SOny "C" Series Vs. Macbook

The new Sony C comes out this october, and I am now torn between it and the macbook, as they do have the same price. Can anyone tell me what exactly are their difefrence, aside from the OS, webcam, processor, and HDD?

Here are the specs for Sony C:

Processor
Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7200 (2GHz1 , 4MB L2 Cache)

Operating System
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Edition with SP2

Front Side Bus Speed
667MHz

Chipset
Intel® 945GM

Hard Drive
120GB2 5400rpm Serial ATA

Integrated Wireless LAN
Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (802.11a/b/g)3

Bluetooth®
Integrated Bluetooth® Technology10

LCD
13.3”9 WXGA display (1280x800) with XBRITE™ Technology

Memory
1GB PC2-4200 533MHz DDR2
(Expandable up to 2GB)

Optical Drive
DVD+R Double Layer / DVD±RW Drive4
DVD+R DL Write (4x MAX)
DVD-R DL Write (4x MAX)
DVD-R Write (8x MAX)
DVD-RW Write (6x MAX)
DVD+R Write (8x MAX)
DVD+RW Write (8x MAX)
CD-R Write (24x MAX)
CD-RW Write (24x MAX)
DVD Read (8x MAX)
CD Read (24x MAX)
DVD-RAM Write (5x MAX)
DVD-RAM Read (5x MAX)

Modem
Integrated V.92/V.90 Modem (RJ-11)

Ethernet
10Base-T/100Base-TX Fast Ethernet (RJ-45)

Multimedia Card Reader
Supports Memory Stick DUO™ media with MagicGate™ functionality5, One ExpressCard™/34 Slot, 5-in-1 Memory Card Adapter (VGPMCA20) supporting Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™, Secure Digitial, xD-Picture Card, and MultiMediaCard (MMC), One PCMCIA - Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support

Audio
Windows® sound system compatible

Graphics Interface
VGA out w/ Smart Display Sensor

Inputs and Outputs
1 x 4pin i.LINK® connector(IEEE 1394)6
2 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x VGA out
1 x Headphone Jack
1 x Microphone Input
1 x Memory Stick Media slot
1 x DC in
1 x Ethernet Port
1 x Modem Jack
1 x Port Replicator connector
1 x S-Video Output

Pointing Device
Electro-Static touch pad

Keyboard
QWERTY, 86 keys with 2.5mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch

Power Requirements
110W+10%

Battery
Lithium-ion Battery (VGPBPS2C)

Estimated Battery Life
3.0-4.5 hours7 (Standard Battery)

Graphics
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 128MB Dynamically Shared (RAM/Video) Memory

Weight
5.07 lbs. with standard battery (weight is approximate and may vary)

Dimensions
12.98”(W) x 1.45”-1.47”(H) x 9.28”(D)

 

im sure that the sony will be more than 1099$

macbook is seksier

 

Both is around $1799 CAD

 

With all of these it comes down to one thing. Do you want Windows or OS X. That is really the decision here.

 

if the 'stuff' inside is not making the dicision for you then the only thing left if mac of windows...

 

Well, can anyone tell me what's the "stuff" that's different?

 

The battery life is significanly higher on the MB.
Also the Sony come sstandard with a dual layer dvd drive, the MB only comes standard with a cd burner.
the sony also has 1 gig of ram (probably 2 x 512 mb sticks) while the MB has 1 x 512 mb (though if upgrading, buying 2 sticks of 1 gig will cost the same).

sony has an svideo out, i believe the MB needs an adapter for that. The smart card reader is also another difference.

The sony is also slightly lighter.

But... Apple also has a good name in customer service. I'm not so sure sony does... Everyone I knkow who's dealt with sony has had nothing but bad things to say about them. Everyone who's dealt with apple pretty much says they're great (and fast).

Overall there is no reason for you to buy a MB unless you want to run os x. Pretty silly to buy it if you were to just use it to run windows.

 

Has anyone used an external webcam? How is it compared to built-in webcam in convienience?

 

I have never used an external camera, but I would imagine it would be signifcantly less convenient. Plus the iSight is a rather good camera.

 

The iSight is quite frankly the best WebCam I have seen bar none on the market (a webcam I've actually used that is) its amazing the clarity it gets.

Apples customer service is rated #1 in the industry, check out American Consumer Satisfaction Index for confirmation.

I wouldn't say Sony is bad, I had a notebook I bought from them in 2000 and the thing lasted for quite a while, however it did bring up a fair share of replacements. Anyways, with Sony's reputation lately, it personally puts me at unease with any of their products, for some reason I keep getting a gut feeling within the next few years they'll be filling for bankruptcy or something.

 

how is Sony's own 1.3 MP external notebook webcam?

 

Macbook still looks better, but today the macbook i saw at Saturn, is a little bit stained, not good.

 

The older MB had an issue with the palm rest material getting stained. The new MB have a new material that doesn't get the stain. Now, if your talking about the outside of it being stained... thats odd, it must really been abused.

 

not like the stained last time, but u ll feel there's something like dust accumulating at where ur hands are normally placed. N i cant wipe it off 2.

 

Internal webcam is a lot more convenient than an external one. I am right now struggling with this aspect.

 

so it's basically.... iSight vs Core 2 Duo, lighter weight, smaller size, and better HDD?

 

No not really, it depends on whats important to you, if HDD space is that important and having the lightest possible, then go for the sony.

For most comparisions that are close usually its just OS X vs Windows, most Mac users here have their machines because they can legally run OS X on them, OS X is the determining factor for a lot of this.

Personally, whenever I get home from work or school (both have windows machines) and get on my Mac, I feel at ease and happy because everything just works, I don't have to battle with my computer like I do almost everyday at work or school.

 

Shouldn't the Core 2 be more of a deciding factor?

 

Is the C series already released in your area? Remember, if you live in North America, you probably wouldn't see them until early November (forget what sonystyle.com says, they're always incaccurate by a couple of weeks). By then, and I'm not saying this is going to happen for sure, there is a high probability that the Macbook would also get Core 2 Duo. Besides, from what I've seen so far, the C series haven't got anything that's superior to the macbook. No webcam, looks bland and ugly, and to top things off, even the pics of at sonystyle.com gives you the impression that it's horribly built. It's all your decision to make, but if I were you, I'd get the Macbook if Windows isn't your primary concern (you can still run it via Bootcamp mind you).

 

It's highly doubtful we'll see a C2D chip in MB before december.
But again, the weight difference won't be noticable. The MB is like, an ounce heavier.
64 bit apps will be a ways off, even after Leapord and Vista are released. Rembmer, 64 bit isnt' cutting edge, it's been around for a while. And we still have little to show for it on the consumer end unfortunantly.
There is a bit of a speed difference between CD and C2D, but average users won't be able to tell the difference.

 

Isn't it rather "do you need OS X at all"?

You can install XP on MacIntels including MB but you cannot install OS X on the Vaio.

 

Yes... but besides the looks and design... is there any other reason to go with a Mac over a regular pc laptop if you don't want to use OS X at all, or even try it?

 

Support, usability. Also, you cannot ignore OS X. If you do not want OS X then there is no reason to go with Apple. However, OS X is definitely a difference maker.