Sold my MBA and buying Sony Viao Z

[bigbadneil]

Yep,
I have take the plung and sold my MBA and I am going to buy a new Sony Vaio Z, any comments..................please be nice??
I will give the reasons later

[bugout]

I can't fault you there.. I bought one of these for a client, and it really is a spectacular machine. Especially the twin 256GB SSD in raid 0 and the carbon fiber.

The full HD version would kill anyone's eyes in about 10 minutes (Full hd on a 13.3 in screen? WTF!) but a core i7, 512GB SSD v(2x256) in a super lightweight package almost had me ready to switch... almost...

[gimmi80]

I'm thinking about selling my mba for the new gen, if they ever come out. Where did you sell it? Ebay?

[Huubster]

No, nothing strange about it. I am considering to do the same. If no new MBA before June it's 100% certain that I'll do it. If a new but disappointing MBA will be released I will also move to the Vaio Z.

[mmulin]

The Vaio Z is a nice computer as long you are fine without Mac OS X. For me this is not the case.

[acurafan]

one client of mine has deployed these to their upper managers, and i got nothing bad to say about the Z-series. imo, BR movies are awesome on the display.

[bigbadneil]

Originally Posted by gimmi80

I'm thinking about selling my mba for the new gen, if they ever come out. Where did you sell it? Ebay?

Sold it too a friend at work

[daleski75]

Just done a search on Vaio Z and found this thread I also sold my MBA 2.13 to get the i5 with 128gb ssd etc and more than happy with it.

I do miss OSX although Windows 7 has taken me by surprise very stable and quick!

I better lay down never thought I would say that about a Micro$oft product

[bigbadneil]

Basically I am a "toy man" I love my toys and have a house full of Apple goodies;
1/. 24" iMac
2/. MBP (Sold)
3/. iPhone 3Gs
4/. Nexus One (for sale)
Blaa Blaaa Blaaa
I plan to get the iPad as well as soon as I get back home so no need for the MBP

Anyway the real reason I am getting this Sony is;
1/. My company is taking back my PC laptop so I need a PC in my house as I have alot of programs that need windows to run them on (example Suunto Dive master logbook)
2/. My company has webmail that can only be accessed on a PC computer. I cannot access it using (safari, firefox, google crome) from a Mac but can get it via any of the above using a PC
3/. I like the look of the Sony Z series and they have great reviews, plus I love watching movies and Blue Ray rocks

[Huubster]

Originally Posted by bigbadneil

I plan to get the iPad as well as soon as I get back home so no need for the MBP

Decent reasoning except I don't understand the quoted. You are replacing your MBP with an iPad. And you are getting a Vaio Z...

Wouldn't the Vaio Z be replacing the MBP, and the iPad just another (fine) trophy in your gadget collection?

[Scottsdale]

The Sony Vaio Z is one hell of a computer. It is more powerful than a MBP yet as lightweight as an MBA. Who wouldn't love the power, performance, beauty, and capabilities of the Sony Vaio Z. It has a nice Nvidia card, hybrid graphics, BluRay possibilities, Windows 7, beautiful form factor, up to 8 GB RAM, Core i7 Arrandale CPU, nice LED display, and more.

I don't mind paying much more money for a computer than even the Vaio Z costs. What I want is the exact computer that has every option available to make it into such a great computer as the Vaio Z. It is disappointing that Apple doesn't have more BTO options to make the MBA into a computer that meets the desires of the high-end market capabilities.

Right now the problem is the Sony Vaio Z is thicker than I would like. I would prefer they drop the optical drive and make it thinner. But I like the BluRay capability if I am stuck with an optical drive in the first place.

I really want to run both OS X and Windows 7 on my laptop. I really want it to be lightweight, and I also want it to be thin. I need it to have at least 4 GB of RAM but I really want the option to put 8 GB of RAM in it when I need it. For me, the MBA is the computer I want. I am completely happy with its current form factor. I believe the MBA has more potential than the Vaio Z. I just want Apple to give us the BTO options to make the MBA into the exact computer we want. I hope Apple gives us BTO options back, and I hope the updates to the MBA add huge advantages over the competition like the MBA had in October 2008 when introduced.

