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Miniaturisation: the no.1 challenge for laptop designers

As consumers, we want them ever slimmer, ever lighter and yet more powerful and resistant. These are our demands. For manufacturers, it's a real headache. How're they responding?
Vincent Alzieu
Updated: July 9, 2010
The context
Sony invited us, not long ago, to pay a visit to their factory in Nagano, Japan. All their computers are conceived there and some are then also built there, others - the budget series - are made in China.

At Nagano, they make their high-end series: X, Z and P.

Manufacturers bring out new computers almost every day. What with new series and updates, it's easy to get lost. Behind this avalanche of products are the engineers who design them, improve them and who plan a long way in advance. To begin with, we simply asked:
  • DigitalVersus: How long does it take to go from the planning stage for a new Vaio to factory production?
Quick answer:
  • Sony: 12 to 18 months.
What we see on the shelves has therefore been conceived at least a year before we get our mitts on it. And here's a case in point: how is the Vaio X series being changed to respond to new expectations?

I want my next Vaio X to be like this class book!

The heart of the problem is the slimness of the thing. The boss of the X series team came in one morning and spoke to his staff. He had a hot idea. In his hand, a standard blue classroom note book.

From his mouth came the request that must have chilled the blood of the technicians and engineers at the meeting: I want the nex t Vaio X to be exactly the same size as this.


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