I'm not going to do a full review although this will be a pretty packed Detailed Section, as Joanna Stern has surprisingly done a decent job of reviewing the Z over at thisismynext, and my opinions for the most part echo hers - a few nits I can pick, but really, just go read that for a valid overview. So here I'll address a few concerns of mine in detail as well as what I like. Being me, I'll start with my dislikes.

*DISLIKES*
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PMD - TWO STEPS BACK, NO STEPS FORWARD
First, the Power Media Dock concept. I really don't like this approach of having the GPU outboard, especially the way which Sony has executed it.

EDIT 01/2012: In late 2011, Sony did solve the IGP issue which prevented current OpenGL compatibility, and generally improved the performance of the hybrid graphics solution. While my comments about the 6650M are still valid, the IGP issues I mentioned below are now more or less fully resolved - one of the reasons I've now switched fully over to the Z2's from the Z1's I still had at the time of writing if this review.

Theoretically I shouldn't - because the HD3000 is actually a highly capable IGP and I felt that it would not, for my needs, be a huge comedown from the 330M of my old Z's while no longer having to decide between power or runtime. However in reality, AMD's GPU switching interpretation has, for reasons I won't bother going into here, left the HD3000 rocking an ancient (and essentially non-user-upgradeable, until Sony/AMD release new ones) driver which basically has turned it into little more than a turbocharged GMA950 by limiting certain advanced features of the IGP (features which an HD3000-equipped notebook a quarter of the Z’s price offers without issues).

Also, the 6650M isn’t that fast. If you’re going to take it outboard, why not the 6900M-series? It makes very little sense to me to take a GPU that could have perfectly feasibly lived in a thin-&-light notebook and then stick it in a separate box.

And talking about faster GPU’s, there’s the issue of how future-resistant this approach actually is. Anyone else would probably release an interface like the USB3-based Light Peak connector and stick with it over generations of machines. But Sony? These are the guys who are basically the masters of 'totally proprietary' + ‘engineered obsolescence’, and still does it with more aggressiveness than anyone else, even after having shot themselves in the foot very successfully in the process during the ‘00s. Who knows what they'll do next year? Will subsequent PMD's be released with completely different port configurations? I think being Sony it's an 'if' at best in terms of expecting future PMD’s to be compatible with this Z.

And the PMD decision takes me to…

OVER-WEIGHT-WEENIE-ING
Putting the optical drive and GPU outboard has allowed Sony to considerably shave weight – in fact, compared to the 2010 Z, they’ve shaved off about 240g – which is no mean feat.

I like light laptops. In fact, I demand it in my ‘daily’ machines, which is why if you look at my Had list, it covers a good deal of the flagship ultralight machines released in the last decade or so. However, this weight loss is not entirely down to the lack of a GPU and tossing out the optical: It’s also structural.

The aluminium top panel of the 2010 Z has been considerably slimmed down in this new iteration, so that it’s basically a plate and not a structure, and they’ve also covered it in a different, thinner anodised finish – one that is more delicate than last year’s model. This kind of defeats the object of having an aluminium upper assembly – i.e. to give users the tactile feel of metal and to impart a sense of rigidity to the structure. Sad to say but the top plate of something like the HP Probook 6000-series (a vastly cheaper notebook) actually imparts a better tactile feel and definitely feels more rigid.

The resulting feeling is something that while I know is structurally sound, being engineered for the flexibility that the body inherently has (and consequently very strong against impacts), nevertheless gives me significantly less confidence in everyday handling. Compared to the 2010 Z, I would have much rather that they’d lost the optical drive only, shaved off ~100g and kept key elements of the structure as is with refinements, to make a far more capable machine than a 13-inch Air but in a similar weight class.

And that takes me to…

LOSE THE "CARBON FIBRE" FOR SONY'S OWN SAKE (This is long)

EDIT & ADDENDUM:
So I'm editing this review as while there are no basic changes, I've since learned that the VPC-Z21 does appear to incorporate a thermoset carbon panel within the top (screen) case and the bottom case. And now I've worked out what the 'carbon fibre coating' meant. It's actually the reverse - the CFRP plastic shell is (most likely) moulded or (much less likely) bonded over a really thin sheet of 'real' carbon fiber.

The reason for this seems to be that the bottom shell, as it would have been if the same shape was moulded entirely out of CFRP, would have been too thin even for CFRP to afford enough protection. So instead of making the shell thicker, in order to hit the weight target they incorporated thermoset carbon panels into the case. The problem is, that it's still a crazy thin piece of carbon and the structurally supporting components and frame in the bottom case isn't thermoset. Anyhoo, please read the (unaltered) rest of this part bearing the above in mind.

There are mentions of carbon fibre and what Sony apparently said to J. Stern in her review, but it should be noted that Sony PR basically has no connection with Sony engineering, and the information they impart is often thirdhand at best. And there is no such thing as a ‘carbon fibre coating’. So let me explain Sony's carbon fibre, because it’s not ‘carbon fibre’ as you probably know it.

