Graceful, perfectly flat surfaces show you just how marvelously thin the VAIO X is, at about 13.9 mm. Attention to design is evident in every detail. Many pleasant surprises await you in this new VAIO. What’s behind this Sony success story? Read on for some insight from the people behind the magic, courtesy of Sony Design.
Tsuge:I’ve supervised development of many different notebooks, coordinating VAIO design, but this project stands out from the rest. Unlike other projects, before any plans for commercialization, some of our engineers took the initiative and explored the kind of VAIO they truly wanted to make. They even created a mock-up. By the time we first saw the mock-up in the design group, it had already persuaded project planning to go ahead with commercialization.
The model was about 13.9 mm thin. At that stage, the engineers knew the general approach for the main components, and they were confident about somehow working out the details later. Now I’ve been involved in VAIO design for many years, and I could tell right away that development wouldn’t be easy. I knew that without hard work, we would never turn this model into a real product.
But once commercialization had been decided, based on the mock-up, we couldn’t very well go back and request to make it thicker for a little leeway. Our success would depend on designers capable of in-depth discussions with the engineers who had developed the blueprints for this notebook. Fortunately, just the right person stepped forward: Yujin Morisawa, a contributor in VAIO 505 Extreme design (seen above) a few years ago.
Morisawa:When designing the 2003 VAIO 505 Extreme, we faced technical limitations and a tight development schedule, and we had to resort to external network and display adapters. I regretted this and wished we could have offered built-in interfaces. I saw the new VAIO X as a good opportunity to overcome the limitations we faced last time.
First, we focused on the Ethernet and VGA ports. In both interfaces, we could not use standard components, which were thicker than the body itself. Should we make the body thicker at these positions? Or should we require adapters, as we did for the VAIO 505 Extreme? Both options were unacceptable to me.
The only real solution was to develop new parts. Working with our engineers, we incorporated an Ethernet port that opens and closes. It’s noteworthy that the cover itself forms part of the interface. When closed, the cover conceals the gap that would otherwise be exposed, and when open, it reveals the port so you can connect a cable. I was concerned about the strength of the cover, but we avoided problems by having the cover detach before the breaking point (a tip from our engineers). And with that, we had redesigned the Ethernet port.
The VGA port was also difficult to design. These components are normally encircled by metal bands that are crimped, which sometimes leaves ugly wrinkles or warped edges. Because we insisted on a perfectly flat surface, there was no room to conceal the VGA port in the body. So we decided to develop a port that’s beautiful and sleek despite being exposed. We took a cue from HDMI port design and studied how to wrap a metal band around the interface. As for the result, I invite you to see for yourself. Only Sony would see it as a second chance to develop an older but still important legacy interface.
Tsuge:By notebook standards, 13.9 mm is quite thin. But if we left the edges looking crude and boxy, the unit wouldn’t look as thin as this measurement tells us it is. It would lack impact. We needed to make the thinness apparent, somehow, but with no leeway in the length and width headquarters expected, we seemed to have no recourse.
At this point, we created two mock-ups for a meeting with management to evaluate the design. One was as compact as possible, with boxy profile. The other was slightly longer and wider to demonstrate what we wanted to try—rigid arc design.
Morisawa:We can make products look thinner with tapering, metallic edges. This is effective, but it’s so common that it has become rather stale. Above all, the style would be uninspiring if the surfaces you see most often when opening the lid are all flat.
There’s also an opposite approach, which involves carving out the sides, so to speak. Lids designed this way resemble the capital Greek letter sigma (S) when closed. Viewed from an angle, the lids seem to float in space, which can emphasize thinness. It’s a good idea, but ultimately we were unsatisfied with the appearance when open. Light reflected from the part carved away, along the edge, even makes the body look thicker.
We needed to find a new approach. After a series of attempts, we found the answer in curved edges. As with S-shaped edges, we “carve out” the sides, but the difference is that these surfaces are not simply beveled but curved. Light reflecting off flat, beveled surfaces looks rectangular, but reflections from curved surfaces look linear. This accentuates the slim body more than regular edge shapes do and subtly updates the style.
We call this new edge shape “rigid arc” design. “Rigid” because this element of design also makes the body tougher. It has higher torsional rigidity than plain, flat edges. When the body is 13.9 mm thin, you do all you can to ensure structural rigidity, because you can’t add any reinforcements inside. In this sense, rigid arc design also fulfills a key structural role in this model.
But I must admit, the engineers weren’t very happy about this edge shape. Special care is required to prevent the aluminum panel from warping when fabricated this way. It would take time to verify that the design was sound. Which should we prioritize—the development schedule or our ideal design? In the end, Sony management and engineers supported the rigid arc approach, and we were prepared to invest the time required to make it happen.
Morisawa: We had just reached the final stage of development when we were suddenly requested to design the extended “X battery.” Everyone in design and engineering was taken by surprise, and normally, we would have declined this kind of request. Nevertheless I knew that a maximum runtime of nearly 20.5 hours would appeal to people, and we decided to take on battery design.
Battery life is affected by thermal diffusion, and the structure we chose to dissipate heat was partly inspired by high heels. Ultimately, it was given a more massive appearance, like aerodynamic sports car parts. We thought people might like how the notebook gives a different impression depending on the battery used—light or heavy-duty. It’s also easier to type with the notebook propped up in back, after the X battery is attached. The notebook is supported at five positions on the bottom to prevent it from being bent by forceful typing.
We originally considered having the battery attached by means of a latch, but that would require drilling large holes on the bottom. But for owners who don’t use the X battery, the holes would have been meaningless. That was unacceptable to me, so I suggested screws instead. Installation of the X battery involves two small parts, already used on the notebook for other purposes. I think it was the logical decision, based on cost, ease of implementation, and design.
Morisawa: The rose gold VAIO logo also distinguishes this as special model, and we hoped the gold body color option would tempt more women to pick one up.
It’s harder than you might imagine to ensure a smooth, even finish in rose gold coloring of the metal logo. And it’s not easy matching the gold of the aluminum body to that of the carbon fiber lid. Achieving exactly the right color was a painstaking experience.
Redeveloping interface ports, incorporating our rigid arc design, and signing our work with a rose gold VAIO logo. All of this is costly development. But to make up for it, we carefully studied the production line in advance and tried to reduce the quantity and types of parts to streamline production. We also investigated paints that would bring out rich hues in fewer steps. Countless close collaborations of this kind, between designers and engineers, helped keep the total cost under control. Our parts and paint suppliers also supported us and accepted our exacting needs. It took the coordinated effort of everyone in development to make the VAIO X a reality.
Tsuge: Over the course of this project, we encountered many difficulties, and frankly, I wondered several times if we had reached a dead end. What helped us overcome the challenges was a shared awareness that this project was very important for Sony. Ultraportables still don’t dominate the computer market. But as an opportunity to demonstrate what sets Sony apart, this is the most critical category for us.
The VAIO X is as thin and light as a paper notebook, and anyone can easily take it with them. We haven’t compromised on performance, either; it will stand up to rigorous business use. The same Atom processors, yet Sony models are different. I know you’ll see what I mean when you pick one up yourself.
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