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Somewhat off topic, what're Vaio users migrating to? I look every year or so to see what the current laptop offerings are, and nothing has convinced me to leave

Somewhat off topic, what're Vaio users migrating to? I look every year or so to see what the current laptop offerings are, and nothing has convinced me to leave my 5+ year old Vaio.

jtuente 11y ago
The new Vaios? Vaio recently announced their newest offerings and they look, to me, like they're still in that high-end business offerings bracket.
- bsilvereagle 11y ago
  As far as I know (and searching around seems to confirm this) Sony is out of the laptop business and just produces tablets. I should've phrased myself a little better, "what laptops are Vaio owners switching to".
  - vietor 11y ago
    It's it's own thing now, and still has a very nice looking high-end model: https://vaio.com/products/z/ https://vaio.com/products/z/ They just launched their Surface Pro competitor in the US: http://us.vaio.com/ http://us.vaio.com/ (Typing this on the final version of the Sony Vaio Z, eagerly looking for a Skylake based successor...)
nogridbag 11y ago
Sony recently released the Vaio Z Canvas (who comes up with these names???) which you can demo/pre-order in the Microsoft Store. I tried to use it, but I believe the keyboard was dead (I guess since it fully detaches from the display and was not being actively charged). It also seems nearly impossible to use on your lap.
eosrei 11y ago
I have a Sony Vaio Pro 13.3", 1080P, i7, 256GB SSD, 8GB, 2.3lbs, touchscreen; dual booting, but primarily running in Linux. It will cover me through this entire tech cycle. The above mentioned "premium fatal flaw" in this case is the terrible internal wifi, but a micro-usb wifi has corrected that. I also fixed IMO the glossy display with a screen protector. Other than those two issues, I really like it. When it's finally time to replace it I'll be looking at Microsoft or Dell. Maybe even Apple or ASUS. Probably not Lenovo, because they seem to be trying to destroy the Thinkpad brand. If I had to buy a computer right now without further research it would be the Dell XPS 13.
- jhasse 11y ago
  Another Vaio Pro 13 user here :) Have you tried the internal Wifi with a newer Linux distribution? I'm using Ubuntu 15.04 and it works great :) No disconnects, speed good be better though ... Regarding a replacement: What do you think about the Librem 13? It's one of my favorites along with the Dell XPS 13 and the Lenovo X1 Carbon.
  - eosrei 11y ago
    I'm running Mint 17.2 which switched to following Ubuntu LTS releases only. So, I haven't tried a newer Ubuntu, but the wifi is terrible in Win8 too. The "Panda Ultra 150Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00762YNMG http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00762YNMG was my solution for a massive range/reliability increase. Related: This screen protector makes the glossy display usable outside: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HDTVJKQ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HDTVJKQ I'm really happy to see the Librem 13 nearing existence, but it's not ideal for me: i5 only, no back-lit keyboard. Up to 16GB and the matte screen is awesome though. The X1 Carbon 1st/3rd Gens are great, but Lenovo is being so bad recently.
    - sonnyp 11y ago
      The Librem 15 has i7 and backlit keyboard. https://www.crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-15 https://www.crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-15
      - eosrei 11y ago
        I've seen it, but it only runs 6hrs (vs 10-14hr) on the battery, weighs 2X and costs 2X my current machine. Plus 15" is too large. I'm really happy to see the progress on freedom-respecting hardware, I'm just not willing to make that many sacrifices at this time.
- chadaustin 11y ago
  FWIW, I have the Dell XPS 13 running Linux (and Windows 10 from a USB 3 SSD), and it's great. I bought the one that comes with a Windows license and installed Fedora 22 on it. It was pretty rough around the edges at first, but with several BIOS upgrades and kernel updates, it runs perfectly now.
agumonkey 11y ago
What model is it ? I'm looking to buy and old 10 or 11inch my teacher had around 2008. It was said the laptop case was carbon fiber based. It had a core2duo inside. A really cute machine.
kelvie 11y ago
Honestly, the post-privatization Dells have been my go-to now (I just got work to get me a Latitude E7250, although the new XPS 13s also are tempting). That said, it seems like the next laptop I'm getting just might be this Surface Book, or the next iteration of it.
girvo 11y ago
Dell XPS 13, 2015 model. That's what my family (who have two Vaio's) moved to, at least, and they're very impressed with them. Of course, they were relatively expensive, but hey, you pay for quality regardless of vendor in my experience.

