Apple / Sony: not a good design

Sony and Apple has made a reputation for design including its phones. Rob Beschizza on the blog Boing Boing is a pretext for leaving some time ago of the Vaio Z, a competitor to the MacBook Air 13 ", to parallel the way in which the two companies are changing their ultraportables.

Sony uses its technology in an original way for its new ultraportable

Sony introduced a new notebook that uses Light Peak in an original way. The VAIO Z uses the standard Intel to connect the computer to an additional module that contains three USB ports, an Ethernet port, one VGA and one HDMI. This module also incorporates a Blue-Ray or DVD, but also an additional graphics chip (Radeon HD 6650M), which is more powerful than integrated into the computer itself (an Intel chip).

The idea is simple; the computer itself is very small, without compromising on the number of ports or the power when needed. The VAIO Z is a PC with 13.1-inch high resolution (1600 x 900 pixels), it weighs only 1.18 kg for a thickness of 16.6 mm. By comparison, the 13-inch MacBook Air weigh 1.32 kg and measuring its thickest point 17 mm. Inside, the VAIO Z may contain a Core i7 2.7 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD in RAID 0 (two drives running in parallel) and a battery that offers seven hours of battery life. Good idea further, we can add a battery that does not take the form of an unsightly bulge on the back, but a layer of the computer.

The module itself uses the same technology as the Thunderbolt promoted by Apple, but Sony does not use the name or the connector of the company at the apple. Instead, the Japanese manufacturer has its own proprietary connector which apparently takes the form of a USB port since it can be used and when the module is not connected. The VAIO Z due out in July, but you can already pre-order on the website of Sony. The model with a Core i7 8 GB RAM 256 GB SSD, the additional module with DVD burner and battery and additional costs € 2814.