[Merged] Sony VAIO Z Series Notebooks

[entatlrg]

I'm not sure who makes them. I wonder if Sony would replace the notebook over a screen concern?

Did you end up returning your Sony or are you holding on to it with your 15" MBP?

 

[fr4c]

I'm not sure who makes them. I wonder if Sony would replace the notebook over a screen concern?

Did you end up returning your Sony or are you holding on to it with your 15" MBP?

I returned the unit today. I took the machine in, and mentioned to the sales rep that I was unhappy with the screen especially on a $3k machine. Since they didn't have another unit in stock for me to exchange, he waived the restocking fee for me.

I'm going to check back in with them when they get more in, but I don't feel like gambling in case I get another machine with a crappy panel.

 

[entatlrg]

fr4c - That's unfortunate about the screen. At least now you'll be able to settle in with your new 15" and can see whether you miss the Z or not.

Keep us posted, in the meantime enjoy your MBP!

 

[trondah]

What? Fink ports software, it doesn't run dead stock.
edit: I guess I should elaborate. Running applications through fink is kind of like running Windows through VMware.

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Apple provides you with a compiler, libraries, headers and a rich userland. All you need to access it is the terminal, you are free to download any opensource software and compile it without the use of Fink or similar software (I use MacPorts).

Fink is a framework that helps you download and install stuff without lifting a finger. It is by no means similar to VMware or any kind of virtualization software, it's a package system.

 

[entatlrg]

Farewell Sony Z ...

My Z is boxed up too. The poor screen was the biggest reason. Compared to my last Sony Z and SZ the screen on my 2010 Z was a huge step down ... shadowy, poor viewing angle, grainy looking ... when the screen on a low-res 13" MBP looks better than the hi-res screen on the Sony Z there's something seriously wrong. The Sony track pad also played a role in the decision after using the large / smart track pad of the mac's it's hard to go backwards.

So, my quest for a 'really good' 3lb full featured ultra portable machine ends unsuccessfully ... I've tried the Lenovo x301 the screen in it was worse than the Sony and track pad not much better ... Dells ... after my experience with that company it's not an option.

What's left? Who makes an full featured ultra portable that's decent?

I think the best option for a thin / light computer right now is the 13" MBP and it fails because it's 1.5lbs heavier - BUT - I would much rather have the screen, keyboard, trackpad of the 13" MBP and carry the extra 1.5lbs than I would have any of the (disappointing) ultra portables on the market right now.

We NEED a MAJOR upgrade to the MacBook Air, wouldn't an upgraded MacBook be great, especially if they offered both a 13 and 15" model ... we can dream

 

[///M5]

My Z is boxed up too. The poor screen was the biggest reason. Compared to my last Sony Z and SZ the screen on my 2010 Z was a huge step down ... shadowy, poor viewing angle, grainy looking ... when the screen on a low-res 13" MBP looks better than the hi-res screen on the Sony Z there's something seriously wrong. The Sony track pad also played a role in the decision after using the large / smart track pad of the mac's it's hard to go backwards.

So, my quest for a 'really good' 3lb full featured ultra portable machine ends unsuccessfully ... I've tried the Lenovo x301 the screen in it was worse than the Sony and track pad not much better ... Dells ... after my experience with that company it's not an option.

What's left? Who makes an full featured ultra portable that's decent?

I think the best option for a thin / light computer right now is the 13" MBP and it fails because it's 1.5lbs heavier - BUT - I would much rather have the screen, keyboard, trackpad of the 13" MBP and carry the extra 1.5lbs than I would have any of the (disappointing) ultra portables on the market right now.

We NEED a MAJOR upgrade to the MacBook Air, wouldn't an upgraded MacBook be great, especially if they offered both a 13 and 15" model ... we can dream

Which screen did your Z have? Mine is the Full HD and it's absolutely gorgeous

 

[entatlrg]

Sony VAIO VPCZ1 13" LED (1600x900)

I'm disappointed in a way, I wanted to make the Z work, it was nice to have that much power in such a compact/light body ...

I've had the chance to look at another Z in a Sony store, I think it was about the same, not too bad under natural light with some adjustments but in the evening, replyingto emails for example on a white background it's real shadowy/grainy ... huge let down and step back for a top of the line Sony.

