Hey Sony, where's the 1.6GHz VAIO P for America?
By Darren Murph 
posted January 16th 2009 4:55AM
posted January 16th 2009 4:55AM
[Thanks, James]
posted January 16th 2009 4:55AM
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1386.99?
that's a bargain for a netbook...!
Converted to USD it's $2064
:O
but then again.... this is with the lightning-fast 1.6GHz Atom...
Don't forget: SSD included. That explains the price,
@ Khattab
and SONY logo too.
@ Uncontrol:
Straight currency conversions just don't work. It's usually more like $1 = £1. It's the same for everything. Look at the base prices for both the UK and US for proof.
Quit your complaining engadget - you Americans get everything earlier than us Brits 99% of the time so I think you can just let this one go...
Sony: The Windows Apple.
Underpowered machines that look nice at crazy prices.
I can't believe people are actually considering buying this machine for this outrageous price. It looks like a really big version of the 90's Sharp Zarus ZR-3000 - http://www.pygmy.com/images/zr3000.gif EVEN if it was priced in line with other netbooks, factoring in the WWAN and SSD, a high-side price would be $800-$900 MAX. The US version doesn't even have WWAN and SSD, and they are charging $900 for that. Are people really thinking about purchasing this machine? More power to ya if you are. Let us all know how you like it versus the price you paid for it after you've had it a while. And be honest. After I buy my perfectly fine netbook, I'm gunna take my extra $500 and buy something else.
Lostphil, your comment has me confused. Currently the product is not available in the US so a direct currency conversion would be completely acceptable, for now.
@ Jay Vorhees,
Maybe so, but nobody will be importing it due to the already higher prices we have over here - the price difference will be huuuuge between the US available stock model and this faster one so it makes no sense.
It is misleading to say then that the price is $2000 and certainly daft to start complaining that it's too expensive - if it ever went on sale in the US, it would be more like $1300-1500 which is what my point was.
(Just to clarify, daft to complain that $2000 is mega expensive... $1500 is probably still too expensive, so complain away!)
Just saw a real one today. Its a lot thinner than any given netbook, another level of portability. Its keyboard is also extremely typeable, unlike Talon's beloved Zaurus. A lot of women at Sony Style tended to fall in love almost instantly, because that extra thinness and the colors just get them like that. Still, I think the concept has real potential to mature - in the 2nd gen a faster Atom CPU, Windows 7 and a capacitive touchscreen could really set a new standard in portability / usability.
@Jay - what he means is that all electronics are generally more expensive in the UK, its the norm that direct conversions are wrong.
That's an extortionate price for what is nothing more than a "pocket" computer. Netbook makers are now crossing the border and starting to mug consumers off.
At least you can order this one. Over here at Switzerland, we cannot even order the "down-graded-version" (yet?)!
I don't know who sony thinks they're kidding. The viao p's design is wonderful, but in the end the machine isn't much different than an aspireone for 1/3 the price, aside fromt he acer performing better.
I'm hoping another netbook manufacture picks up sony's form factor soon and actually releases it at a reasonable price. No way I'm paying $900+ for a gimped netbook.
If you consider a 128 Gb SDD, high-res screen and carbon casing nothing different then any other netbook. Then indeed.. I have to agree. But then if you consider what specs and materials is being used in this system then you would understand the pricing. Not to forget that the USRuble is a big deal-breaker, but then that is kinda a problem for most non-US companies I guess.
I'd proudly sport an averatec laptop or packard bell laptop if they could make it look like this. Unfortunately, the vaio-T series has been out for years and NOBODY has made a laptop even close to that, much less this.
Considering our prices start at £849 ~ $1250 and your prices start at $900, I would gladly let you have the 1.6GHz CPU in the range.
Australia doesn't get GPS or 3G...
zomg..i shat my pants when i saw that price...guess they think this is the royles royce of netbooks or something...2000 bucks can buy me about 8 or 9 aspire ones that are faster and almost just as light as this little freakjob
Hah, just after I noted it on http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/10/vaio-p-in-depth-impressions/2#comments
Yay! Got to say I'm surprised you Americans aren't being offered something we are (among others), though I can't imagine the difference in real-world performance being too great between the 2 processors; at least an improvement warranting an AU$700 increase in price. Ouch.
Finally consumers in the UK get something first! Usually we have to wait 3-6 months after the US release date before we get a look in. I guess US consumers get a chance to see what it's like for the rest of us...
We might get it first, but nobody in their right mind will actually be buying it.
It's because you have smaller pockets. A 1.6GHz Atom simply wouldn't fit and you'd complain, as usual.
Whats a Crosross Media Bar?
Look at PSP or PS3 interface (or even psx)
I know what the Cross media bar is, but they have named it the CrossRoss Media Bar, trying to be clever by using the X as a C.
