Hello, hissing kitty! A word to the wise – the higher Sony pricetags, at least for computers, isn’t what it used to be. We’ve had Vaio desktops for over a decade (and Toshiba portables)- the manufacturing quality has been top-notch. But computers aren’t just hardware – it’s software as well. Which is where Sony falls flat. The “perfect storm” combination of Windows Updates, the nvidia G-force video chip that Sony uses, and an earlier model family of Sony’s $2K All-in-One 24″ computers means that Microsoft sends out “critical updates” including new nvidia drivers, but fail to acknowledge that these drivers happen to be incompatible with your PC.
Result – no more “all-in-one” functionality. Your solution – $130 for a “per-incident” remote software repair. The warranty on the repair? 7 days. The frequency of the Windows “critical update?” Monthly. At least the nvidia folks had the foresight to tell me to turn the updates off, they can’t control it either. As far as Sony, they’re happy to either sell me a new $2K computer (after all, mine is 15 months old, isn’t it time for a new one??) or another $130 per-incident repair.
Bottom line – think twice before you’re lured by that Sony brand on new high-end equipment. The build quality may still be great, the design appealing, but today’s products are a combination of hardware, software, and support: Sony is coasting on yesterday’s reputation and not really focused on the overall customer experience.
