Sony's Ultrabook coming in April

[beaups]

A fair point. I don't know what the quality of the ASUS panel will be like. It may be on a par with the Z's or it may be closer to the S-series.

As for whether full-voltage matters, it really depends on the specific user. For a casual websurfing/spreadsheet/word processing uses, probably not. For users with a greater power demands for their thin and light the answer is different. I'm guessing that a fair number of Z users use it as a desktop replacement. I'm not saying that Z owners don't also have one or more desktops (and any number of other devices), rather they are able to use the Z as they would a desktop including for more power-intensive uses.

Zenbooks will be offered with IPS panels in the >$1000 configs beginning late next month. I can tell you the panel is gorgeous.

[Achusaysblessyou]

Zenbooks will be offered with IPS panels in the >$1000 configs beginning late next month. I can tell you the panel is gorgeous.

I need them with 8GB 256GB SSD for < $1000 . Am I hoping for too much too soon?

[Louche]

Zenbooks will be offered with IPS panels in the >$1000 configs beginning late next month. I can tell you the panel is gorgeous.

Hmmm. An intriguing bonus. I may need to rethink how I configure to meet my computing needs.

[lovelaptops]

Shame of it is, Sony has all the stuff to capture the $1,000 mkt with the S with a decent screen and a decent fan, make a UB version by slimming down the chassis, dropping the DVD drive, and have the Z retain the "Uberbook"/Ultrabook crown, and they could really be a player. Instead, they go with the ridiculous bloated underpowered T, keep the same problems with the S, do nothing but put IB into the Z and render most of them outdone, outmoded and/or overpriced. Pathetic, particularly when they have more brand equity than Asus and Samsung combined. Pathetic.

[Данило]

I need them with 8GB 256GB SSD for < $1000 . Am I hoping for too much too soon?

I'd take an UX21A with 8GB 256GB SSD even at $1500, and then wait for Z4 (or whatever the next gen is) next year

[Vogelbung]

They may be coming around:

Sony warranty experience: very positive

Outright failure, I can see them addressing reasonably quickly.

Slightly more nuanced issues - such as obvious build quality problems - are a different matter. That hasn't changed since my first ragefest with the '08 Z's and TT's.

Come to think of it, at this moment in time I haven't had a single trouble-free Z in terms of BC. It's getting positively Applesque (though Apple problems usually come on the inside) in terms of the predictability of a defect, only without the lack of hassle. Something appears to have caused Sony to fall off a cliff post-SZ. My G, TZ's etc were as 'critically built' as the '08 Z's for example and they didn't fall apart or have really obvious part-fit issues.

[Skyshade]

Isn't it SZ when Sony made the switch from magnesium to CFRP? Perhaps they need to switch back to metal?

[Vogelbung]

Isn't it SZ when Sony made the switch from magnesium to CFRP? Perhaps they need to switch back to metal?

It's (IMO) the poorly thought out mixing of materials in terms of structural design that's getting them into trouble, not whether they're using mag /alu or carbon (or "carbon"). The SZ for example managed the mix without anywhere near the same issues (though it did have a tendency to mark the screen over time - but this has been a recurring Sony thing since the "carbon" screens).

Sony uses metal only in terms of 'skin feel' parts, i.e. to give the coldness of touch of metal, because carbon or "carbon" feels like plastic - because aluminium could be said to be an inferior material in structural terms compared to carbon or "carbon". The problem comes especially when you use it in parts subject to movement - e.g. if you utilise it in an otherwise all-carbon flexy screen structure, or say in a one-piece keyboard tray that you wrap around the front, when the primary structural component of the case is a carbon tub that's also pretty flexy. The Z does both of these and the results are evident for all to see.

[Skyshade]

Well, but it's exactly in pre-SZ era when they used mag. on the outside (back of the screen and bottom plate) and plastic on the inside...my VGN-S and PCG-Z505 are prime examples of that era. I agree with it's where that counts, but the trend with aluminum palm rest definitely coincided with the introduction of CF top lid.

[Karamazovmm]

Lenovo announces ThinkPad X1 Carbon, calls it the world's lightest 14-inch ultrabook (hands-on) | The Verge

this is much more interesting than the vaio T, its basically a 14'' screen with the size of a 13'', or better yet, finally someone got rid of the bezel width, I want that they go back to 16:10 so that they can also remove the height of the bezel