MacBook Air vs. Sony Z

[mrcharlie91]

Here comes, MacBook Air challenges Sony Z series ! :D

Let me know your thoughts !

Updated with basic specs of both great piece of arts !

1. MacBook Air ( 1.6Ghz , 120GB HDD ) ( www.apple.com )
- 2GB Memory
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Graphics
- 13.3 Inch great display
- Multi Touch + 3 Pounds
- Great Design !
- Price = $1799 + Tax !

2. Sony Z ( 2.40 Ghz, 250GB HDD ) ( http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGN-Z550N-Laptop-Processor-Business/dp/B001CNT4U6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225159984&sr=8-4)

- 3GB Memory ( upto 4 )
- Intel GMA 4500MHD & Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS
- 13.1 Inch XBrite Display
- 3.31 Pounds ( Almost same weighs compare to Air )
- Price = $1800 with no tax and free shipping !

I can't decide besides, I wanna know what macrumors think!

I love your replies!

[Phrasikleia]

It would help if you got things started with a basic side-by-side summary of specs and price. I don't want to have to go do the research myself.

[mrcharlie91]

It would help if you got things started with a basic side-by-side summary of specs and price. I don't want to have to go do the research myself.

Thank you for advising! I will update post right now :D

[mrcharlie91]

I've updated post with basic specs and link to find both of products.

Thank you again in advance ! :D:D

[wordmunger]

You forgot one key spec:

Sony:

8.3 x 12.4 x 1.3 inches

MBA:

8.9 x 12.8 x 0.76 inches

The MBA is nearly half the thickness.

[gooddeal]

1. Do you need the optical drive?

2. Do you care about the height? (Air = 0.16 to 0.76 inch v. Z = 1 to 1.3 inch)

3. Can you live with Vista (you might be able to downgrade to XP)?

[mrcharlie91]

You forgot one key spec:

Sony:

8.3 x 12.4 x 1.3 inches

MBA:

8.9 x 12.8 x 0.76 inches

The MBA is nearly half the thickness.

Oh yes, that's right. But I don't mind if it's little thicker or thinner. Both looks

very nice, and portable. Thank you for pointing that out !:D

[wordmunger]

Oh yes, that's right. But I don't mind if it's little thicker or thinner. Both looks

very nice, and portable. Thank you for pointing that out !:D

If you don't care about that, and you don't care about not having MacOS X, then get the Sony. Not a tough decision at all.

[mrcharlie91]

1. Do you need the optical drive?

2. Do you care about the height? (Air = 0.16 to 0.76 inch v. Z = 1 to 1.3 inch)

3. Can you live with Vista (you might be able to downgrade to XP)?

I always thought optical drive is essential for my computing among with others, after MacBook air, it changed my entire thought on optical drive on laptops. I never use rom except couple times installing airport ( which you can download directly from internet ) sofware and others.
1. So no need for optical drive.
2. No
3. Iam having absolutely no trouble with xp right now but might try mac now,
along with xp. I love how mac people think about their product and Apple's some magical power to make me buy their products and accesories!! Now I want air. Also, I need Windows for watching videos ( need active x to use that website )
Can Air run windows like native? not the crippled one? Then Iam sold.
:eek:

[mrcharlie91]

If you don't care about that, and you don't care about not having MacOS X, then get the Sony. Not a tough decision at all.


Iam little scared to mac os. I used windows for my life, and not sure if i can live without windows due to programs that I run..:(

[Essjay]

Iam little scared to mac os. I used windows for my life, and not sure if i can live without windows due to programs that I run..:(

I switched over from XP a few years back, it is really not that hard to pick up. If you know how to use a computer you should be fine after a week or so.

[mrcharlie91]

I switched over from XP a few years back, it is really not that hard to pick up. If you know how to use a computer you should be fine after a week or so.

Is that really?
May I ask few questions ! ;)

1. Do you run safari web browser? Does it supports all the flash just like the
IE?

2. Do you use 'only' mac os or use both windows and mac?

What's your overall experience?

You are so kind, :apple: respect !

[Phrasikleia]

The Sony Z is clearly better in terms of specs. It has two USB ports, an ethernet port, an HDMI port, an optical drive, a faster processor, more RAM...the list goes on. What it doesn't have is OS X, a low profile, and a multi-touch trackpad.

If you're used to Windows, and it hasn't been letting you down, give that Sony Z a long hard look. I've never purchased a PC in my life, but I've been considering it more and more lately. If you jump in with Apple, you'll always be very limited in what hardware configurations are available. OS X is a great operating system, but it comes at a steep price and means living with a narrow range of options.