Actually, rather than writing about it more here, I'm going to put the same energy into contacting Sony and see what they can do, it'll be my last try at making it work ... I'll post back their reply in the next days. Then again a better screen won't solve the poor track pad, lol ... maybe I'm best to stay with the 13" MBP as my 'take everywhere' machine for now......

 

[Zadillo]

These complaints about the Z screen really make me wonder if my perception is just totally off. Again, I've only seen it in stores (at the SonyStyle store and at MicroCenter), and I thought the screen seemed excellent in both cases (both with the 1600x900 screens).

And I at least think I know a bad screen when I see them (some of the other Sonys definitely seemed to have very poor screens with bad black levels and backlighting issues, like the Y series, etc.).

 

[kousuke18]

These complaints about the Z screen really make me wonder if my perception is just totally off. Again, I've only seen it in stores (at the SonyStyle store and at MicroCenter), and I thought the screen seemed excellent in both cases (both with the 1600x900 screens).

And I at least think I know a bad screen when I see them (some of the other Sonys definitely seemed to have very poor screens with bad black levels and backlighting issues, like the Y series, etc.).

I'm going to chime in here, and say that there does seem to be a variation in display quality on the vaio z. The first one I had which was the base model definitely had the problem with faint diagonal lines but the quality was no where as bad as the OP and entatlrg make it out to be. My current CTO built model does not exhibit this problem. I guess you can say that apple suffers the same in inconsistent lcd quality in their macbook/macbook pros (yellow tint, light bleeding, etc..)

 

[RedReplicant]

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Apple provides you with a compiler, libraries, headers and a rich userland. All you need to access it is the terminal, you are free to download any opensource software and compile it without the use of Fink or similar software (I use MacPorts).

Fink is a framework that helps you download and install stuff without lifting a finger. It is by no means similar to VMware or any kind of virtualization software, it's a package system.

Really? I'd call it more like VMWare than native since it maintains a separate directory structure. I guess that is not a good way to word it.

My OSX stock install must be broken then, since my point was that you can't do it without some messing around (registering as a developer, downloading 2.3gb, and installing xcode)

xxx-iMac:wget-1.12 xx$ ./configure
configure: configuring for GNU Wget 1.12
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking whether build environment is sane... yes
checking for a thread-safe mkdir -p... build-aux/install-sh -c -d
checking for gawk... no
checking for mawk... no
checking for nawk... no
checking for awk... awk
checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... no
checking build system type... i386-apple-darwin10.3.0
checking host system type... i386-apple-darwin10.3.0
checking for gcc... no
checking for cc... no
checking for cl.exe... no
configure: error: in `/Users/xx/Temp/wget-1.12':
configure: error: no acceptable C compiler found in $PATH
See `config.log' for more details.

 

[Ash9414]

What's that thing on the stand for your ACD? Is it a USB hub or wireless adapter for a peripheral?

 

[///M5]

I'm going to chime in here, and say that there does seem to be a variation in display quality on the vaio z. The first one I had which was the base model definitely had the problem with faint diagonal lines but the quality was no where as bad as the OP and entatlrg make it out to be. My current CTO built model does not exhibit this problem. I guess you can say that apple suffers the same in inconsistent lcd quality in their macbook/macbook pros (yellow tint, light bleeding, etc..)

+1

My Z is pretty much like yours but with the 1920x1080 screen. No problems what so ever.

 

[trondah]

Really? I'd call it more like VMWare than native since it maintains a separate directory structure. I guess that is not a good way to word it.

Yes really. VMware is a virtualization product. How on earth is that similar to OSX native code? I can't really see how putting the binaries in it's own directory structure makes it similar to virtualization. Go read up on what you are talking about.

My OSX stock install must be broken then, since my point was that you can't do it without some messing around (registering as a developer, downloading 2.3gb, and installing xcode)

Check your OSX installation DVD, Xcode is included. Not including it in the default installation is a good thing, most people won't need it.

If you have a hard time registering (freely) and installing Xcode, you probably don't need a compiler anyways. Maybe you should install Fink, it doesn't require a compiler since it downloads readily compiled binaries.

I'm having a hard time understanding what your problem is here.... Does Windows come with a compiler? Do they even provide you with a free one? I know several Linux distro's that doesn't ship with a compiler in the default install either.

