DRAM it! Cheap PCs being priced out of existence as memory cost bites
AI server gold rush leaves budget laptops starving for chips as sub-$500 machines down nearly a fifth stateside
Fewer Americans are buying PCs as rising component costs mean the sub-$500 bracket is rapidly disappearing, with laptop makers favoring higher-end machines – and things are likely to deteriorate throughout the year.
According to stats compiled by Omdia, unit sales to US distributors plunged 7 percent year-on-year in Q1 to 15.8 million units. HP was hit hardest, shrinking by more than a fifth and losing its spot as the most purchased PC brand stateside.
The decline reflects supply constraints and cost pressures from memory and storage prices, "compounded by a hangover following the Windows 11 refresh cycle," which the analyst said exhausted much of the near-term commercial pipeline. A strong comparison period from a year ago – when consumers and businesses pulled forward purchases to avoid Trump's tariffs – didn't help.
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