[mrcharlie91]

The Sony Z is clearly better in terms of specs. It has two USB ports, an ethernet port, an HDMI port, an optical drive, a faster processor, more RAM...the list goes on. What it doesn't have is OS X, a low profile, and a multi-touch trackpad.

If you're used to Windows, and it hasn't been letting you down, give that Sony Z a long hard look. I've never purchased a PC in my life, but I've been considering it more and more lately. If you jump in with Apple, you'll always be very limited in what hardware configurations are available. OS X is a great operating system, but it comes at a steep price and means living with a narrow range of options.

Again... THANK YOU !
I always thought as you and yes windows are fine platform
I think.
Sony Z looks real attractive in terms of design and performance.
Guess another time...:)

[UltraNEO*]

The Sony Z is clearly better in terms of specs. It has two USB ports, an ethernet port, an HDMI port, an optical drive, a faster processor, more RAM...the list goes on. What it doesn't have is OS X, a low profile, and a multi-touch trackpad.

If you're used to Windows, and it hasn't been letting you down, give that Sony Z a long hard look. I've never purchased a PC in my life, but I've been considering it more and more lately. If you jump in with Apple, you'll always be very limited in what hardware configurations are available. OS X is a great operating system, but it comes at a steep price and means living with a narrow range of options.

Personally, I think multi-touch trackpad is a pain in my rear. For many of the features multi-touch offers, we could do with keyboard short-cuts, so the fact of having it doesn't mean we have more features, just means we can do it in different ways. But the worst thing, you can't disable it, should you want to!

[six.four]

Comparing the Sony Z and the MBA is like comparing apples and oranges. The sony is a full blown laptop, the MBA is meant to be an ultraportable.

I think a more fair comparison would be the new aluminum macbooks vs the Sony Z, or the MBA vs the Sony TZ.

The Sony Z has no compromises -
it uses a standard 2.5" hard drive (which means the hard drives are cheaper and much faster), standard sodimm slots (4gbs of ram for cheap), optical drive, and even a hybrid graphics engine (like the new macbook pros). If you are looking for a primary laptop, there should be no reason unless you're a glutton for pain to choose the MBA over the sony. This is all coming from someone who owns a Macbook Air.

Now it would be more of a toss up if you were comparing the Aluminum Macbook to the Sony Z.....

[twist2b]

The sony is still so damn ugly though -_-
I would still go mac since i don't need too much. Just light browsing and some college assignments. Plus its sexier and still the thinnest. :o

[six.four]

the post above brings another point:

you're posting it in the macrumors forum... in the Macbook Air subsection.... you'll have to sift through the fanboys that will rave about how thin and sexy it is and somehow that makes the MBA better.

Don't get me wrong, I love my MBA, but if you want something practical for a primary laptop, the MBA isn't even in the same league.

[Phrasikleia]

Comparing the Sony Z and the MBA is like comparing apples and oranges. The sony is a full blown laptop, the MBA is meant to be an ultraportable.

I think a more fair comparison would be the new aluminum macbooks vs the Sony Z, or the MBA vs the Sony TZ.

The Sony has a smaller footprint and only slightly more weight (0.31 lbs more) than a MBA, so it would seem to fall in the ultraportable category even more than an aluminum MacBook, which is larger and weighs 4.5 lbs.

[six.four]

The Sony has a smaller footprint and only slightly more weight (0.31 lbs more) than a MBA, so it would seem to fall in the ultraportable category even more than an aluminum MacBook, which is larger and weighs 4.5 lbs.

Yeah... I only meant that the internal components of the Sony Z are far more robust and expandable than that of the macbook air and is more comparable to a standard laptop than the MBA.

[mrcharlie91]

Comparing the Sony Z and the MBA is like comparing apples and oranges. The sony is a full blown laptop, the MBA is meant to be an ultraportable.

I think a more fair comparison would be the new aluminum macbooks vs the Sony Z, or the MBA vs the Sony TZ.

The Sony Z has no compromises -
it uses a standard 2.5" hard drive (which means the hard drives are cheaper and much faster), standard sodimm slots (4gbs of ram for cheap), optical drive, and even a hybrid graphics engine (like the new macbook pros). If you are looking for a primary laptop, there should be no reason unless you're a glutton for pain to choose the MBA over the sony. This is all coming from someone who owns a Macbook Air.