 

[FrinkTL]

Why Not Get a Replacement Z11?

My Z is boxed up too. The poor screen was the biggest reason. Compared to my last Sony Z and SZ the screen on my 2010 Z was a huge step down ... shadowy, poor viewing angle, grainy looking ... when the screen on a low-res 13" MBP looks better than the hi-res screen on the Sony Z there's something seriously wrong. The Sony track pad also played a role in the decision after using the large / smart track pad of the mac's it's hard to go backwards.

So, my quest for a 'really good' 3lb full featured ultra portable machine ends unsuccessfully ... I've tried the Lenovo x301 the screen in it was worse than the Sony and track pad not much better ... Dells ... after my experience with that company it's not an option.

What's left? Who makes an full featured ultra portable that's decent?

I think the best option for a thin / light computer right now is the 13" MBP and it fails because it's 1.5lbs heavier - BUT - I would much rather have the screen, keyboard, trackpad of the 13" MBP and carry the extra 1.5lbs than I would have any of the (disappointing) ultra portables on the market right now.

We NEED a MAJOR upgrade to the MacBook Air, wouldn't an upgraded MacBook be great, especially if they offered both a 13 and 15" model ... we can dream

While I'm sure that the display of the Z11 you received had/has issues, the simple fact that you yourself admit that it's a departure from prior Z displays you've seen leaves me wondering why you don't just return it for repair/replacement of the display. Especially given the reports of others (in this very thread) indicating that their display on the very same Z11 series is flawless.

Granted, it's always the buyer's option when in possession of defective merchandise to either exchange/repair it or simply return it for a refund, but if you loved everything else about the Z - and you know that Sony typically makes very nice displays for the Z - why wouldn't you give it another try with an exchange/repair instead of just giving up? Especially considering how good the rest of its features are. Especially considering Sony would have sent a technician out to you (where ever you are) to perform the repair/replacement (the Z11 [in the US] comes with 1 year of ON-SITE repair warranty).

I respect your choice; I just don't understand it, I guess. I love my Z11 and now won't settle for anything that offers less.

 

[entatlrg]

FrinkTL
Yes, I could of asked Sony to look at/replace the screen but in the end I decided I also preferred other features of the 13" MBP over the Sony.

I like the taller 13.3" screen and the lower resolution too, it's incredibly clear reading or watching video, fonts are larger and easier to read, I'm not a fan of the Sony default DPI setting of 125%, they do it because they realize the fonts aren't very readable at its native 1600x resulution, but at 125% they don't render properly.

It was hard for me to use the Sony trackpad after using Mac's for so long now.

I prefer the MBP keyboard for typing.

Finally, OSX, I'm not a Windows OS hater, Vista never gave me trouble, but Windows 7 as smooth as it is now just seems a little old fashioned for some reason ... so many steps to find things or adjust settings, searching through the control panel etc, ah at the end of the day I guess Mac's and even OSx won me over an grown on me.

I REALLY wanted this Z to work out for me. Regardless of my 'needs' I very much wanted a full powered windows machine in a 3lb frame, I was willing to be patient, adjust to the differences but for me personally I feel the Sony has shortcomings in too many ways, were the Mac offers a MUCH better user experience.

 

[fr4c]

What's that thing on the stand for your ACD? Is it a USB hub or wireless adapter for a peripheral?

It's the control hub for my speakers.

entatlrg -

I went to the Sony Store today and purchased a new unit, which they just received as part of their new shipment. I can honestly say the screen looks a lot better than the unit I had before, so I'm pretty positive my initial unit was a fluke.

 

[entatlrg]

That's good news!

What made you change your mind to go back and get another Z?

It's a powerful little machine, I have to admit I'm tempted too.

I love ultraportables, its SO unfortunate there's no real Mac alternative right now. The MacBook Air won't handle the load, the 13" MBP is 50% heavier ....

How did it come to this? From S. Jobs wow'ing the world two years ago by pulling the amazing thin MacBook Air from an envelope to this. Everyone has iPad fever, the MacBook Air is stalled and we're buying Sony Z's? damn!

 

[2high2aim]

wow man really nice comparison...glad to know that the MBP is still my choice.

