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.