Tokyo, Nov 13: Electronics and entertainment conglomerate Sony Corp said on Wednesday it plans to start selling the world's thinnest and lightest notebook computer, in an effort to boost sagging demand for its Vaio PCs. The Vaio Note 505 Extreme comes in two versions, one in a nickel-reinforced carbon composite shell and the other in a lighter, stronger carbon fibre casing. It is less than one centimetre (0.4 inch) thick and weighs 785 to 825 grams (1.73-1.82 lbs), depending on the model.
Both versions have a 10.4-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) screen and will go on sale in Japan on December 6. Sony has not decided when it will sell the product overseas.
The nickel-reinforced model will sell for around 300,000 yen ($2,760), while the carbon fibre one will be priced at roughly 350,000 yen.
Sony aims to restore its position in the domestic PC market after its share, according to data from MultiMedia, dropped to 9.9 per cent in the three months to September 30 from 11.9 per cent a year earlier.
Breathing down Sony's neck for the number-three spot in Japan's PC market is Dell Inc, the world's top PC maker.
Low-cost models from Dell and Hewlett-Packard are winning over Japanese customers at the expense of domestic market leaders Toshiba Corp and NEC Corp.
Sony aims to avoid price competition by offering audiovisual features on its Vaio computers.
Shares of Sony closed down 0.26 percent at 3,880 yen, versus a 0.19 percent rise in the Nikkei 225 average.
Bureau Report