 

[cytomatrix]

Really? I'd call it more like VMWare than native since it maintains a separate directory structure. I guess that is not a good way to word it.

My OSX stock install must be broken then, since my point was that you can't do it without some messing around (registering as a developer, downloading 2.3gb, and installing xcode)

xxx-iMac:wget-1.12 xx$ ./configure
configure: configuring for GNU Wget 1.12
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking whether build environment is sane... yes
checking for a thread-safe mkdir -p... build-aux/install-sh -c -d
checking for gawk... no
checking for mawk... no
checking for nawk... no
checking for awk... awk
checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... no
checking build system type... i386-apple-darwin10.3.0
checking host system type... i386-apple-darwin10.3.0
checking for gcc... no
checking for cc... no
checking for cl.exe... no
configure: error: in `/Users/xx/Temp/wget-1.12':
configure: error: no acceptable C compiler found in $PATH
See `config.log' for more details.

If downloading an application from a website is "messing around" to you, I dont know what you do with your machine. And VMware is a virtualization software. Please stop comparing it to alternative packaging system like finks or macports.

 

[leapfrogdoc]

can't compare apples with pearls

The vaio z is so light, and yet so powerful, apple has nothing in store like it.
It can go simply w/hdmi (picture and sound) to a large screen, it has express card and sd slot, it has an ultrasharp bright display, it can handle the most evil graphics and stays cool and quiet. I've been moving it through the continents with heavy workload for aver a month now and hasn't let me down once (neither my shoulder). Haven't taken my MBP 15 once. W7? Even that has a fresher feel than the OS10.

 

[vty]

The Z is an amazing machine! Man, if I could run OSX on that thing I would buy it in an instant.

 

[ouimetnick]

After seeing the ridiculous size of the Vaio, I laughed.
And who wants an i7 with 13"? That's just pure stupidity. And by the way, the battery does NOT sustain 6 hours of continous use. I haven't heard from anywhere that it can even surpass 3 hours.

After seeing the ridiculous size of the 15 inch Macbook Pro, I laughed.
And who wants an i7 with 15"? That's just pure stupidity. And by the way, the battery does NOT sustain 8-9 hours of continous use. I haven't heard from anywhere that it can even surpass 5 hours.

Fanboy, some people are not blinded. I enjoy using my mother's Mac, but me paying $1199 for an outdated slow Intel Core 2 Duo is stupid. For $1199, I want POWER! Although when buy a laptop later this year, Apple better have something better than a C@D such as an i5 in a notebook for no more that $1199, or my money will be spent else where. Maybe some people want a FAST and POWERFUL 13" notebook. In their case the Sony is the way to go. I love OSX, but I also enjoy using Windows 7. I wouldn't pay for outdated hardware just for OSX either.

 

[unagimiyagi]

The Sony Vaio Z series is plagued by the diagonal lines issue. It's the easiest to reproduce if you take a window and drag it across the screen. Rest assured, you will see it in everyday use, though.

Every single Z that I've ever seen has this issue, and it's a deal breaker to me. Every. single. one. And before you think I'm nuts, I did see the macbook air "horizontal lines" issue and this actually would not have been a dealbreaker to me.

Throw in the price of the Z, and that to me is completely unacceptable. Meanwhile, the Zs continue to sell like hotcakes.

 

[ouimetnick]

The Sony Vaio Z series is plagued by the diagonal lines issue. It's the easiest to reproduce if you take a window and drag it across the screen. Rest assured, you will see it in everyday use, though.

Every single Z that I've ever seen has this issue, and it's a deal breaker to me. Every. single. one. And before you think I'm nuts, I did see the macbook air "horizontal lines" issue and this actually would not have been a dealbreaker to me.

Throw in the price of the Z, and that to me is completely unacceptable. Meanwhile, the Zs continue to sell like hotcakes.

Keep in mind that Apple has some weird issues too. The plastic MacBooks cracking. Thats not an everyday issue. Poor thermal paste, so it overheats, and when you have a 8600M GT, heat is a killer. The 2007 MacBook Hard drive failure. Its stupid how 3 years later, Apple admits the issue when the consumer has it taken care of, or has upgraded. Track pads that don't click, or poor build quality. Some of those issues are a deal breaker to me.

 

[Gatteau]

Asus does. Did you try Asus?