Sony Readies Debut of Lightest Vaio Laptop
Sony is gearing up to introduce in December what some are already hailing as the world’s lightest notebook PC.According to news reports, the Type G Vaio laptop will feature a 12.1-inch display and be considerably lighter, at 1.9 pounds, than its laptop competitors, which typically weigh between four and eight pounds.
The laptop will sell initially in Japan, with a basic model starting at about $1,880.
As of yet, Sony has not announced plans to sell the laptop in any other country. The company expects that the Type G Vaio will be most popular among business customers.
Pacific Difference
Sony’s focus on Japan as the primary market for the ultralight laptop is indicative of the difference between technology that is popular in the U.S. versus what sells in Japan.
In the U.S., consumers tend to favor low-cost machines even if they are slightly heavier than other models, noted Douglas Krone, chief executive of Dynamism.com, a company that sells imported technology. Those in the U.S. are driven by business needs, he said, and tight budgets tend to favor inexpensive, but more weighty, laptops.