Thinkpads Forum

Sony very recently updated all their laptops to Core 2 duo. I bought a T60 last month and am very happy with my purchase, but I'll be lying of I say I did not feel a tinge of resentment when I saw my friend's new Sony Vaio VGN series laptop - the screen IS amazing, however thinkpad biased you are. Mind you, the price difference is not that great at this range, and sony seems to have done a great job in the AR series - all ports you can imagine, a tv tuner card with remote (!) and a very nice 17" screen.

I found the sony to be pretty sturdy as well - Anyone here feeling the same about VAIO's, esp abt the T60 screen?

I would still stick with the T60 as, even though the Sony seems pretty sturdy and it has a good screen, it isn't that easy to repair yourself if something should go wrong.

The next question is "Do you need Core Duo 2 all the time?" Further, would you be willing to trade heat and battery life for it? If one can get along just fine with Core Duo, then it really shouldn't be that much of a problem.

That said, I myself am waiting for the T61 with the Santa Rosa chipset and, quite probably, even more goodies.

gator wrote:Sony very recently updated all their laptops to Core 2 duo. I bought a T60 last month and am very happy with my purchase, but I'll be lying of I say I did not feel a tinge of resentment when I saw my friend's new Sony Vaio VGN series laptop - the screen IS amazing, however thinkpad biased you are. Mind you, the price difference is not that great at this range, and sony seems to have done a great job in the AR series - all ports you can imagine, a tv tuner card with remote (!) and a very nice 17" screen.

I found the sony to be pretty sturdy as well - Anyone here feeling the same about VAIO's, esp abt the T60 screen?

In addition since it is a Sony laptop, it gets the premo stock of batteries that dont overheat and explode.

christopher_wolf wrote: The next question is "Do you need Core Duo 2 all the time?" Further, would you be willing to trade heat and battery life for it? If one can get along just fine with Core Duo, then it really shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Agreed we don't need core 2 duo all the time, but it still baffles me why we don't have a lenovo core 2 duo yet - december might be too long a time to wait. But that is not my gripe (for the work I do, a 1 GHz P3 might be actually sufficient ) - for almost the same cost, you can get much fully equipped sony, and beleive me, my friend's vaio is more silent and cooler than my T60, though it has a core duo! I guess sony has hit the sweet spot with all things right this time.

I am a big fan of thinkpads, and will be for a long time to come, but still, when I look at the sony, a (probably evil) voice says inside my ears "you could have easily waited a month before you made the decision" and I can't ignore it saying "ah, its just a sony":(

Well, there *are* Core 2 Duo Lenovos out, just not Core 2 Duo Thinkpads out yet.

My best guess is that they are waiting and tweaking things to get it just right; if Sony can "assemble", and I use that word liberally with much caution given their dual use batteries/IEDs, a Core 2 Duo Vaio that hits the right spots, then I can expect the Core 2 Duo Thinkpads will be so much the better for all the wait. In addition, if I recall correctly, the Core 2 Duo Thinkpads are slated for first release around November; so that isn't too long of a wait.

gator wrote: Anyone here feeling the same about VAIO's, esp abt the T60 screen?

My signature _only_ lists ThinkPads, as this is a ThinkPad Forum. That said, ThinkPad continues to remain my favorite laptop and the computer that I have counted on for a decade of mission critical business computing. My daily work always has, and is currently being performed on a T series ThinkPad.

However... I'm very open minded and I love laptops. I have purchased, tested and resold a lot of different brands over that same period of time. So I have had and still have some VAIO's. It's also important to note that I'm a big fan of the Sony brand.

Comparing Sony to ThinkPad illustrates that while they are getting better, Sony has a very long way to go yet. They have very some very compelling attractive designs, yet they lack the basics. An example is the keyboards. They flex where ThinkPads do not. The TP keyboard design has not changed in many years. With each new model, Sony designs a new keyboard. A new form factor etc. Sony does not offer the incredible depth and breadth of support, from both the software side and the hardware side.

IBM/Lenovo creates and works with an established form factor like the T and X series. By establishing a form factor (like the T) and sticking with it, then refining it and continuing to refine it. We benefit by having a computer which we know is not only well engineered but is completely reliable and a trusted worthwhile investment. For many years after one purchases a ThinkPad, parts and service continue to be available.

Sony releases new models frequently, then promptly pulls them off the market to release something else new. Most all of their VAIO's are not on the market long enough to get the bugs worked out. Of the various people I know with VAIO's over the last few years, their collective experience has been one of frustration, crashed computers and a degree of down time that is unaccpetable. Once a Sony VAIO model is discontinued, the parts and service typically fade away as well.

In terms of spending nearly the same amount of money as one would spend for an equivalently configured ThinkPad, there is no comparison. ThinkPad wins hands down.

archer6 wrote:... Sony does not offer the incredible depth and breadth of support, from both the software side and the hardware side.

IBM/Lenovo creates and works with an established form factor like the T and X series. By establishing a form factor (like the T) and sticking with it, then refining it and continuing to refine it. We benefit by having a computer which we know is not only well engineered but is completely reliable and a trusted worthwhile investment. For many years after one purchases a ThinkPad, parts and service continue to be available.

Sony releases new models frequently, then promptly pulls them off the market to release something else new. Most all of their VAIO's are not on the market long enough to get the bugs worked out. Of the various people I know with VAIO's over the last few years, their collective experience has been one of frustration, crashed computers and a degree of down time that is unaccpetable. Once a Sony VAIO model is discontinued, the parts and service typically fade away as well.

In terms of spending nearly the same amount of money as one would spend for an equivalently configured ThinkPad, there is no comparison. ThinkPad wins hands down.

Great point, Archer6. Call my rant a momentray lapse of reason, but heck yeah, the support for thinkpads is legendary. And sony does change its models quite often. Please don't think that I don't like my laptop - its simply fantastic, and I am glad I bought it. Thanks for your time and reply!