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

[HLdan]

Windows 7 is an amazing operating system. It works well, looks nice, and is very stable.


What about Apple's inability to change something as simple as the battery? Sure, the longer life is great, but they didn't necessarily need to make it non user-replaceable, they could have very well attached it to a door like the last batteries, but they did what they did to prevent you from going anywhere else but there to get a new battery.

What about the mini display port that requires adapters to even use a simple screen?

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple, but to irk over a SSD is a useless argument against Apple's restrictions as well.


I absolutely LOVE the fact that on my desktop, I have a restore partition. I love that I can simply make my own restore DVD just in case my HDD goes belly up, BUT if I lose said DVDs, I don't have to call the company and pay and wait for a disk, if they're still supported, and I have also put the restore partition on a little flash drive. A blank DVD is extremely cheap, a flash drive of about 4GB is also pretty affordable. If my OS X DVDs are destroyed in an accident, I have to call Apple and may have to pay shipping.


The problem with it is that you're inciting rage that isn't necessary. You attack Windows 7 without any valid reasons...

Listen, I love my MacBook, I use it every day, it is my main machine and I prefer it over my desktop, but Windows isn't the plague and Sony has much better hardware than, say, cheap HPs, yet HP can have some amazing notebooks like their envy line. Sony is a stylish company, and as such Apple even took their chiclet keyboard, and designed their notebooks around the simplistic theme Sony has been managing for the duration of their existence in the notebook market, and Windows 7 can be an amazing operating system if people would do simple things such as avoid porn sites and pirating shady software.

.

You say don't get you wrong, you love Apple's stuff? You're not proving it too well here. Secondly, where was I trashing Windows 7? I said I will not use it, PERIOD. Don't make up stuff as you're going along. Interesting how you would find a good reason to have a restore partition eating up space your drive instead of the PC companies providing DVD's. If you lose your DVD's that's your own fault, don't make it sound like it's a bad thing for Apple to provide DVD's over making you burn your own from a partition. You say a blank DVD is extremely cheap then those overpriced Sony Vaios should come with one.

The mini displayport is superior to an HDMI port as it provides connection to displays of much higher resolution. If you buy a common PC with an HDMI port and connect it to your TV what does it require, an HDMI cable right? What's the difference of me getting a mini displayport to HDMI cable? Nothing. You're bringing up an argument about the built-in battery on the Macbook Pro? Are you just trying to start a fight for no reason? I made a point about the Sony Vaio Z's SSD being proprietary because the OP said it was user switchable and that's wrong. FYI, people change out their hard drives a lot more than changing out batteries and most people would prefer the ability to do it then to have a proprietary storage drive that cannot be switched out by the user.

No need for your hostility especially when I wasn't speaking to you in the first place, instead you resort to name calling. See, I can have an argument without personal attacks, can you? No.

 

[blueflower]

You say don't get you wrong, you love Apple's stuff? You're not proving it too well here. Secondly, where was I trashing Windows 7? I said I will not use it, PERIOD. Don't make up stuff as you're going along. Interesting how you would find a good reason to have a restore partition eating up space your drive instead of the PC companies providing DVD's. If you lose your DVD's that's your own fault, don't make it sound like it's a bad thing for Apple to provide DVD's over making you burn your own from a partition. You say a blank DVD is extremely cheap then those overpriced Sony Vaios should come with one.

The mini displayport is superior to an HDMI port as it provides connection to displays of much higher resolution. If you buy a common PC with an HDMI port and connect it to your TV what does it require, an HDMI cable right? What's the difference of me getting a mini displayport to HDMI cable? Nothing. You're bringing up an argument about the built-in battery on the Macbook Pro? Are you just trying to start a fight for no reason? I made a point about the Sony Vaio Z's SSD being proprietary because the OP said it was user switchable and that's wrong. FYI, people change out their hard drives a lot more than changing out batteries and most people would prefer the ability to do it then to have a proprietary storage drive that cannot be switched out by the user.

No need for your hostility especially when I wasn't speaking to you in the first place, instead you resort to name calling. See, I can have an argument without personal attacks, can you? No.