There are, broadly speaking, two types of 'carbon fibre'. One all of you know, which features in e.g. Formula 1 / Indy cars, high-end motorcycle helmets, etc. This is where you take overlapping sheets of carbon fibre with a criss-cross fibre pattern, fill the voids with epoxy resin, vacuum-pack around a mould (or use an alternative method to directly form complex shapes) then bake. The key to strength among other things is using the minimum resin needed to bind the fibres together, because excess resin actually makes the matrix weaker. The material that results from this process is termed thermoset, as its set by heat. The result is incredibly rigid, strong and lightweight, and this is well known. The primary con with this method however is that it's extremely labour intensive to produce, and therefore expensive.

Then there's Sony's 'carbon fibre', a process which they pioneered in consumer electronics use back in the late 90's. This is essentially where you dump a load of shredded carbon fibres into a mould along with plastic. Parts that result from this process is termed thermoplastic - just like your regular plastic parts - as the part is formed by melting (and can be re-melted, unlike thermoset). The result is considerably stronger than regular ol' plastic due to the added fibres, so not only is the body of something made out of this stronger, you can also juggle making it thinner so that it's still strong and light. And the production process is essentially standard injection-moulding, which makes it a hell of a lot cheaper and faster than thermoset to produce as there's virtually no labour involved in that process. The thing is though, because the fibres are randomly arranged within the structure and because there's actually more plastic than fibre (i.e. opposite of the thermoset process), you don't actually get anywhere near the legendary strength of the sheet-based thermoset carbon fibre.

So the Sony 'carbon fibre' is a balancing act of strength, production cost, and arguably the marketing level you can twist the words 'carbon fibre'. What Sony uses the added properties of their carbon fibre reinforced plastic for (over a regular plastic body) is to make the parts thinner, and therefore lighter while maintaining strength - most of the body panels you can see on a flagship lightweight VAIO would snap all too easily if it was moulded out of regular plastic. But the tactile and visual result of this process is not 'carbon fibre' as the consumer knows it, it's basically thinner and flexier plastic parts. Any mention therefore of intentionally making the parts flexier is pure BS from Sony.

While I don't mind flexy per se as it affords impact reassurance, one major disadvantage of making the screen 'whippy' is that the transfer of micro-abrasions from the keyboard chicklets to the screen due to movement when the two are in contact with each other is greatly increased when you bag up your VAIO (and it has regular pressure – however light – on the lid). This is why flagship VAIO’s suffer the most from the keyboard marking the screen over time. And Sony have never dealt with this issue to date.

Nevertheless, is the end result of Sony's process stronger than aluminium as used in the Macbooks? Against impacts - yes. The fibres delay the onset of cracking in the plastic when it’s deforming to absorb the energy from an impact and returning it (the energy). Obviously there's a finite limit to this (as those of you who have dropped their VAIO's from significant height and/or onto concrete will know), but Sony also designs their notebooks with an additional layer of protection in that key areas of the structure are arranged to pop open in the event of an impact, which absorbs even more energy without fatally damaging internal components. The upshot of this is that in impacts where you can be looking at a pretzel-shaped non-functional Macbook, you can most likely expect perhaps a cracked-screen, dog-eared, but otherwise functional VAIO.

Is Sony’s ‘carbon fibre’ as good as the Macbooks against everyday abrasion? No - It is basically plastic after all, while the Apples have a hard anodising layer on the outside (once this is worn away though, all bets are off). Which is why Apples retain their surface cosmetics in light-duty uncased use much longer than VAIO’s.

But the real problem is of course, when you show a Macbook Air and a Sony Z to a non-engineering type, s/he is going to assume the Air is stronger 'because it's metal and more rigid'. Regardless of its engineering merits, the ‘carbon fibre’ not going to have the tactile advantages of aluminium – a metal which feels ‘metal cold’(which is e.g. why Apple is not going to use the warmer, almost plastic-feeling magnesium in an outer case role regardless of its superiority over aluminium in this role) and gives the premium feel to the sort of people mentioned above. And to someone similarly uninformed of recent developments in the materials space, flexible = weak. Even to an actually informed consumer, the tactile merits of rigid metals are not lost at a subconscious level.

As a result of all that, I think Sony need to move away from this ‘carbon fibre’ gig for their own sake. Taking a slight step back in terms of engineering or taking the cost base up, but appealing more to mass tastes is the only viable answer for Sony going forwards – either by implementing thermoset key structures in the product to promote ‘carbon = rigid’, or by going back to magnesium moulding and refining the technology. Having the 'carbon fibre' buzzword in the heads of users is not a substitute over giving those consumers innate assurance in the integrity of their purchase from their layman perspective.

Also, there’s one other issue I have with the structure and the new design revisions. Which takes me to…

TILTING STAND – SCHOOL OF NOODLINESS
The new Z loses the round barrel-shaped screen hinge, and replaces it with a pivoting rear aluminium strip, which shifts downward when you open the machine to function as elevating feet. Sort of a much less extreme version of the Dell Adamo XPS. Now this is a great idea. It gives the Z keyboard a subtle slope to be at a comfortable angle when on a table.

