Timeline of their history
VAIO Corporation (standing for Visual Audio Intelligent Organizer), which is headquartered in Azumino, Nagano Japan, is a manufacturer of personal computers. VAIO was originally a brand of Sony Corporation, introduced in 1996.
- 1996
Although Sony made computers in the 1980s exclusively for the Japanese market, the company withdrew from the computer business around the beginning of the 1990s. Sony's re-entry into the global computer market, under the new Vaio brand, began in 1996 with the PCV series of desktops—the PCV-90 was designed with a 3D graphical interface as a novelty for new users. The first generation of Vaio laptop computers was released in 1997 and the US$2,000 PCG-505 model was designed to be "SuperSlim," and was housed in a four-panel magnesium body.[5]
- 2014
On 4 February 2014, Sony announced that it would sell its Vaio PC business due to poor sales.[7] In March 2014, it was announced that Japan Industrial Partners had purchased the Vaio division
- 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 had focused too much on attempting to garner a large market share in its PC business. The Canvas Z tablet was released in the United States on 5 October 2015, through Microsoft Store and the Vaio website
- 2016
Vaio announced that it would unveil a Windows 10 smartphone.[14] Also that month, it was reported that Vaio was negotiating with Toshiba and Fujitsu Technology Solutions to consolidate their personal computer businesses together.