I am willing to wait a short while more and see if Apple does update the MBA. If it doesn't I will probably buy a Sony Vaio Z to get me through when Apple releases a new MBA, but my heart is with the MBA. Now if Apple destroys the MBA by only using Intel's GMA IGP for graphics, I will most certainly leave the MBA behind and move on to the Vaio Z. If Apple doesn't give us at least 4 GB of RAM, I will move on to the Vaio Z. However, as a writer, I will be compelled to stick with the MBA as my writing tool.

Bottom line, whenever I buy the Sony Vaio Z it will be due to frustration with Apple not giving the MBA the tools to compete rather than me truly believing the Sony Vaio Z is a better concept/ultraportable than the MBA. I hope I don't have to buy the Vaio Z, but if I do it will depend on how it really does in usage vs. the MBA to see if I truly want to put my MBA in a closet and leave it there forever.

I hope Apple gives the MBA buyer/potential buyer the desire to pick the MBA over all of the other ultraportables, again. Now if I needed a MBP or that level of performance and power from my laptop, I would definitely already be onto the (edit out MBP, I meant Z) SONY VAIO Z. When the MBA was introduced in October 2008, it blew away every competitor in the market... I hope Apple at least tries to compete at that level with the MBA again.

EDIT. I meant if I needed and depended on a level of computer like the MBP, I would have already moved on to the Sony Vaio Z.

[bigbadneil]

Originally Posted by Huubster

Decent reasoning except I don't understand the quoted. You are replacing your MBP with an iPad. And you are getting a Vaio Z...

Wouldn't the Vaio Z be replacing the MBP, and the iPad just another (fine) trophy in your gadget collection?

Correct the Z will replace the MBA the iPad is just another toy

[TSX]

I need a MBA.

[gimmi80]

Originally Posted by TSX

I need a MBA.

Do you want to buy mine? it's a 2.13ghz with 128ssd bought JAN 2010

[cecoleman]

I think its a bad move... look to see how much you get for your Macbook Air after a year two as compared to what that Sony will be worth the day after you take it home. PC's all of them to me are disposable and lose any value within a two days, whereas I've sold used Mac's in the past for 80% their original value up to two years of owning them.

[entatlrg]

I just ordered a Z to see what all the excitement is ... I'll post a brief review when I've had a good few days working on it.

[Synchromesh]

Originally Posted by cecoleman

I think its a bad move... look to see how much you get for your Macbook Air after a year two as compared to what that Sony will be worth the day after you take it home. PC's all of them to me are disposable and lose any value within a two days, whereas I've sold used Mac's in the past for 80% their original value up to two years of owning them.

That's not entirely true. Thinkpads keep their prices quite well. They won't sell for as much as equivalent Apple down the road but they're cheaper to begin with. There are actually people out there who collect them as well. In fact, I had a pretty rare Japan-only Thinkpad S30 before, basically a precursor of the netbook that was only available on Japanese market. It was PIII-600MHz. Long long story short, I sold it a couple of years ago for $500. Way more than equivalent Apple of the era.

That aside, I don't touch Sony. Every Sony laptop I've been familiar with was built like an inferior piece of junk by people who should be designing trash cans, not computers. They may have become better since then but I still don't want one.

[gwsat]

Originally Posted by bigbadneil

2/. MBP (Sold)

Anyway the real reason I am getting this Sony is;
1/. My company is taking back my PC laptop so I need a PC in my house as I have alot of programs that need windows to run them on (example Suunto Dive master logbook)
2/. My company has webmail that can only be accessed on a PC computer. I cannot access it using (safari, firefox, google crome) from a Mac but can get it via any of the above using a PC
3/. I like the look of the Sony Z series and they have great reviews, plus I love watching movies and Blue Ray rocks

I need to run Windows apps, too, but solved my problem in a way that works better for me and was also far cheaper than buying a Sony Vaio Z would have been. I simply upgraded the RAM in my MBP from 2 to 6Gb of RAM. Now, I can run VMware Fusion in Unity mode and Windows 7 from the OS X desktop, just like OS X apps. It has been terrific.