Negative.

 

[HLdan]

Negative.

Yeah? Prove it. I see more threads about hard drive swaps here almost daily and hardly see many people talking about not being able to switch out batteries.

 

[oplix]

sony is suck compared to MBP. Actually once you get a MBP, everything is relatively suck compared to it.

 

[fitto13]

Actually once you get a MBP, everything is relatively suck compared to it.

Before I got my MBP, I would never have said this....but, now I've got it - I say it too haha.

Same goes with the keyboard. Got it today, so small and sleak - it's amazing.

Using a variation to the iPhone as well, nothing has come close to be being as nice as the iPhone to me.

Woaaah...I hope I'm turning into a fanboi.

Nar....I still don't not like windows. I use it and have no problem with it. Just not my preffered. Plus, I like things to look good.

The MBP looks a whole lot better than the Z in both the pics and in real life.

 

[Philscbx]

I have a Dell XPS, it is still running,

Cool, mine's in 3 different drawers.
The one annoying issue is the fans coming on if at a meeting or very quiet study area.
Then you just want to hide when the group stares at it.
The MBP is the only qualified unit I would allow in that setting.

I recently bought a 13 in MBP. THough I was not happy about the C2D processor yet again, I felt that it would really suit my needs as I do a lot of word processing, browsing, etc.

I haven't noticed any issue just yet with the processing of the C2D.
We'll see when I do some heavy lifting with Aperture RAW & iMovie a bit later.

I was amazed at how quickly I could pick up the os.
haven't quite grasped the multigesture trackpad

There is a built in touchpad demo in the 'System Preference Panel' 'Touchpad' if that helps. It's quite impressively done.

I am running parallels with win 7

Sorry, I'm not the guru on this topic, and don't have it installed.

I must say that my 256 ssd is blazing and quiet, and opens up office 2008/iwork in milliseconds.

That would be my next mod on my 13'MBP. It must be impressive to see that action.

Apple has the market on battery life there is no doubt.

My older 15"Powerbook in the last 5 yrs is lucky if it gets an hour. Even with 2 spare batteries. But the new MBP is heaven.

the build quality is unbelievable for the MBP, I am glad I have switched!

I could not agree more, Cheers on the new guy.

 

[jjahshik32]

Is the sony vaio z11's screen a matte screen?

One thing I love about vaios is their xblack technology and their displays. I remember I had a sony vaio tz model and its display at the time was excellent, even better than the 17" hi res led screen at that time (owned both and compared at the same time as well and preferred the sony's xblack screen).

 

[quetzaal]

I would just like to give my opinion of the VAIO Z. I have upgraded from a core 2 duo, 2.6, 8600M.

Windows 7: Way ahead of both Vista and XP. In fact it is almost as good as OS X. It is just as easy to use, looks way better and is quite stable.

SSD: Even though there is no TRIM, these things are fast. I mean really fast. Logging in is as fast as unlocking the computer and programs open almost instantly.

Screen: 1600x900. This makes text/images/high def video look stunning. Ahead of even the 15" MBP. If you go for the hi res 1920x1080 that is higher resolution than the 17" MBP!!! The PPI is higher than the (old) iphone. Unheard of on a laptop!

Speakers: one word: really awful

GPU: The VAIO Z has at least double the video ram of the MBP at 1GB. Overclocked, my GPU doesn't go over 87C and I get 8000 in 3dmark06 at 1280x800!! I can game for >2 hrs without any instability.

Extras: fingerprint, vaio logo , half the weight, more USB ports, expresscard, WWAN & GPS.

Price: slightly more expensive.

This computer is way ahead of the computers apple offer. It drives me crayz that apple have put no effort whatsoever into their new macs. It's a real shame. I would like to see some competition with sony.

 

[elpmas]

the sony one looks like it's made of wood!

 

[UltraNEO*]

here is video from Sony's website for stress test on Z series. Its an interesting watch.

http://b2b.sony.com/vaio/durability/durability_videos.html

Now, that's how Apple SHOULD test their MacBook & MacBook Pros!!!

