Opening up a new eraShinshuBrand ShinshuBrand Awards 2021 NAGANO GOOD DESIGN Category Award "VAIO® SX14 VJS142 Series"

NAGANO GOOD DESIGN Category Award
"VAIO® SX14 VJS142 Series"

Hayashi Kaoru, Director of VAIO Co., Ltd.

The countryside spreads at the foot of the mountains of the Northern AlpsAzumino City. Inside this rural landscape is the production base for "VAIO®".

In 2014, the division that produced Sony's PC brand, VAIO®, became independent. While continuing Sony's belief in end-user commitment, it has shifted to "improving business productivity," and has set its headquarters in Azumino, where VAIO®'s core factory is located, and has begun its journey as VAIO Co., Ltd.

Taking roots in Azumino

"When we became VAIO Co., Ltd., we thoroughly pursued our own responsibility for the quality of our products, in order to re-enter our manufacturing. As a result, all of our VAIO products are currently shipped after a final inspection and configuration (setting) of approximately 50 items. We call this the "Azumino finish" and consider it to be one of our important core values."

The person who spoke is Hayashi Kaoru, a director of VAIO Co., Ltd.

He has been one of the engineers who has been involved in design and production since VAIO was founded in 1997.

And when he became independent as VAIO, his goal was to become a brand that will make the local people proud. It seems that many people at the head office have made an I/U turn to work for VAIO because they like Azumino.

This is said to have further strengthened the desire to become a company that coexists with the local community.

It becomes beautiful when you add comfort and functionality to it

VAIO Co., Ltd. believes that it is also a factor in PC performance, and develops products.

This commitment is expressed throughout VAIO's PCs, including a keyboard that is carefully designed with key touch, a palm rest with an exquisite angle that doesn't make you feel like the difference between the desk and the LCD screen, a frame cut to the limit, and a form that makes it easy to carry with one hand.

In addition to being made using AI and equipment, Azumino FINISH (final check) checks are performed from the user's perspective, using their five senses, such as actually hitting all 87 keys with their own fingers.

"We aim to make the results of our focus on usability and functionality cool and become what we call "functional beauty." For example, the metal ornaments that are characteristic of the VAIO® design also play a role in protecting the liquid crystal board."

As Director Hayashi says, the functional beauty that was born from pursuing performance, comfort, match-to-lifestyle, and all functions, can be said to have been cultivated over the quarter-century history of VAIO.

Although simple, it has received high performance, comfortable operability, design that makes use of the Japanese aesthetic sense, and thorough commitment to quality have been highly praised at the brand awards.

The next goal is globalization

"After independence, Hayashi has been focusing on domestic corporations, but as the foundation for this has been set, I would like to look globally again and compete on the world stage under the brand VAIO®," he said with emphasis.

VAIO® is about to fly from the Azumino region to the world.

this time,ShinshuThe VAIO® SX14, which won the Brand Award and the Good Design category award, uses a 14-inch wide display, a size larger than the 13.3-inch standard VAIO® series.

The display itself has grown larger, but in fact, the frame part is made very thin, so the LCD is stored in a housing that is almost the same size as a 13-inch mobile PC.

Furthermore, the top plate made from high elastic UD carbon, which was developed in collaboration with Toray Corporation, ensures rigidity and is lightweight at 999g, the top class for mobile notebook PCs.

NAGANO GOOD DESIGN Category Award
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*This article is information as of May 2022. Please note that the products we carry may have changed.