The VAIO Corporation has unveiled its first new laptops after being sold on by Sony. The Sony Corporation decided to ditch its struggling PC business in February and focus on gaming, mobile and tablets.
Sony's deal to sell its VAIO brand to a Japanese investment fund completed on the same day the newly funded VAIO Corporation showed off its VAIO Fit and VAIO Pro computers, which go on sale today in Japan. According to Engadget, the company now sees itself as a "small" PC maker, compared to when it was part of Sony's realm and now that it is independent, things are going to change. The spinoff company has no more than 240 employees.
The new range VAIO introduced today comes without any Sony branding, of course, but is still being offered for sale via Sony's Online Store in Japan. The VAIO Corp has also announced that it has made a sales agency agreement with Sony Marketing, which for obvious reasons, already has a deep understanding of the brand for the Japanese market. Sony has taken a 5 per cent investment in the newly founded computer company.
However, the new range seems nearly identical to the Fit and Pro models released last year, which were both well received. At the press event, new CEO Takayuki Sekitori admitted that familiarity was part of the point, due to the popularity of the two models. He also highlighted that the new small computer company intends to retain VAIO's DNA and its attention to detail in its future plans.
The VAIO range of laptops has always had a place in the market, and we are interested to see what direction the new owners of the brand plans to take it, if any divergence is planned. We look forward to seeing some new, stylish and original PC models from VAIO in the future.
