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2010 MBP 13 dates Vaio Z11 - some photo evidence :)

mjoshi123

mjoshi123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 14, 2010
451
5
Okay guys for your eyes only here is meet up of MBP 13-2010 2.4Ghz with its big buddy Vaio Z11. Okay its not any technical comparison here but just physical aspects. Here is my take, if you got 2 grand to burn there is no comparison here Z11 is a way to go. Here is photo comparison of two machines side by side.
People compalining about Z11 screen being inferior to MBP screen can get side by side look and decide.
P6040211.JPG


Here is keyboard comparison shot, both have similar keyboard with Z11 keys being spaced little bit wider but trackpad size on MBP is bigger compared to Z11.
P6040213.JPG


Here is side by side top comparison MBP has Speck shield case on and hence it looks glossy but both are excellent build quality.
P6040214.JPG


Here is shot from side not much to say, but one thing noticable is more ergonomic slide on Z11 whereas MBP is flat design, probably because of design constraint
P6040215.JPG


Here is top comparison, MBP feels little bit bigger comared to Z11.
P6040217.JPG


Bottom line both are great machines but if you want desktop replacement in 13" form factor there is no alternative to Z11 - provided you've that kind of money to spend. I think both companies are great and I'd love to see more great products from both companies. Because of this 2 innovative companies we will enjoy more great products, Competition brings best Monopoly kills....
Thanks to my buddy Tim for agreeing to do this meet up photo shoot of this 2 babies, So Fanboys start your comments and keep it civil :).
 
The Sony Z seems to be the winner from those pics.

Better design
More Vivid screen

However, I doubt I would actually buy a Sony Z over a Macbook since it is only offered with a SSD and since they start at $1900.

All in all a very good product by Sony though.
 
djasterix said:
Have to agree, the black bottom on the Vaio makes it look cheap...
Click to expand...

there is IMO, no comparison in the "form factor"...although I have had VAIO's and they are decent machines...I know the Z11 is fast and packed with features...but I just don't like the thickness and the form factor...it looks like a cheap copy of the Jonny Ive design...:cool:
 
A actually purchased the Z, used it for a few days, and ended up taking it back for a 15" MBP. It wasn't a terrible machine, but had a couple of really annoying aspects. 1) trackpad was garbage. The MBP trackpads simply set the standard in this area. The MBP trackpad is so good, this feature alone was sufficient to sway me. 2) bloatware on the Sony was ridiculous. You pay $1700 for a premium laptop with a limited-size 128GB SSD, and it comes filled with shovelware. Mindboggling stupid decision on Sony's part to include such cr*p. 3) Lid was uber flimsy. You could bend it a good 1", and the LCD would get all these lovely colors in it. Can't be good for long-term durability. 4) The Z was very light. I mean VERY. Most of the time, this is a good thing. I can't help but think that they went overboard, though (see the flimsy lid), and the "carbon fiber" turned out to be carbon-reinforced plastic. Looked and felt like plastic, too. 5) lighted keyboard had all sorts of sensor problems. Ended up taping over the light sensor to get things to work.

YMMV.
 
How long is VAIO Z battery last?? The resolution in VAIO Z will drive me nuts ... Too small~ 1920x1080??

PS: Glad you can own both machine... Lucky :rolleyes:

OS X FTW :D
 
Henry72 he doesnt own both he met up with his friend who I believe has the Z.

Diablo2112 I do not disbelieve you as I have a Sony myself.
 
I couldn't return my Z fast enough. Personal preference for sure, you need to spend a week working on each then you'll know ...

I can't emphasize enough how much I disliked my Z, there's other reviews here as well - mroogle.
 
why does the sony seem to cut off about 1/4" of the picture on both the top and bottom of the movie? That's what stuck out at me in the first pic.
 
The Vaio Z has a beautiful screen (with matte standard - an advantage over the 13" MBP), and impressive performance, but it feels like a wafer - too light, too creaky, and it feels like I might crack the shell if I press on it too hard. The fit, finish and overall solidity that the MBP has to it is a big plus, in my opinion.
 
