Retrospective Recounts Sony’s Shrinking VAIO Computers, From Picturebook to Pocket Notebook

The article starts with the 1996 launch of Toshiba’s Libretto 20, which it describes as a starting point for Japanese manufacturers’ efforts to make complete computers smaller and easier to carry. Sony’s answer came in September 1998 with the VAIO PCG-C1 Picturebook. The first model had a limited production run of 5,000 units, used an Intel Pentium MMX 233MHz processor, weighed about 1 kilogram and had an 8.9-inch screen with a 1024x480 resolution. Its unusual ultra-wide aspect ratio of about 2.13:1 differed from the mainstream 4:3 and modern 16:9 displays, and it included a rotating built-in camera.

In 1999, Sony introduced the second-generation Picturebook, the PCG-C1X. According to the retrospective, production was larger than the first generation, and overseas versions were offered. The CPU moved from the Pentium MMX to Pentium II or Celeron, with increases in memory and storage. The author’s own PCG-C1XA is cited with an Intel Pentium II 400MHz, 64MB RAM, a 12GB hard drive and Windows 98 Second Edition. The second generation kept a similar exterior but added a Jog Dial and dual speakers.

Sony released the third-generation Picturebook in September 2000. The article says the exterior changed little, but the core hardware shifted from Intel to Transmeta. While it says no clear official Sony explanation was found, the retrospective suggests the change was driven by heat and power limits: a Pentium III or Pentium III-M would have been difficult to cool or would have hurt battery life in a roughly 1-kilogram mini-notebook. Transmeta’s Crusoe chip was marketed for low power, low heat and longer battery life, and Linux creator Linus Torvalds worked at the company at the time. Higher-end third-generation models added Bluetooth but not Wi-Fi; users could add a PCMCIA wireless card or use wired or dial-up connections.

The fourth and final Picturebook followed in September 2001. The retrospective says its body changed from light purple to silver-white with dark purple, and the screen resolution rose to 1280x600 across the line. CPUs were upgraded to the higher-clock Crusoe TM5800, with some models retaining the TM5600. The author’s PCG-C1MR/BP, a Japan-market fourth-generation model, used the older TM5600 and shipped with Windows XP Home Edition. In everyday use, the article reports, the system could feel slightly sluggish, often showing long loading states when opening documents or music.

The retrospective attributes much of that performance issue to Transmeta Crusoe’s design. The chip did not natively support x86; instead, it used a software layer called Code Morphing to translate x86 instructions into VLIW instructions at runtime. That real-time translation caused performance loss and a noticeable wait the first time a program ran. Although Crusoe’s clock speeds were higher than the Intel Pentium or Celeron chips in earlier Picturebooks, the article says actual performance was typically 60% to 80% of a Pentium III at the same frequency. Transmeta officially claimed the TM5600 at 667MHz performed roughly like a Pentium III 500MHz.

After the fourth-generation Picturebook ended in 2001, Sony’s traditional ultra-wide screen and clamshell keyboard mini-notebook form disappeared from its lineup for eight years, according to the article. Sony still tried smaller computers, including the 2002 U series and the later VAIO UX slider handheld, but the retrospective describes those as UMPCs meant for handheld or stylus use rather than full traditional notebook experiences. The article says the classic form was held back by technical and physical limits: PC processors pursued high clock speeds and multiple cores, heat and power consumption rose, and battery technology did not make major breakthroughs. Around 2008, Intel’s Atom processor brought power consumption down to two or three watts, allowing the form to return.

In 2009, Sony restarted the concept with the VAIO P series, which inherited the Picturebook’s wide screen and clamshell keyboard and was promoted as a pocket notebook. The retrospective notes that the P series received extensive promotion in China, while Picturebooks had no true mainland China official version, with only Hong Kong versions of the fourth generation reaching the market. The P series also sparked debate over whether it was a real notebook or a netbook because it used Intel Atom processors, which were common in low-cost netbooks. Sony did not accept that consumers should treat the P as a cheap netbook, the article says, pointing to its 8-inch 1600x768 screen, multiple color options and small size. The article identifies two generations, the 2009 P1X and 2010 P11X. The author’s VGN-P610, a lower-end overseas model in garnet red, has an Intel Atom Z520, 1GB RAM, an 80GB hard drive and Windows XP. The retrospective says it handled basic office work, online and offline music, small games and long battery use, though it was not especially fluid. The machine also included an instant entertainment system based on Linux with an XMB-like interface; when the notebook was off, a quick-start button could enter the system in about 20 to 30 seconds for pictures, music, a browser and online chat.