Somehow, I can't imagine any of our MB/MBP would survive. They'll be dented, cracked or shattered screens and probably falling to bits. Better yet... Why doesn't Apple pass their systems to a five year old kid? Let them throw it around, drop it, stand, jump and spread Jam on the thing.. Just to see how rugged the thing really is and test it's durability. Perhaps then Apple could improve on a good design.

Well.. For the record, I'm ain't bias. I like both machines for different reasons and Sony do try to push the envelope even with their hands tied to MicroShot

 

[nhlducks35]

I would just like to give my opinion of the VAIO Z. I have upgraded from a core 2 duo, 2.6, 8600M.

Windows 7: Way ahead of both Vista and XP. In fact it is almost as good as OS X. It is just as easy to use, looks way better and is quite stable.

SSD: Even though there is no TRIM, these things are fast. I mean really fast. Logging in is as fast as unlocking the computer and programs open almost instantly.

Screen: 1600x900. This makes text/images/high def video look stunning. Ahead of even the 15" MBP. If you go for the hi res 1920x1080 that is higher resolution than the 17" MBP!!! The PPI is higher than the (old) iphone. Unheard of on a laptop!

Speakers: one word: really awful

GPU: The VAIO Z has at least double the video ram of the MBP at 1GB. Overclocked, my GPU doesn't go over 87C and I get 8000 in 3dmark06 at 1280x800!! I can game for >2 hrs without any instability.

Extras: fingerprint, vaio logo , half the weight, more USB ports, expresscard, WWAN & GPS.

Price: slightly more expensive.

This computer is way ahead of the computers apple offer. It drives me crayz that apple have put no effort whatsoever into their new macs. It's a real shame. I would like to see some competition with sony.

The 17" MBP has a res if 1920 x 1200, meaning it I higher res than the Z

 

[thecarrot]

You can't even compare these in terms of build quality and hardware. I personally saw and used a Z11 and the screen portion of the laptop was incredibly flimsy, much too thin, and made the screen seem even smaller than it really is. I cannot stress enough how poor build quality the Z is to any macbook pro. Obviously compared to the 13' MBP the Z will have much faster performance, but the cost is much more as well. A more even comparison would be to compare it to the 15' MBP, where it can be customized to outperform the MBP, though only slightly.

 

[Loptimist]

You can't even compare these in terms of build quality and hardware. I personally saw and used a Z11 and the screen portion of the laptop was incredibly flimsy, much too thin, and made the screen seem even smaller than it really is. I cannot stress enough how poor build quality the Z is to any macbook pro. Obviously compared to the 13' MBP the Z will have much faster performance, but the cost is much more as well. A more even comparison would be to compare it to the 15' MBP, where it can be customized to outperform the MBP, though only slightly.

Wrong. How you felt does not prove Vaio Z's build quality is poor. In fact, Vaio Z's carbon fibre case is more durable than Macbook Pro's aluminum one.

I own several laptops including 15" i7 high-res MBP, 13" 320m base MBP, and Vaio Z12. I find MBP 13" is a good cheap alternative to Vaio Z12. Vaio Z and MBP 13" are not comparable units except for the size and weight. Vaio Z12 is a premium unit, something like Macbook Air + great performance.

Additionally, Windows 7 is a GREAT OS.

 

[mark28]

You can't even compare these in terms of build quality and hardware. I personally saw and used a Z11 and the screen portion of the laptop was incredibly flimsy, much too thin, and made the screen seem even smaller than it really is. I cannot stress enough how poor build quality the Z is to any macbook pro. Obviously compared to the 13' MBP the Z will have much faster performance, but the cost is much more as well. A more even comparison would be to compare it to the 15' MBP, where it can be customized to outperform the MBP, though only slightly.

Sony Z can be customized too if you order it from Sony. Even different batteries can be installed that last much longer.

The Sony Z weighs the same as the macbook Air, it's an ultraportable laptop. A more fair comparison would be the Macbook Air vs Sony Z, since they are both very light weight laptops for ultraportability.