Now it would be more of a toss up if you were comparing the Aluminum

Macbook to the Sony Z.....




Thank you it will replace my current primary laptop
I would definitely get Sony.
I thought both laptops were aiming same target as they are so small and portable. Also I was quite surprised how Sony managed to make such a high end laptop with size that small!
I can't imagine myself without you all , macrumors and of course our Apple :)
I will post pictures of my new laptop and gadgets around next month when I get new camera and laptop!
Have a great day guys!!

[gooddeal]

The Sony has a smaller footprint and only slightly more weight (0.31 lbs more) than a MBA, so it would seem to fall in the ultraportable category even more than an aluminum MacBook, which is larger and weighs 4.5 lbs.

Actually, the new macbook is a lot thinner than the Z (0.95 v. 1 to 1.3). It's a little bigger b/c it's 13.3" v. 13.1" on the Z. Actually if you don't care about the extra pound, the new macbook is a better deal. Also, the macbook holds the value better if you decide to sell it.

[eXan]

I don't understand that if you don't care about thickness why don't you consider a regular MacBook? Its waaaaayy faster than MBA, has standard laptop parts (RAM, HD, CPU) and will last you longer. All that for 1300 or 1600$..

[UltraNEO*]

Thank you it will replace my current primary laptop
I would definitely get Sony.
I thought both laptops were aiming same target as they are so small and portable. Also I was quite surprised how Sony managed to make such a high end laptop with size that small!
I can't imagine myself without you all , macrumors and of course our Apple :)
I will post pictures of my new laptop and gadgets around next month when I get new camera and laptop!
Have a great day guys!!

Good to hear you've decided...

I'm still stuck...

[mrcharlie91]

I don't understand that if you don't care about thickness why don't you consider a regular MacBook? Its waaaaayy faster than MBA, has standard laptop parts (RAM, HD, CPU) and will last you longer. All that for 1300 or 1600$..

I know it sounds little weird but I always try to get high end ones instead regular and normal ones besides MacBooks are great but not my type ;(

[mrcharlie91]

Good to hear you've decided...

I'm still stuck...

It's really hard to decide what to buy and which ones better these days..
Sigh.. Good old days...techs grow so fast sometimes my body can't keep up with it! Jk :$
Good luck!

[darngooddesign]

Do you want a PC or a Mac?

[UltraNEO*]

It's really hard to decide what to buy and which ones better these days..
Sigh.. Good old days...techs grow so fast sometimes my body can't keep up with it! Jk :$
Good luck!

Yep... Wanna know what I'm looking at?

Comparing the MacBook Air vs. Sony TT

MacBook Air

- 1.6Ghz Intel Core2Duo
- 128 SSD 1.8"
- 2GB RAM
- Nvidia GeForce 9400M (256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory)
- 13.3" 1280 by 800
- SuperDrive (external)
- WIFI (a/b/g/n) & Bluetooth
- Audio out, USB2 & mini DisplayPort
- ~4.5 Hrs battery life
- 1.36Kg (exc SuperDrive)
- ￥286,449


Sony TT
- 1.4 Ghz Intel Core2Duo
- 4GB RAM (DDR3)
- Intel GMA 4500MHD (256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory)
- 160Gb HD 1.8"
　　(option to have 256GB SSD in RAID 0 with BR-R/Extra HD)
- Blu-Ray Burner (internal, removable to be used for additional HD bay)
- 11.1" 1366×768 WXGA
- 1Seg TV (Japan only)
- WIFI (a/b/g/n) & Bluetooth
- Audio I/O, ExpressCard, Ethernet, HDMI, S400 & dual USB2
- 7~9 Hrs battery life
- Carbon Fibre Body
- 279 × 23.5 × 199.8mm
- 1.14kg〜1.47kg
- ￥299,800~


Dude... Have you seen the Sony TT90??
It's TINY and Light too with built-in Blu-Ray Burner !!

Anyway, I don't mind which it'll be, both Mac OS or Windows, it's not my main system.
This will be for travel/camera remote and weight is an issue.

[Y2JDMBFAN]

Wow, the Blu-ray drive with HDMI port on this looks VERY intriguing...I wish he hadn't posted this...I know Blu-ray on a 13" screen doesn't make a ton of sense, but Blu-ray discs are slowly replacing my DVD collection or being duplicated...I rarely if ever buy new movies on DVD...