Hey you are wrong!!! In Japan, you can even get Atom Z540（1.86 GHz) version of Type P from Sony Style online customize service...
In Japan, they get a 1.86ghz Atom :(
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/P1/spec_vom1.html
Direct from Japan only models do not include integrated mobile broadband or GPS
@lawrence:
It's not included by default, but there is a WWAN/GPS option. It's 3G HSDPA locked to DoCoMo (not EVDO/Verizon like the US model), but can be unlocked for use elsewhere (on any UMTS 2100 network). It can alternatively be swapped for a 1seg (Japan-only) TV tuner.
And for what it's worth, the P just uses a standard mini-PCIe slot for the WWAN/GPS card, so you could always just buy your own WWAN card and install it in a Japan-made P.
Have no fear USA. You will get the upgraded processor and you'll end up paying less in dollars than we do in pounds. Official exchange rates have never had anything to do with the exchange rates technology companies use where a pound is always worth a dollar or less.
Mate in Australia, we can't get the 3G option. How useless that they have the ability to put out 3G and they don't. Were all waiting for stuff we don't have to bung dongles into and they think we don't need that, and then they inflate the prices. Not buying. :(
In Germany the 1.6GHz Atom processor is also listed on the Sony website but prices are not available yet. Unfortunately the better spec'd models only come in black - I want the red or green one with SSD and 1.6GHz....
The price is f***ing hilarious!!!
Stop whining, here in the glorious hi-tech country Sweden where sony has places plenty on their investments in Ericsson we cant even get the Vaio at all. And in UK you can't get in the Business store...
You should be happy you can try it out :P
I'm sure the royal family of Sealand will be most thrilled to hear this.
Dynamism carries the 1.6 and 1.8GHz versions.
That price is amazing.
Of course you knew it would be expensive, but when comparing it with £300 netbooks is ridiculous. You get the same functionality. You are paying for the tiny size and a few extras. Doesn't matter how exclusive it is, it's just too much.
yep, i can't see this latching on over here at all - for that price here you can pick up about four of the nice samsung netbooks. Fair enough it has the 128GB SSD, but FOUR to FIVE times the price of its rivals?!? You kinda see that sony only has sony to blame for its current financial issues, it looks the nicest of them all but that doesnt warrant an extra grand, who's going to spend £1360 on a netbook, when at the moment, in pc world, for £1100 you can pick up a HP laptop with 18.5 inch screen, quad core, 4gb ram, 500GB, Bluray, 512mb GPU, surround sound, biometrics and a load of other things? i appreciate their different form factors, but you gotta be pretty stupid to drop that much money on a P, which realistically, has and always will have, a limited number of uses
And soon Another company will come out with something exactly like it but with 768 - 1536mb of ram and a 1.5ghz atom for $500. And then apple will come out with something which has 1gb of ram, a 1.66ghz atom for $850 - $1200.
and then my motto; Some of the people who buy apple products are just to stupid to realise that you can get something better which is a pc for less, but the rest just can't afford the Sony Vaio equivalent :)
apple tho, arguably do have a better operating system that then majority of pc's when it comes to capatalizing on hardware(obviously excluding Linux, but even Ubuntu isnt THAT user friendly for your average consumer). Ive got a 24' Intel iMac with a dual core 2.8 & 4gb Ram, and a Quad Core 2.4 PC with 4 GB Ram running Vista HP 64, and on most applications, the imac is far snappier (photoshop, flash etc). Even with 2gb of RAM the iMac was quicker than the PC. It looks like finally with Windows 7, they are likely to line up again. I do agree that a lot of apple's products are overpriced, i think the iMac is actually reasonably priced for what you get, but until MS has a contemporary OS, i think that while in terms of hardware on paper the macs look underpowered, they use what they have very well compared to your average vista machine.
And that's also why we have Hackintosh, but yeah I agree with how they both run, especially when it goes vista vs OSX. But I'm still jealous at the 32gb of ram in the high end Mac Pro's, but they're still overpriced but it'll be a good 6 months before it's available to consumer's in pc's.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&XID=O:vgn-p530h%2Fr:dg_ggldf&productId=8198552921665749290
There it is preorder away america
Yay for 720p resolution.
Now if the computer wasn't lagging when playing these..
SONY VAIO VGN-P90NS is reported to be available with Intel Atom Z540 1.86 GHz CPU as well (pre-order at http://mobilman.ru/sale/4439send.htm). The price though is unbelievably ultra-portable! :D
I enjoy that sony waits for the competition to create the market, and then makes one of the better products to buy in said market. But the prices, they are just ridiculous.
Maybe the 1.6GHz model won't fit in American pants pockets? Just a hunch.
Sony also puts up youtubes of their musiccollection that are not watchable in the US, so with this added you start to think there might actually be h8.