Sony "SELLS" a package but hides the "not so nice" things. One major thing (besides running Windows 7 and I won't have that, PERIOD) is that the Vaio Z uses a proprietary SSD which is just plain stupid. You have no option to install your own SSD, that's retarded, and they say Macs aren't customizable? :rolleyes:. Secondly, the small stuff is important to me, for as much as you pay for the Sony Vaio Z you don't even get restore DVD's, they make you burn your own, what a cheap company.
Sorry OP, you came to a Mac forum to floss your Sony Vaio, well you might get a one or two people that like your machine but to be honest Sony cuts corners and you'll soon see it. For instance they advertise the multi-touch trackpad (Like the Macbook Pro) but the drivers suck on the Vaio Z. Sony advertises a backlit keyboard but it's limited, it's either on or off but no in between.
I hate the plastic on the bottom, it makes it look cheap and the lid is flimsy. Nice try Sony, but it's unfinished. Enjoy it though. :p
 
diablo2112 said:
A actually purchased the Z, used it for a few days, and ended up taking it back for a 15" MBP. It wasn't a terrible machine, but had a couple of really annoying aspects. 1) trackpad was garbage. The MBP trackpads simply set the standard in this area. The MBP trackpad is so good, this feature alone was sufficient to sway me. 2) bloatware on the Sony was ridiculous. You pay $1700 for a premium laptop with a limited-size 128GB SSD, and it comes filled with shovelware. Mindboggling stupid decision on Sony's part to include such cr*p. 3) Lid was uber flimsy. You could bend it a good 1", and the LCD would get all these lovely colors in it. Can't be good for long-term durability. 4) The Z was very light. I mean VERY. Most of the time, this is a good thing. I can't help but think that they went overboard, though (see the flimsy lid), and the "carbon fiber" turned out to be carbon-reinforced plastic. Looked and felt like plastic, too. 5) lighted keyboard had all sorts of sensor problems. Ended up taping over the light sensor to get things to work.

YMMV.
Click to expand...
I think you might have purchased previous version of Z not Z11, the pictures posted here are Z11. It comes with 198GB SSD (124 + 64) and it is user replacable so you can buy something else and swap it out.
You are right about crapware but that has changed lot with advent of Windows 7. Sony has learnt from past and it is not what it used to be anymore. I've Vaio FW290 and can tell you that machine came with lot of junk but my friend's Z11 seems to have improved in that regard.
Related to wavy LCD that is actually more technically challenging to build LCD like that than a sturdy flat piece. If you check prices of rollable LCDs (which are still not mass produced ) you will see that it is not cheap. In my limited hands-on experience with Z11 it didnot feel cheap at all. And the guy who bought this machine works in QA (and is literally anal about certain standards - sorry Tim) and very much puts his machine thru paces so I can tell you Vaio's own qc would be thankful that it passes this guys usage requirements. I dont own Z11 but dont find it hard to appreciate competition when it helps improve my next iteration of product.
 
Coswyn said:
The Vaio Z has a beautiful screen (with matte standard - an advantage over the 13" MBP), and impressive performance, but it feels like a wafer - too light, too creaky, and it feels like I might crack the shell if I press on it too hard. The fit, finish and overall solidity that the MBP has to it is a big plus, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I'll try to find videos on Sony's website that shows the rigorous testing they do on Z series and sturdiness of its product. It is to reassure customers about product they are buying and some of those videos are pretty impressive.
 
HLdan said:
Sony "SELLS" a package but hides the "not so nice" things. One major thing (besides running Windows 7 and I won't have that, PERIOD) is that the Vaio Z uses a proprietary SSD which is just plain stupid. You have no option to install your own SSD, that's retarded, and they say Macs aren't customizable? :rolleyes:. Secondly, the small stuff is important to me, for as much as you pay for the Sony Vaio Z you don't even get restore DVD's, they make you burn your own, what a cheap company. :p
Click to expand...
There is reason for companies moving away from restore DVDs, they now provide recovery partition on machine itself. Think it this way if you lost your restore DVD you wont have to worry as recovery partition will be always there. Second thing if you are travelling and your system goes down for whatever reason you may be out of luck if you have to find restore DVD, instead it would be easier to burn from recovery partition. I think this is the reason more and more companies are moving to recovery partition instead of restore DVD.
HLdan said:
Sorry OP, you came to a Mac forum to floss your Sony Vaio, well you might get a one or two people that like your machine but to be honest Sony cuts corners and you'll soon see it. For instance they advertise the multi-touch trackpad (Like the Macbook Pro) but the drivers suck on the Vaio Z. Sony advertises a backlit keyboard but it's limited, it's either on or off but no in between.
I hate the plastic on the bottom, it makes it look cheap and the lid is flimsy. Nice try Sony, but it's unfinished. Enjoy it though. :p
Click to expand...