What’s not so great is that the body of the Z is flexy by design, and that extends to the middle of the laptop, which is basically unsupported and floating in the air when the machine is elevated by the rear strip. This means that when the machine is open, you can get a good ~2mm of deflection of the machine when you press down at the rear of the keyboard. Since what you’re doing when the machine is open is hammering down on the keyboard, this is not, shall we say, confidence-inspiring.

And talking of the keyboard, that takes me to…

KEYBOARD? DOES THIS QUALIFY AS ONE?
The new Z's keyboard has, I think, very little in the way of redeeming features. It's worse than the previously-bottom-of-my-pack Macbooks since it has the same travel / landing feel yet a far shorter throw, so you bang against bottom-out just as your fingers are starting the keystroke, and consequently it’s the closest thing to hammering away directly on an unyielding surface like a table. By no means is it unusable and it doesn’t affect my typing speed, but I really don't like it.


*LIKES*
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ZIPPY
I quite like the built-in Splashtop browser as a standalone concept. From complete power-off, it takes under 18 seconds to connect to a Wifi network and fully load the MSN page. Despite the lack of Flash, it is a very usable browser for casually looking stuff up when the need hits you.

BUT, it takes under 25 seconds from complete power-off to boot Windows, enter a >15-character password, mouse over to the IE logo, click and let it load the MSN page completely. This thing is just insanely fast for a notebook. And a big part of that is the storage: The SSD benchmarks are only consistently exceeded by specialist PCI-E drives I have. Paired with Intel’s fastest mobile dual-core and topping out at 1.16Kg this is a stunning mix of usable power and portability, even with the IGP gripes I pointed out earlier.

TOUCHPAD - AM I THE ODD ONE OUT?
The pad has drawn a lot of criticism from various reviewers - perhaps predictably for various reasons. You know what though? I love it. I love the 'swish' that my fingers feel when sweeping across the trackpad. I also have the coordination and dexterity to prefer a smaller pad with a speeded-up response, where I can make fast and sharp finger-only movements instead of dragging my entire hand across an oversized touchpad. For this reason I find e.g. the pads on the X-series Thinkpads and this Sony hugely superior to the much-lauded Apple pad (especially in comparison to the 11-inch Air).

Misregistrations of multitouch inputs failed to be an issue after I tailored the settings to my liking. The criticism I can definitely make though is that they should figure out a way of exposing the touch settings to be more accessible to people who aren't used to poking around the system - as e.g. many reviewers give me that impression.

BATTERY – SHEET IN PROFILE BUT NOT IN USE
I also really like the new power configuration. Having a separately chargeable clip-on cell is a huge boon when I need to extend runtime on the move, and in terms of portability is much less of a hassle than e.g. carrying a HyperMac for an Apple. I haven’t had an opportunity to fully run one down and get the full runtime, but this is definitely all-day-and-beyond computing at a very reasonable all-up weight.

EDIT: 30 Oct
Just recently after writing this review I realised that I've been running these machines in a power-bleeding mode without realising it. I thought I'd made some optimisations when in fact I hadn't - the perils of thinking you've mastered tech :( The result is that I've significantly understated the full ekeing runtime from this machine - which blows past the 13-inch Macbook Air into the 7-actual-real-hour range for low-impact use. In fact, even when using the 3G, you can expect ~6-hour runtimes.This is, frankly, phenomenal.

ANYTHING ELSE?
No. I mean there’s nothing else actually new for ’11 that I consider notable about the machine, or better than the 2010 model - You might notice that the dislikes outnumber the likes.

*FINAL TAKE*
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As a long-time flagship VAIO user (in fact, ever since the brand has existed), I have to say that the 2010 Z was one of the highlights in my VAIO ownership. It was a great package of power and usability in a lightweight package – that while not the lightest, nevertheless shoehorned complete functionality on the move in a way no-one else could. They also solved some key build quality issues after the disappointing (to me) 2008-2009 flagship range, including the frankly terrible TT – a machine I’ve had literally fall apart on me.

While the 2011 Z pushes the engineering envelope further and the weight has been drastically reduced while not impacting power-saving runtime, I have to say that it is a much less likeable machine in many respects. That’s not to say this isn't a very nice machine still. It is. But it could have had considerably less attendant issues in my opinion and been a much more complete upgrade over the 2010 Z as a result.

I realise why it’s been engineered to be flexible, but for the main body to be as flexible as it is in use, exacerbated by design decisions regarding the hinge, is detrimental. The GPU changes are also really counter-productive / compromised in my opinion, and the keyboard – a pretty darned crucial part on a notebook – is one of the worst that I’ve used on a premium machine as of late.

However, if you consider weight + runtime in a high-resolution-sporting package with some of the fastest innards you can have in this form factor along with a surprisingly comprehensive set of ports on the machine, then the Z is still the benchmark, and no-one else comes close – for bleeding-edge aficionados this is definitely the place to be.

As for me, while I appreciate the battery options vs all-up weight and acknowledge that for the vast majority of my mobile working time the compromises with the new Z would not affect me, that it can is certainly a problem when I expect an improvement year-on-year. I’ve bought a couple of these, but I think I’ll hold off upgrading all my 2010 Z’s until at least the HD3000 driver issue is solved, and the PMD roadmap becomes clearer.