Sony VAIO X Reviewed as a Netbook
Laptop Mag has their review of the Sony VAIO X up. Things don’t look too good for the VAIO X as the review gives it a 3/5, but something about Laptop’s review feels a bit… off. Perhaps it is because in the opening paragraph, they try to tell everyone that the Sony VAIO X is a netbook, and that there is no two-ways about it. The VAIO X does run on Intel Atom, which powers many netbooks today, but just because something runs Atom doesn’t mean that it is a netbook. The VAIO X is in fact, an ultra-portable, which one could argue is a totally different category.
The hallmark features of a netbook are small and inexpensive. Netbooks are specifically designed to be cheap. The Sony VAIO X on the other hand is designed to be extremely thin and light, first, while price considerations come second.
Comparing the VAIO X to a netbook and claiming it to be overly expensive is like setting a Ferrari next to a Toyota and saying that the Ferrari is too expensive and is a relative gas guzzler to boot (but they are both the same right?! They both have four wheels!). Most people will realize that with a Ferrari you are paying for quality and high design, with price being a symptom of those things, rather than the factor around which the whole product is designed.
Though it is hard to argue with a solid review, and Laptop Mag definitely delivers. If you are interested in the VAIO X, you should have a read.
Category: Notebooks
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- Sony VAIO X: ¿Netbook o Laptop? | October 23, 2009
I don’t mean to be offensive in anyway, but I must say that the car analogy provided is not a very good nor convincing one. Where it fails is the lack of consideration for performance of the vehicle (speed, acceleration, and handling) = CPU performance) which is a very important factor when considering either. If your analogy were to be made strong, the Ferrari would need swap its original engine for that of a Camry’s and then be compared to a Corolla. Since performance is a factor that largely determines product class, the fact that the Vaio X uses an Atom processor still forces it retain the performance of a netbook. Unfortunately, no one has yet managed to dramatically increase a product’s performance from improving on its physical appearance. There is aerodynamics in cars, yes, but there unfortunately, making it a little easier to hold and carry around doesn’t make a laptop faster.
You are right, it was a loose analogy. A better one might be designer clothes vs. regular clothes. The designer clothes are for fashion and cost significantly more, but they don’t serve any additional function, or offer any better performance over any other clothes. In this case someone is paying for brand and design, which is what they pay for also when they buy a Sony.
I don’t mean to be offensive in anyway, but I must say that the car analogy provided is not a very good nor convincing one. Where it fails is the lack of consideration for performance of the vehicle (speed, acceleration, and handling) = CPU performance) which is a very important factor when considering either. If your analogy were to be made strong, the Ferrari would need swap its original engine for that of a Camry’s and then be compared to a Corolla. Since performance is a factor that largely determines product class, the fact that the Vaio X uses an Atom processor still forces it retain the performance of a netbook. Unfortunately, no one has yet managed to dramatically increase a product’s performance from improving on its physical appearance. There is aerodynamics in cars, yes, but there unfortunately, making it a little easier to hold and carry around doesn’t make a laptop faster.
You are right, it was a loose analogy. A better one might be designer clothes vs. regular clothes. The designer clothes are for fashion and cost significantly more, but they don’t serve any additional function, or offer any better performance over any other clothes. In this case someone is paying for brand and design, which is what they pay for also when they buy a Sony.