Sony to fight Apple with revamped Vaio laptops

The revamped Vaio range, which will be unveiled next month, will feature four flagship models, including an all-black ultra-slim machine and a combined laptop and television unit.

The relaunch, which will be rolled out across Europe this summer, is intended to restore the Vaio's premium positioning and take on Apple, which dominates the premium sector with its iBook.

Sony is expected to maintain the price differential between the Vaio range and lower-end models from brands including Toshiba and Dell.

Sony executives in Japan have given the green light to the overhaul.

They are keen to build on the strength of the Vaio brand, which has been one of the electronics giant's key performers.

An ad campaign, expected to be created by Sony's advertising agency Fallon London, has been scheduled for early summer. It is likely to include television and digital activity.

The relaunch follows the news that Sony is preparing to launch its Qualia premium electronics range in Europe later this summer.

Qualia, which comprises high-end products such as televisions, cameras and projectors, launched in Japan last summer in upmarket department stores (Marketing, 11 March).

A Sony spokeswoman confirmed that the company would be adding to the Vaio range, but declined to comment further. She added that it would be releasing further details next month.

Laptops have outsold every other consumer electronic product in the past few months. This is partly due to an aggressive price war that has seen models sold for less than £500 in shops such as PC World and Currys over the past few weeks.

This article was first published on Marketing