Vaio
VAIO (Japanese: バイオ) is a brand of personal computers and consumer electronics, currently developed by Japanese manufacturer VAIO Corporation (VAIO 株式会社, Baio Kabushiki Kaisha, English: /ˈvaɪ.oʊ/), headquartered in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture.
Native name
VAIO株式会社
Sony Vaio
1996 (as Sony's computer brand)
July 1, 2014[1] (as an independent corporation)
Japan www
United States us
Brazil br
Chile cl
Hong Kong hk
Taiwan tw
Singapore sg
Malaysia my
China www
Argentina ar
India in
Middle East mea
Mexico mx
Uruguay uy
VAIO was formerly a brand of Sony, introduced in 1996. In February 2014, Sony created VAIO Corporation, a special purpose company with investment firm Japan Industrial Partners,[3] as part of its restructuring effort to focus on mobile devices. Sony maintains a minority stake in the new, independent company, which currently sells computers in the United States, Japan, India, and Brazil, and maintains exclusive marketing agreements in other regions. Sony still holds the intellectual property rights for the VAIO brand and logo.[4]
As of 2023, Vaio operates its stores in several countries and regions, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States and Uruguay and so on.[5]
Etymology[edit]
Originally an acronym of Video Audio Input Output, later amended to Video Audio Integrated Operation,[6] and later to Visual Audio Intelligent Organizer in 2008 to celebrate the brand's 10th anniversary.[7] The logo, along with the first of the VAIO computers, were designed by Teiyu Goto,[8][9] supervisor of product design from the Sony Creative Center in Tokyo. He incorporated many meanings into the logo and acronym: the pronunciation in both English (VAIO) and Japanese (バイオ) is similar to "bio", which is symbolic of life and the product's future evolution. It's also near "violet", which is why most early Vaios were purple or included purple components. Additionally, the logo is stylized to make the "VA" look like a sine wave and the "IO" like binary digits 1 and 0, the combination representing the merging of analog and digital signals.[10] The sound some Vaio models make during startup is derived from the melody created when pressing a telephone keypad to spell the letters V-A-I-O.[11][12]
As of 2023, Vaio is operational in the following countries and regions:[5]
History[edit]
As part of Sony[edit]
Although Sony made computers in the 1980s, such as MSX-based HitBit computers mainly for the Japanese market, the company withdrew from the computer business around the beginning of the 1990s. Under the then-new VAIO brand, Sony's re-entry into the global computer market began in 1996. Sony's then-president Nobuyuki Idei thought "there was no point making an ordinary PC", so the VAIO lineup was to focus on Audio Visual (as the VAIO name suggests), portability, and design.
The PCV-90 was the first series of desktops introduced in 1996, and designed with a 3D graphical interface as a novelty for new users. The first VAIO laptop computers followed in 1997 with the US$2,000 PCG-505 "SuperSlim" model, constructed out of a four-panel magnesium body.[13] VisualFlow was a Sony program distributed in the late 1990s and early 2000s with Sony VAIO computers.
Over the years, many audio visual technologies and interfaces pioneered by Sony became a key focus for its VAIO computers, including Memory Stick, i.Link, and even MiniDisc.[14]
In 2001, Steve Jobs presented a VAIO PC running Mac OS to Sony executives, suggesting the possibility of collaboration. Sony's VAIO team ultimately turned down the proposal they regarded a "diversion of resources", as the popularity of the Windows-based premium PC brand was growing.[15]
Sony VAIO released later designs (2011 and later) during a period of low PC sales. They included models with innovations such as magnetized stands. The VAIO Tap, which was designed with a completely separate keyboard. The latest models were complemented by the Windows 8 operating system.[13]
Spin-off from Sony[edit]
On 4 February 2014, Sony announced that it was selling its VAIO PC business due to poor sales.[16] In March 2014, it was announced that Japan Industrial Partners had purchased a 95% stake in the VAIO division.[17][18]
The sale closed on 1 July 2014. On the same day, the company announced refreshed entries in the VAIO Fit and Pro lines. They initially distributed the relaunched products in Japan, then later in Brazil.[19][20] In August 2015, VAIO announced plans to re-enter international markets, beginning with Brazil and the United States. VAIO CEO Yoshimi Ota stated that the company planned to focus more on high-end products in niche segments (such as the creative industries), as they felt Sony was somewhat too focused on attempting to garner a large market share in its PC business. The Z Canvas tablet was released in the United States on 5 October 2015, through Microsoft Store and the VAIO website.[21][22] On 16 October 2015, VAIO agreed to introduce their products in Brazil through a partnership with a local manufacturer Positivo Informática.[23]
On 2 February 2016, VAIO announced that it would unveil a Windows 10 smartphone.[24] Also that month, it was also reported that VAIO was negotiating with Toshiba and Fujitsu Technology Solutions to consolidate their personal computer businesses together.[25]
On 4 June 2018, Nexstgo Company Limited announced that they would be licensed by VAIO Corporation to oversee the business in Asia. This license agreement between Hong Kong–based Nexstgo and the Japan-based VAIO Corporation would include manufacturing, sales and marketing as well as servicing of VAIO laptops under the VAIO trademark in the Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan markets.[26][5]
Currently in the US, VAIO business products are sold by Trans Cosmos America, Inc.[27]