Sony was showing off its latest lightweight, ultra-slim laptop earlier this week at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin. The Sony Vaio X is being billed as the successor to Sony's 2004 Vaio X505--a forward thinking laptop that was thinner than the MacBook Air. Sony says nothing is set in stone as far as specs are concerned, according to Engadget, but here's what I was able to cobble together based on a variety of reports:
Since there's no official word about this laptop yet, the above specs should be treated as rumor until we have a finalized device from Sony. The look of the Vaio X is very nice, but Sony may end up delivering nothing more than an over-priced Atom-based laptop. Atom processors are typically found in low-powered netbooks, like Sony's Vaio W series, which sells in the $500 range. With Sony talking about a price tag under $2000 for the X series, this ultra-slim laptop may not come cheap.
A high price tag won't help against the competition either, since the X Series looks poised to compete against devices like the MacBook Air. Apple's ultra-slim laptop has two models that sell between $1500-1800; however, the Air sports a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor as opposed to the X's current Atom CPU. If Sony really wants to compete against the Air it looks to me like they have two choices: price this device below $1000 or bump up the processor specs.
Take a look at this video from Netbook News to see the Sony Vaio X in action.
Carbon fiber? You gotta be kidding. I rether have aluminum. And its actually under $2000? Let me guess...its probably going to be $1999.
Looks pretty though. But who is going to pay $1500 for a netbook?
And Sony is already having low Vaio sells as it is. I see less than 1000 of these selling. Come on Sony...its a PC that runs Windows and it has netbook specs...wy does it need to be carbon fiber?
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WinTard says:
Fri Sep 04 07:58:33 PDT 2009
While I'm not disagreeing with you TechieXP, it is interesting to consider the underlying scientific reasons for using [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiber_reinforced_polymer"]Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers[/url] (CFRP)?
I believe carbon fiber is stronger and lighter than aluminum? Also has better plastic properties. Come to think of it, plastic is better than metal for a wide variety of reasons. Motherboards are made of plastic (glass-epoxy). CDs and DVDs are made of plastic. Screens are made of plastic. Sure you can cover them in glass, but it's still plastic inside. LCDs are made of plastic. The back-light diffuser lens is made of plastic. Plus a whole variety of useful things.
The only problem with CFRP is that it is much more expensive than aluminum.
quote][url="http://news.cnet.com/Here-comes-the-everyday-carbon-fiber-car/2100-1008_3-6114289.html?tag=nefd.top"]http://news.cnet.com...ml?tag=nefd.top[/url]
Five times stronger than steel and a heck of a lot lighter, carbon fiber is making its way into more cars than ever before. But since carbon fiber is stronger, tougher and lighter than steel and can increase fuel efficiency because of its lower weight, major manufacturers are finally getting in on trend. New aircraft designs helped drive demand as well. The Boeing 787 is 60 percent carbon fiber, and the much-anticipated Airbus A380 is 50 percent carbon fiber.
Large manufacturers, such as [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formosa_Plastics_Group"]Formosa Plastics[/url] (which owns chipmaker [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIA_Technologies"]Via Technologies[/url]) are also getting into the market, he said.
The aerospace industry currently consumes about 41 percent of the carbon fiber made, but that will drop to 29 percent by 2009[/quote]
quote]Excerpt from: [url="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080517153301AAdvxm4"]What is stronger then steel and lighter then aluminum?[/url]
The stuff is extremely light, and once formed into the shape you want, almost impossible to break. Of course there are other alloys out there that have certain benefits; some magnesium alloys are stronger and lighter than aluminum, but not stronger than steel. Titanium is stronger than steel but heavier than aluminum, and extremely expensive. There are many variables to this question. Also hardness and strength are different.
hardness is the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched
strength is power to resist force, or the power to resist strain or stress; durability.[/quote]
Both AL and CFRP have their places in manufacturing, but if strength and weight are concerns, CFRP wins hands down! Beauty? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
PS: VIA stands for "Very Innovative Architecture".
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The secret of greatness is simple: do better work than any other man in your field - and keep on doing it.
~ Wilfred A. Peterson