I clearly mentioned this is not my machine (read my signature and it nowhere shows Z11) so I didnot come here to "floss my Z11", I just post pictures to show 2 best in breed machines side by side. Let me put it little bit bluntly if you want DESKTOP REPLACEMENT in 13" form factor there is nothing that beats Z11.

Till then I think happy to use my MBP and happier to see competition which helps next iteration of MBP to be better.
 
mjoshi123 said:
There is reason for companies moving away from restore DVDs, they now provide recovery partition on machine itself. Think it this way if you lost your restore DVD you wont have to worry as recovery partition will be always there. Second thing if you are travelling and your system goes down for whatever reason you may be out of luck if you have to find restore DVD, instead it would be easier to burn from recovery partition. I think this is the reason more and more companies are moving to recovery partition instead of restore DVD.
Click to expand...

...and precisely what happens when your hard disk / ssd goes belly up and you have no restore dvd's?

A recovery partition is a nice idea (especially for pc users who HAVE to format every 6-12 months to avoid the 20% drop in speed once the registry's clogged up) but eventually a recovery partition is going to be useless once the storage medium fails, which they all do..even SSD's.

I'm with pretty much everyone else here, to say the Z-11 has one major UNRECTIFIABLE flaw. Windows is not and never will be a patch on the reliability, solidness and user friendlyness of OS X.

So as a desktop replacement it still fails, because it's not comparable to either an iMac or a Mac Pro
 
How hard is it to replicate the mbp trackpad?

It seems pretty obvious that apple has the best in the industry, yet no one even bothers to try and outdo them. That Sony looks as elegant as a homeless person compared to the mbp.
 
moel said:
...and precisely what happens when your hard disk / ssd goes belly up and you have no restore dvd's?

A recovery partition is a nice idea (especially for pc users who HAVE to format every 6-12 months to avoid the 20% drop in speed once the registry's clogged up) but eventually a recovery partition is going to be useless once the storage medium fails, which they all do..even SSD's.

I'm with pretty much everyone else here, to say the Z-11 has one major UNRECTIFIABLE flaw. Windows is not and never will be a patch on the reliability, solidness and user friendlyness of OS X.

So as a desktop replacement it still fails, because it's not comparable to either an iMac or a Mac Pro
Click to expand...

Sony or any other company that provides you with recovery partition doesnot stop you from buring recovery disc, on the contrary they prompt you to burn recovery discs when you initially setup computer.
I'm not sure what kind of PC user you are referring to but I've Windows 7 running on my desktop for more than 18 months now and I've not found need to format it. If you know what you are doing you will not have issues be it either Windows 7 or OS X. Both are piece of software and they will have flaws. Actually it is pretty impressive that even with kind of wide ranging devices that Win 7 supports it still runs pretty stable - try doing that with OS X :).
But I can feel your pain as I do get calls from people at least once a month from people who gets infected with viruses and spywares. But that will also happen on OSX. Having OSX doesnot mean you are safe and secure if you dont have clue what you are doing.
 
Yawn, flamewar ahoy.

Fact 1) Windows whatever version has a registry, that gets clogged up over a year

Fact 2) OS X is not invulnerable to viruses, but few to none actually exist outside of a lab as was discussed here last week.

As for device support. Have yet to come across anything other than ancient webcams, that aren't supported by OS X
 
Fact 0): have you ever used windows 7? No?

moel said:
A recovery partition is a nice idea (especially for pc users who HAVE to format every 6-12 months to avoid the 20% drop in speed once the registry's clogged up) but eventually a recovery partition is going to be useless once the storage medium fails, which they all do..even SSD's.
Click to expand...

Indeed, that is why recovery dvds are not better: they fail too.

There difference, though, is that with recovery partition you can have both: you can burn as many recovery dvd as you want for backup purpose, and you can have a recovery partition handy when traveling.

vant said:
How hard is it to replicate the mbp trackpad?

It seems pretty obvious that apple has the best in the industry, yet no one even bothers to try and outdo them. That Sony looks as elegant as a homeless person compared to the mbp.
Click to expand...
The trackpad on the newest thindpads is very nice too.
 
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