<p>Spec wise the Sony VAIO CW line blows a Mac book pro ($1,000 one) out of the water... but in terms of looks.... I think Sony VAIO CW line gives the Mac Book a run for its money. It's just as sexy. </p>
<p>
</a>
</a>
</a></p>
<p>vs</p>
<p>
</a></p>
<p>I see you chose the most unflattering picture of a MacBook you could find. And if I were buying my computer today, I agree that I’d likely choose a Vaio CW rather than a Studio 14z (the Sony’s gotten cheaper and better, whereas the Dell’s price has inflated, and is now coming with slightly worse internals).</p>
<p>However, you still have to consider the pros and cons of both, and here’s my list of things to consider (remember, the Mac I’d consider is $200 more, but still):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Computing power/memory:
Mac: Core2 2.26 GHz w/ 2 GB RAM
Vaio: i5 2.40 GHz w/ 4 GB RAM
Yes, the Vaio’s mroe powerful. But it needs to be to handle Windows 7. And macs run beautifully on only 2 gigs of memory</p></li>
<li><p>Graphics:
Mac: GeForce 9400 M (integrated equiv. to 256 MB)
Vaio: GeForce 310 M w/ 256 MB dedicated
Almost the same. The thing about dedicated graphics is that they’re slightly faster (in the GeForce line… which is always much better than Intel’s integrated stuff), but a bigger drain on the battery life. If you’re going to play many games, the Vaio will come out slightly on top here and w/ the processor.</p></li>
<li><p>Weight:
Mac: 4.5 lbs
Vaio: 5.3 lbs
A half pound is significant. Also, the mac charger is VERY light: I doubt Sony’s is, so add an extra 1/4 lb to the difference.</p></li>
<li><p>Screen Size/resolution:
Mac: 13" 1280 x 800 on a glass screen
Vaio: 14" 1366 x 788
This means all the added screen resolution is in the width, not the height. Macs are 16:10, the CW is 16:9, which is the exact same ratio as widescreen movies, so watching movies you’d get about a 720p quality, but without any black bars on the Vaio. However, I prefer the Pro’s glass screen to a standard glossy screen.</p></li>
<li><p>Battery Life
Mac: up to 7 hrs (more like 5.5 on standard settings)
Vaio: up to 4 hrs (according to the site, on standard settings)
This matters a lot, as you don’t want to be hooked to an outlet during class.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The biggest problem with the Vaio is that it comes as a PC, not a mac. Macs these days are generally more universal in their components (especially as it’s easy to dual-boot them) and generally more reliable than PCs, plus they come with all sorts of goodies installed. Furthermore, OS X is a smaller OS than Windows 7, and so the less powerful processor/smaller memory in a mac generally is not a big deal. Either computer is a great purchase depending on how you use your computer, and what matters to you. Personally, I don’t like Sony’s touchpad, and the Mac’s allows you to do really neat multi-touch inputs.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t be purchasing a laptop based on looks.</p>
<p>Heres the only question you need the answer. More powerful computer or cooler/more friendly OS? Once you answer that you can pick your computer.</p>
<p>Comparing a sony vaio to macbook, its all upto what you want. Sony Vaio has good looks and good performance for its cost. for a full comparison list between the 2 see
[Compare</a> Sony Vaio vs Macbook White](<a href=“http://digitalpbk.com/hardware/compare-sony-vaio-cw-vpccw26fg-versus-vs-apple-macbook-white]Compare”>Compare Sony Vaio vs Macbook White)</p>
<p>Virginiafan, you do realize that what your asking is choosing Fact over Opinion.</p>
<p>He’d have to see the two OSes and make a choice.</p>
<p>I’d personally pick the Mac if you honestly need the battery life. If you plan to go 4+ hours without ever charging it then the Vaio is not worth it. If that’s not the case, go with the Sony easily.</p>
<p>@chsowlflax17: Windows 7(64 bit) runs just fine with 2 gigs of RAM </p>
<p>@Virginiafan13: Windows 7 is quite user friendly now, and if you travel to pro-Mac websites, they’ll even tell you that Windows 7 was a huge step in the right direction.
Also, you can customize your Windows 7 to look exactly like Mac OSX. Google it</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Pure nonsense. Windows 7 is really light, lighter than OSX, in fact. I have Windows 7 Ultimate running pretty smooth on a first generation, two year old netbook with 1GB ram.</p>
