cpu/gpu combo will provide that performance at 1/2 the power demand, so battery life would double; this is something to crow about, but still not "game changing," IMHO.

 

The new Sony Z3 can't come soon enough for me - please let's have it with two video outs - e.g. VGA and mini display port or something that let's me hook up two monitors without that silly docking/optical thingy. I work in many different places and have no desire to bring the optical unit every where I go.

If it doesn't come with 802.11ac please just make it an easy slot plug in so we don't have to have a dongle sticking out to get 802.11ac on our new Z3.

Oh and keep improving the SSD speed and reliabilty - and I'm good to go.

 

I hope that ivy bridge doesn't come out with windows 8 since the wait is going to be too long. I don't really care much about windows 8 since I won't be using the "tablet" format screen.

 

There are other benefits to W8 but best to check threads of those who are using the Beta for details. Agree with you on timing though, but have recently read that Intel is delaying IB specifically to coincide with W8

 

IB is coming in april initially, then more or less the most of the processors in june/july timeframe. W8 is slated for a fall release or around octoberish I believe. HP said they will be shipping W8 laptops by the holidays.

 

Chinese New Year?

 

Then wait. Considering the very, very low volumes for the Z-series VAIO, and the fact it apparently is a JDM flagship model, it's possible that it will launch early with Sandy Bridge. Or late. Or not at all.

On the other hand, it might make more sense for Sony to renew the VAIO Z as a mainstream "ultrabook," possibly even as a very late Sandy Bridge "ultrabook." Other companies are doing it. It probably would make a lot more commercial sense for Sony to ax the current Vaio Z in favor of an Intel-subsidized "ultrabook" only half or one third the price. There isn't much of a market for $3,000 ultraportables, now or ever.

Of course, I don't know if the current motherboard will support an Ivy Bridge CPU. It might be a very simple update.

 

This Z3 will have any similarity to the prototype that was shown by sony at ces 2012?

 

Christmas 2012

 

I'd imagine it is a refresh with Ivy... doubt they release a new one so soon after all the work that seemed to go into the Z2

 

Axing the Z wouldn't make any sense. They already have the SA/B for an ultrabookish offering. More than that, why go more heavily into the most crowded, competitive segment of the market with another craptacular me4 machine (me2 and m3 having already beat them to market)?

The Z is Sony's only distinguishing computer. All other Sony computers are pretty much the same as their various competitors in terms of specs, quality and price. The Z carries the Sony brand identity. Sony spent untold sums updating the Z. They get rid of it, they may as well leave the personal computing market.

 

^...The Z carries the Sony brand identity. Sony spent untold sums updating the Z. They get rid of it, they may as well leave the personal computing market...

Well said.. and if they could just trim down that fat bezel it would look even sleeker..

 

i don't know what i have to do. i would like to buy a new Z2x, in italy we have only the z21 with Sata II SSD....the strange thing is that i saw the newest model that will arrive this spring in italy and there isn't the Z23....maybe it will arrive in summer? or maybe in winter will arrive the Z3?!?!??!?!

 

So is this the "Z3"?

Sony VAIO Z series VPC-Z390X Review - Laptops - CNET Reviews

If so, it doesn't seem like much of an upgrade.

 

They talk about the Intel HD 3000! I think that IB wil have the HD 4000!

I think it is just a refreshed version of the actual Z with no changes!

 

It's a typo. It's supposed to be called VPC-Z 2390X.

 

IB will have Intel HD 4000.

 

more like IB BETTER have the HD 4000. Still looking forward to it

 

That makes sense. I should have realized that. thanks!

 

I had been thinking of passing on IB and waiting for Haswell (or, earlier of passing on SB and waiting for IB). Now, I'm thinking of getting the Z-IB if I like what Sony does with it.

 

I'm hoping the specs floor me. I realize they probably won't but one can always hope.

 

Realism is admirable.

 

They really need to release a new Z series, because the current one with the external dock is a hassle to deal with and is rather expensive for what it offers. It is better to have everything build into one machine.

What they could do is improve the rigidity of the chassis, particular behind the screen.

Besides, the primary exceptional feature of this notebook is its high quality display, but even then, a few competitors are already coming out with Ips display ultrabooks at a much lower price point.