Somewhat off topic, what're Vaio users migrating to? I look every year or so to see what the current laptop offerings are, and nothing has convinced me to leave my 5+ year old Vaio.

jtuente 11y ago

The new Vaios? Vaio recently announced their newest offerings and they look, to me, like they're still in that high-end business offerings bracket.

bsilvereagle 11y ago
As far as I know (and searching around seems to confirm this) Sony is out of the laptop business and just produces tablets. I should've phrased myself a little better, "what laptops are Vaio owners switching to".
- vietor 11y ago
  It's it's own thing now, and still has a very nice looking high-end model: https://vaio.com/products/z/ https://vaio.com/products/z/ They just launched their Surface Pro competitor in the US: http://us.vaio.com/ http://us.vaio.com/ (Typing this on the final version of the Sony Vaio Z, eagerly looking for a Skylake based successor...)

nogridbag 11y ago

Sony recently released the Vaio Z Canvas (who comes up with these names???) which you can demo/pre-order in the Microsoft Store. I tried to use it, but I believe the keyboard was dead (I guess since it fully detaches from the display and was not being actively charged). It also seems nearly impossible to use on your lap.

eosrei 11y ago

I have a Sony Vaio Pro 13.3", 1080P, i7, 256GB SSD, 8GB, 2.3lbs, touchscreen; dual booting, but primarily running in Linux. It will cover me through this entire tech cycle. The above mentioned "premium fatal flaw" in this case is the terrible internal wifi, but a micro-usb wifi has corrected that. I also fixed IMO the glossy display with a screen protector. Other than those two issues, I really like it. When it's finally time to replace it I'll be looking at Microsoft or Dell. Maybe even Apple or ASUS. Probably not Lenovo, because they seem to be trying to destroy the Thinkpad brand. If I had to buy a computer right now without further research it would be the Dell XPS 13.

jhasse 11y ago
Another Vaio Pro 13 user here :) Have you tried the internal Wifi with a newer Linux distribution? I'm using Ubuntu 15.04 and it works great :) No disconnects, speed good be better though ... Regarding a replacement: What do you think about the Librem 13? It's one of my favorites along with the Dell XPS 13 and the Lenovo X1 Carbon.
- eosrei 11y ago
  I'm running Mint 17.2 which switched to following Ubuntu LTS releases only. So, I haven't tried a newer Ubuntu, but the wifi is terrible in Win8 too. The "Panda Ultra 150Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00762YNMG http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00762YNMG was my solution for a massive range/reliability increase. Related: This screen protector makes the glossy display usable outside: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HDTVJKQ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HDTVJKQ I'm really happy to see the Librem 13 nearing existence, but it's not ideal for me: i5 only, no back-lit keyboard. Up to 16GB and the matte screen is awesome though. The X1 Carbon 1st/3rd Gens are great, but Lenovo is being so bad recently.
  - sonnyp 11y ago
    The Librem 15 has i7 and backlit keyboard. https://www.crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-15 https://www.crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-15
    - eosrei 11y ago
      I've seen it, but it only runs 6hrs (vs 10-14hr) on the battery, weighs 2X and costs 2X my current machine. Plus 15" is too large. I'm really happy to see the progress on freedom-respecting hardware, I'm just not willing to make that many sacrifices at this time.
chadaustin 11y ago
FWIW, I have the Dell XPS 13 running Linux (and Windows 10 from a USB 3 SSD), and it's great. I bought the one that comes with a Windows license and installed Fedora 22 on it. It was pretty rough around the edges at first, but with several BIOS upgrades and kernel updates, it runs perfectly now.

agumonkey 11y ago

What model is it ? I'm looking to buy and old 10 or 11inch my teacher had around 2008. It was said the laptop case was carbon fiber based. It had a core2duo inside. A really cute machine.

kelvie 11y ago

Honestly, the post-privatization Dells have been my go-to now (I just got work to get me a Latitude E7250, although the new XPS 13s also are tempting). That said, it seems like the next laptop I'm getting just might be this Surface Book, or the next iteration of it.

girvo 11y ago

Dell XPS 13, 2015 model. That's what my family (who have two Vaio's) moved to, at least, and they're very impressed with them. Of course, they were relatively expensive, but hey, you pay for quality regardless of vendor in my experience.