[eXan]

I know it sounds little weird but I always try to get high end ones instead regular and normal ones besides MacBooks are great but not my type ;(

How do you define "high-end"? By the cost?

I don't know how familiar you are with Apple computers. It may seem to you that if a Mac cost 1300$ its cr@p compared to a Mac that cost 2000$, its just not true. MacBook doesn't feel low-end at all. It was arguable with the previous gen. plastic models, but not now. All Macs are just as awesome, be it a 600$ Mac mini or a 5k$ Mac Pro. You choose which one is for you by comparing what particular model offers over others and figuring what you want your computer to do. Its just like picking the right instrument for the job.

In my view, the new MacBook offers much more for less than the MBA, at a cost of 700 grams of weight and some thickness (MB is 0.95" now btw ;) ). It looks better, works much faster, and will eventually last longer. MBA is just a crippled machine for higher price - I don't consider it to be higher-end than MB.

The true high-end in Apple's lineup is MBP.

But what do I know...

[UltraNEO*]

Wow, the Blu-ray drive with HDMI port on this looks VERY intriguing...I wish he hadn't posted this...I know Blu-ray on a 13" screen doesn't make a ton of sense, but Blu-ray discs are slowly replacing my DVD collection or being duplicated...I rarely if ever buy new movies on DVD...

Sorry....:rolleyes:

[six.four]

UltraNeo, I have a sony TZ and a MBA. If I had to choose one, it would most definitely be the TZ. With the TT, that's a no brainer. The battery life alone is worth the premium especially if you're planning to commute/travel with it.

[UltraNEO*]

UltraNeo, I have a sony TZ and a MBA. If I had to choose one, it would most definitely be the TZ. With the TT, that's a no brainer. The battery life alone is worth the premium especially if you're planning to commute/travel with it.

I'm located in Japan, the only thing holding me back is the Vista.
The TT90 is a Japan only model (apparently) and therefore only comes with Japanese Language but... they have Vista Ultimate edition as an option, does it support English and various other languages by default? I'm good with PC's and Mac's but when it comes to the various flavours of Vista, I'm stumped! ><

[six.four]

I'm located in Japan, the only thing holding me back is the Vista.
The TT90 is a Japan only model (apparently) and therefore only comes with Japanese Language but... they have Vista Ultimate edition as an option, does it support English and various other languages by default? I'm good with PC's and Mac's but when it comes to the various flavours of Vista, I'm stumped! ><

not by "default" per se. You have to download and install the English MUI (multilingual user interface) and it is reported to work on Vista Ultimate.

you can see more discussion here:

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1164013&SiteID=17

Now if you wanted to just install a US windows on a japanese machine, that is a bit more tricky as you might need the japanese drivers or wait until a parallel version has been released in the US.

[funkyc]

gosh Sony r making it hard to stay loyal to apple. when I first bought my MacBook I compared with Sony laptops too but decided osx was worth the extra weight and less spec that apple had even then. I still think that now but tbh if I could install osx on any machine, it would probably not be an apple machine I chose to do it on. apple really has to step its game up IMO

[wordmunger]

Also I was quite surprised how Sony managed to make such a high end laptop with size that small!

It's not that small. And it's plastic. That's how they did it. It's actually bigger (but not heavier) than the Apple MacBook, which as other have said is much more comparable to the Sony.

[The Man]

I think Sony makes some nice laptop designs. If I'm going PC, I would choose Sony for design.

[Essjay]

Is that really?
May I ask few questions ! ;)

1. Do you run safari web browser? Does it supports all the flash just like the
IE?

2. Do you use 'only' mac os or use both windows and mac?

What's your overall experience?

You are so kind, :apple: respect !

I currently use Opera and pretty much every page I go to is supported by it. If not I will just open it in safari and I am good to go.

I had windows installed on my Mac for a couple months before I realized that it was redundant and that I did not need it anymore. You can always pick up VMWare to run Windows in a virtual machine which works well.

[gooddeal]

I think Sony makes some nice laptop designs. If I'm going PC, I would choose Sony for design.

Yeb, I agree. I used to have 4 Sony laptops before I switched over to macbooks and now the Air. My first Sony laptop was the Z505 w/ no optical drive for about $2300 in late 2000.

I have XP on my desktop so I want OS X on my laptop b/c I want to know how to use both OS. I don't want to be a moro* when someone hand me mac during a meeting and it takes me forever to do something.