 

[thecarrot]

OK wow first of all I am in no way even close to being an Apple fanboy. My current MBP is my first mac after many years of having a PC. I tried out BOTH the EVO and the Droid X before deciding on my iphone 4 as well, so its not like I just blindly buy whatever apple throws out there- I compare the competition and chose accordingly. That being said there is no way you can consider the Sony Vaio Z even close to the MBP in terms of overall build quality and "feel." As others have stated, Sony products tend to not last as long because of this poor build quality. I saw 3 different Zs at Sony Style and they all had an INCREDIBLY flimsy top flap. It completely baffled me, and right after I noticed that I immediately knew I would never be purchasing such a machine. Anybody could easily snap that top in half. Not to mention the plastic bottom. Now in terms of performance it is a GREAT laptop, and w7 is a GREAT OS, probably better than OSX imo for certain things. If you are looking for a high powered super portable laptop the sony Z might be worth it, but even then its flimsy and feels low quality compared to MBP's.

@mark28, in terms of hardware/design you may be right, but they really cannot be compared because the performance difference is much too large.

 

[Narse77]

I would just like to give my opinion of the VAIO Z. I have upgraded from a core 2 duo, 2.6, 8600M.

Windows 7: Way ahead of both Vista and XP. In fact it is almost as good as OS X. It is just as easy to use, looks way better and is quite stable.

SSD: Even though there is no TRIM, these things are fast. I mean really fast. Logging in is as fast as unlocking the computer and programs open almost instantly.

Screen: 1600x900. This makes text/images/high def video look stunning. Ahead of even the 15" MBP. If you go for the hi res 1920x1080 that is higher resolution than the 17" MBP!!! The PPI is higher than the (old) iphone. Unheard of on a laptop!

Speakers: one word: really awful

GPU: The VAIO Z has at least double the video ram of the MBP at 1GB. Overclocked, my GPU doesn't go over 87C and I get 8000 in 3dmark06 at 1280x800!! I can game for >2 hrs without any instability.

Extras: fingerprint, vaio logo , half the weight, more USB ports, expresscard, WWAN & GPS.

Price: slightly more expensive.

This computer is way ahead of the computers apple offer. It drives me crayz that apple have put no effort whatsoever into their new macs. It's a real shame. I would like to see some competition with sony.

I find it funny people think 7 is a lot better than Vista, I have been a PC tech for a major corp for over 15 years and was a mom and pop tech for almost 5 years before moving to corp. I have forgotten more about MS operating systems than most of you hope to ever know. Vista and 7 are so damn so close as far as the kernel and backend go it's not even funny. I think 7 is great don't get me wrong, but to say it's leaps above Vista is stupid, They changed the taskbar and made superfetch a lot better. The only other reasons it seems better is the drivers and software that are compatible with the Vista based kernel are now available and tested, Vista would have been just as good if released today.

 

[iLog.Genius]

I find it funny people think 7 is a lot better than Vista, I have been a PC tech for a major corp for over 15 years and was a mom and pop tech for almost 5 years before moving to corp. I have forgotten more about MS operating systems than most of you hope to ever know. Vista and 7 are so damn so close as far as the kernel and backend go it's not even funny. I think 7 is great don't get me wrong, but to say it's leaps above Vista is stupid, They changed the taskbar and made superfetch a lot better. The only other reasons it seems better is the drivers and software that are compatible with the Vista based kernel are now available and tested, Vista would have been just as good if released today.

I'm in no way a person who knows much about Windows and what goes on behind the GUI (or even OS X for that matter) but that's what I've been telling people as well. Just from a user/comsumer standpoint, I really have a hard time believing people who say 7 is way better than Vista. I've used both and for the most part, it feels pretty much the same and when there were problems, it was most likely a driver problem.

 

[aced411]

No, it pretty much sucked. I bought the i7 Z11. Paid through the nose. The only thing I liked besides the speed was the weight, otherwise the screen wasn't that great, the trackpad was god awful, the build "felt" cheap and the hybrid chipset was tied to Windows 7 (I couldn't install linux). Within a week I packaged it up and got my money back. For the kind of money I paid I expected more.

