The VAIO Z has always been a different kind of ultraportable: since 2008, Sony's engineers have seen fit to do their best at giving travelers with bulging wallets a light machine with the latest technology. Machines in the series were some of the first to introduce dynamic graphics switching and RAID SSDs, and the latest model turned heads with its proprietary external Power Media Dock with a discrete graphics card and optical drive built-in. The series is about to come to an end, however, as Sony has informed us that it has stopped production of the current VAIO Z, and — at least by name — the series will be retired once remaining units are sold off.
"Very limited Z series models in the channel"
You'll notice that among Sony's headline-grabbing Windows 8 machines and VAIO refreshes, the Z is no where to be found. Apparently, ultraportables like the Z — which always had extremely niche appeal — don't have a place with the launch of Windows 8. For Sony, the future lies with products like the new Duo 11 convertible, key to its plans to "embrace the touch experience." The company sees the touchscreen laptop as a place for those who were attracted to the Z, too: it offers a somewhat similar combination of high-resolution screen, up to Core i7 processor, SSDs, and an option for 8GB of RAM.
Still, we're told that the VAIO Z isn't being put on a firesale — the computer is still a current model for the company, it's just that production has ceased and it won't have a true successor to replace it. When we asked about how many units were left, Sony informed us that there are "very limited Z series models in the channel," and that sales would likely cease by the end of the year. Now's your chance.