 

I consider Z2 inferior to Z1. I would be fine without discrete GPU but display must be high resolution and quality. Since it lost ExpressCard and built-in DVD drive, at least 4 USB ports is a must. And no, USB hub is not a solution. And ports must be spread over both sides, not bunched in a row. I'd be fine with VGA connector through a dongle - it's not often I use projector and, compared to projector bulk, dongle is nothing.

 

Actually, I find the Z2's a substantial improvement over the old-fashioned all-on-one design. On the other hand, as I've said many times, the Z2 just isn't for everybody.

 

edit: NVM. Don't expect any big changes....

 

if thats the case Its sad
After 3 generations of Z's I Jumped ship and got a Lenovo X220 with IPS simply because I wanted to fully utilize my Dell U2711 native resolution!
Shame on you Sony for crippling the Z in that manner

 

Can you say if it has a smaller footprint. (smaller bezel?)

 

...because the protoypes are still with PMD?

 

I think he just answered that.

 

Actually it really is Z 390X. I guess Sony has decided to bag - for now - use of the first digit after the series letter to indicate model series - witness the now-SA 4XXX as the latest incarnation of that series (please don't quibble with the "SA" having a second alpha to designate series...)

Seems like the Z2/3 needs more than a digit change to excite the masses. Time to, at a minimum, sell it without the PMD for $300 or so less. Yeah, Sony can sell it's "premium ultrabook" (apologies, Louche) for the premium price of $1,700, about $100-$200 more than the comparable Sammy S9 (2012), because it's a "Sony Z" though, other than SV cpu, I'm not sure it brings anything distinctive to the table based on what I've read about the 900p 400 nit display great looks and durability of the new Sammy 9.

Ironically, IMO, if they dropped the PMD and price as I'm suggesting, I predict they would more than make up in volume what they would give up in profit per system. Prolly could stretch out the life of the product for an extra 4+ mos or so, release new IB model for X-mas or so re-asserting the "dominance" of the Z moniker, but possibly stick an IB ULV cpu in the current Z and continue to sell it sans-PMD under a new model designation for all of 2013.

The marketing guru has spoken. (He just came, typed and went; don't even know who he was!)

 

I think "he" did too.

 

No, it really is:

Model Number: VPCZ2390X CTO

 

ah... i was hoping retina touch screen display convertible laptop

 

Well, according to you and Sony, you seem to have it right.

You and Sony have it wrong, according to CNET, ZDNET (o/o by CNET) and NY Times (co-branded reviews by, you guessed it: CNET!) and a even a large number of web review sites, apparently unaffiliated* with CNET, eg: Sony VAIO Z Series VPC-Z390X | Product Reviews | TechReviewSource.com

* or are they??!! Seems one well-connected (and deservedly derided) all-things-tech/few-things-right web publisher's tentacles reach deeper than one might have thought. Unless Sony had initially published a press release with a typo (which would have had to since have been corrected), it's hard to believe that no major non-apparent-affiliate of CNET left out the "2" in the model designation, suggesting that the dozens of "techreviewsource.com"(s) of the world must be, uh, paraphrasing what they read in CNET!!!

My bad; inadequate research up front.

 

I want to have a pan and microwave in the new Z!
Hey Sony.. design your flagship as a survival gear like a swiss knife

I think I will buy the Z2 in some days and sell my Z1! The extra ivy power is not a go for me and alle the High res displays are not good to my eyes...

 

I was hoping for a built-in espresso maker. I suspect we will both be equally disappointed.

 

i will wait for the new MBP; I will get it if it comes with retina display and SSD in a MBA form factor....

 

Retina displays are neat, but MBA form factor may struggle to support. Remember they had to thicken the "new iPad" to accomodate the display, double the LED count, etc. There will likely be a size and battery life hit in the MBA if they went to such a panel.

 

Why nobody speculates about Thunderbolt? Sony did seemingly join the alliance of the TBolt implementers last year. So one may expect, at least in his/her imagination, that there is a possibility that new PMD will have a new connector instead of the earlier developed USB-like one in Z2.

 

Just sold my Z13 this week, so not sure what to get next. Keeping an eye out on the Z2 and Z3 but also like above, the MBP.

 

Wouldn't a retina display require a lot more hard drive space too? i.e. knock-on effect on the programs to utilize the retina display.