Wrong. How you felt does not prove Vaio Z's build quality is poor. In fact, Vaio Z's carbon fibre case is more durable than Macbook Pro's aluminum one.

I own several laptops including 15" i7 high-res MBP, 13" 320m base MBP, and Vaio Z12. I find MBP 13" is a good cheap alternative to Vaio Z12. Vaio Z and MBP 13" are not comparable units except for the size and weight. Vaio Z12 is a premium unit, something like Macbook Air + great performance.

Additionally, Windows 7 is a GREAT OS.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

Have to agree, the black bottom on the Vaio makes it look cheap...

Wait until you have picked it up by the corner....creaks like my granny in the heat of July.

_ALL_ Sony's are like this. They shove high-end components into a cheap body because they are CE-grade by design.

I've owned Vaios, still have the original Z they came out with a few years back. Carbon fiber cases may be durable, but when they are screwed into plastic mounts things just get creaky and those nice high-end components shoved in the middle start to suffer.

Sony Vaio's are like making a high end beef sandwich from shaved Kobe steaks and shoving the meat between two slices of Wonder sandwich bread.

 

[thecarrot]

^^ You guys are exactly right. Its not even a contest between MBP and Z11 in terms of hardware quality and feel. Honestly the Sony felt cheap to me and is worlds behind even other PCs such as the HP ENVY line, those are actually decent build quality.

 

[Covart]

here is video from Sony's website for stress test on Z series. Its an interesting watch.

http://b2b.sony.com/vaio/durability/durability_videos.html

An interesting video. What I found most interesting is that it takes nearly a minute to boot up AND that is with an SSD?!? Hell, I can boot and shut off my MBP 3 times in that amount of time. I think I fell asleep and woke up again, waiting for that Sony to boot up.

By the way, it looks like Sony tried it's best to copy the look of the MBP. Looks like they failed too.

 

[lilo777]

An interesting video. What I found most interesting is that it takes nearly a minute to boot up AND that is with an SSD?!? Hell, I can boot and shut off my MBP 3 times in that amount of time. I think I fell asleep and woke up again, waiting for that Sony to boot up.

By the way, it looks like Sony tried it's best to copy the look of the MBP. Looks like they failed too.

Yes, VAIO Z takes one minute to boot and then 1 hour to run, say, ray tracing.
MBP will start in 20 seconds and then will spend 3 hours ray tracing. You saved 40 seconds booting and wasted 2 hours 20 minutes working. I'll take Sony, thank you. As far as "looks" are concerned, Sony was the first to come up with chicklet keyboard for laptops. What else is similar between the Z and MBP? They both have screens?

 

[Covart]

Yes, VAIO Z takes one minute to boot and then 1 hour to run, say, ray tracing.
MBP will start in 20 seconds and then will spend 3 hours ray tracing. You saved 40 seconds booting and wasted 2 hours 20 minutes working. I'll take Sony, thank you. As far as "looks" are concerned, Sony was the first to come up with chicklet keyboard for laptops. What else is similar between the Z and MBP? They both have screens?

LOL. Seriously. The claim to fame for Sony is the first laptop to use the chicklet keyboard? Something that has been around since the first PC's in the 70's. Maybe Sony should thank Atari or Commodore or IBM for that amazing "technology". Chicklet keyboard... I'm still chuckling.

And the copying the look of the MBP. Are you blind? They even tried to mimic the power adapter styling. Poorly though.

 

[Sleazy E]

Seeing other laptops next to apple laptops makes me realize how great apple laptops look.

 

[GamecockMac]

Yes, VAIO Z takes one minute to boot and then 1 hour to run, say, ray tracing.
MBP will start in 20 seconds and then will spend 3 hours ray tracing. You saved 40 seconds booting and wasted 2 hours 20 minutes working. I'll take Sony, thank you.

Link to some proof of this claim, or it's just more of the usual FUD from one of the most obsessed Apple-haters on this forum.