[buddhahacker]

I have owned, actually my company has owned, two of the small Sony laptops over the past 4 years. The first one last 13 months before the hard drive died and another 6 months before the motherboard fried. The replacement lasted 14 months before its motherboard fried. Two other people at work also use the Sony's with one having great success with it lasting 3 years and going strong and the other person has had her motherboard, hard disk and LCD die over the course of 3 years. My company no longer purchases Sony laptops.

As a reference point, I am not rough on my laptops. I am still using a Toshiba Portege which over 8 years old and was my production laptop for the first 3 years. It is still my emergency backup.

Supposedly, the larger Sony laptops are great but over priced. My co-worker and I both ended up getting exemptions from our company policy and purchased Apple laptops running bootcamp.

[mrcharlie91]

I have owned, actually my company has owned, two of the small Sony laptops over the past 4 years. The first one last 13 months before the hard drive died and another 6 months before the motherboard fried. The replacement lasted 14 months before its motherboard fried. Two other people at work also use the Sony's with one having great success with it lasting 3 years and going strong and the other person has had her motherboard, hard disk and LCD die over the course of 3 years. My company no longer purchases Sony laptops.

As a reference point, I am not rough on my laptops. I am still using a Toshiba Portege which over 8 years old and was my production laptop for the first 3 years. It is still my emergency backup.

Supposedly, the larger Sony laptops are great but over priced. My co-worker and I both ended up getting exemptions from our company policy and purchased Apple laptops running bootcamp.

I assume those two laptops died are tz series which were recalled due to battery defect or ac ?

[funkyc]

I have owned, actually my company has owned, two of the small Sony laptops over the past 4 years. The first one last 13 months before the hard drive died and another 6 months before the motherboard fried. The replacement lasted 14 months before its motherboard fried. Two other people at work also use the Sony's with one having great success with it lasting 3 years and going strong and the other person has had her motherboard, hard disk and LCD die over the course of 3 years. My company no longer purchases Sony laptops.

As a reference point, I am not rough on my laptops. I am still using a Toshiba Portege which over 8 years old and was my production laptop for the first 3 years. It is still my emergency backup.

Supposedly, the larger Sony laptops are great but over priced. My co-worker and I both ended up getting exemptions from our company policy and purchased Apple laptops running bootcamp.

before i got my macbook, my last three laptops were sony and they were all the smallest/thinnest ones u could get at the time
all three of them worked faultlessly for me and lasted at least 3 years each (used some of them at the same time)
glad to say my macbook has been faultless too - except the time when the hdd failed but that was my fault ;)

[SFStateStudent]

Yup, that Sony been hit with the "ugly stick" and it seems a bit chubby. What's that Green Light at the hinge? It better not be kryptonite, a definite deal breaker...:eek:

[iPave]

Sony might have more memory, but you won't benefit from it cause Vista eats so much of it.

[six.four]

Sony might have more memory, but you won't benefit from it cause Vista eats so much of it.

most of the professionals I know (myself included) use XP which runs fantastic on even a low end system.

[UltraNEO*]

I assume those two laptops died are tz series which were recalled due to battery defect or ac ?

That's actually fairly scary considering just the other day, I saw a TZ for sale at an unbelievable price, thankfully I was looking for something a bit different. Came home last night and started to do some research on Vaio's and came across a huge list of "TZ Recalls" :eek:

Anyway, now I've got my mind set on purchasing a Sony Vaio TT70 (http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/TT1/index.html)
with 4Gb DDR3 RAM, 256Gb SSD (128GBx2 RAID0), Blu-ray. At least their glossy screens ain't as reflective as Apple's.:rolleyes:

[mrcharlie91]

That's actually fairly scary considering just the other day, I saw a TZ for sale at an unbelievable price, thankfully I was looking for something a bit different. Came home last night and started to do some research on Vaio's and came across a huge list of "TZ Recalls" :eek:

Anyway, now I've got my mind set on purchasing a Sony Vaio TT70 (http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/TT1/index.html)
with 4Gb DDR3 RAM, 256Gb SSD (128GBx2 RAID0), Blu-ray. At least their glossy screens ain't as reflective as Apple's.:rolleyes:

That's some amazing specs on such a small notebook! My friend have tt series in pink it is absoulutely small. Congrat, but iam going for manly z !

[UltraNEO*]

That's some amazing specs on such a small notebook! My friend have tt series in pink it is absoulutely small. Congrat, but iam going for manly z !

There's a pink one? :eek: I'd like one in lime green though they don't have one yet! Guess there's hope if there's a pink one :) hehes.