[Gaelic2]

Originally Posted by bigbadneil

Yep,
I have take the plung and sold my MBA and I am going to buy a new Sony Vaio Z, any comments..................please be nice??
I will give the reasons later

That's wonderful. Now go on the PC rumors and complain about what you don't like about your PC over there. You made your splash, got noticed and had your seconds of fame. Time to leave.

[RaZaK]

Originally Posted by bigbadneil

Anyway the real reason I am getting this Sony is;
1/. My company is taking back my PC laptop so I need a PC in my house as I have alot of programs that need windows to run them on (example Suunto Dive master logbook)
2/. My company has webmail that can only be accessed on a PC computer. I cannot access it using (safari, firefox, google crome) from a Mac but can get it via any of the above using a PC
3/. I like the look of the Sony Z series and they have great reviews, plus I love watching movies and Blue Ray rocks

Did you try running your PC programs in Boot Camp\Parallels\Fusion? Unless your primary reason is that you really, REALLY want to get the Sony, those alternatives can save you some cash.

Also, I don't know if you've ever tried to do maintenance on Vaio's, but they're a pain in the rear to take apart. Make sure you get the supe'd up version unless you want to handle the plethora of screws holding those Sony NoteBooks together.

[jmazzamj]

Originally Posted by daleski75

Just done a search on Vaio Z and found this thread I also sold my MBA 2.13 to get the i5 with 128gb ssd etc and more than happy with it.

I do miss OSX although Windows 7 has taken me by surprise very stable and quick!

I better lay down never thought I would say that about a Micro$oft product

The following is not referred specifically and ONLY to you. It refers to any Windows machine.

Give Windows some time (6 months to 1 year), and it will begin being very very sluggish. Do not complain if suddenly your computer does not boot properly. Welcome to the Windows world.

Backup, guys, backup your Windows machines...

[PsyD4Me]

Originally Posted by jmazzamj

The following is not referred specifically and ONLY to you. It refers to any Windows machine.

Give Windows some time (6 months to 1 year), and it will begin being very very sluggish. Do not complain if suddenly your computer does not boot properly. Welcome to the Windows world.

Backup, guys, backup your Windows machines...

my custom built alienware vista notebook never had any long-term slow downs, we're beyond XP

[Scottsdale]

Originally Posted by cecoleman

I think its a bad move... look to see how much you get for your Macbook Air after a year two as compared to what that Sony will be worth the day after you take it home. PC's all of them to me are disposable and lose any value within a two days, whereas I've sold used Mac's in the past for 80% their original value up to two years of owning them.

Tell that to anyone who paid $1799 or $3099 for an original MBA... or to anyone who paid $2499 for a high-end rev B on June 1, 2009 only to see the value drop by $700 overnight on June 2, 2009 with the new MBA with a faster CPU.

[gwsat]

Originally Posted by Scottsdale

Tell that to anyone who paid $1799 or $3099 for an original MBA... or to anyone who paid $2499 for a high-end rev B on June 1, 2009 only to see the value drop by $700 overnight on June 2, 2009 with the new MBA with a faster CPU.

True, but as you and I both know, computers have been getting progressively cheaper and more powerful at an ever quickening pace since the introduction of the original PC in 1981. Thus, it is no surprise that these factors inevitably serve to reduce the resale value of the computers we already own.

[Scottsdale]

Originally Posted by gwsat

True, but as you and I both know, computers have been getting progressively cheaper and more powerful at an ever quickening pace since the introduction of the original PC in 1981. Thus, it is no surprise that these factors inevitably serve to reduce the resale value of the computers we already own.

But Apple computers usually hold their value much better as the poster I was replying to stated... my point was the MBA is just like other ultraportables and not like a normal Mac. Apple started this trend by introducing the first MBA before it was time with a terrible component makeup. When it followed up in October 2008 with the Nvidia chipset/GPU it made the MBA amazing. What happened in June 2009 was Apple trying to take advantage of the secondary market where Apple didn't have a competitor that was priced well. Had the iPad been around last June, I don't believe the MBA's pricing would have dropped so much. At least now Apple can get back to business with the MBA, and I hope they focus on high-end and BTO options to give people the luxury device they want.