- Asus executive warns of big price hikes for PCs
- Prices could rise 25-30% in the second quarter in Taiwan, we’re told
- This is likely to be reflected globally, and with other increasingly gloomy forecasts hanging over the PC industry, it would seem like now is the time to buy.
Asus has warned that its laptops are going to become much more expensive in Taiwan, and while this doesn’t necessarily apply globally, you can be sure that it reflects the global situation – and the scale of this increase is very worrying.
As reported by UDN in Taiwan (reported by VideoCardz), Asus said PC prices in the country will increase by 25-30% on average in the second quarter of this year (with varying increases depending on the exact model, of course).
This prediction came directly from Liao Yi-hsiang, general manager of Asus United Technology Systems Business, in an interview after a press conference for a new Zenbook laptop.
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The Asus official made it clear that double-digit price increases would apply to all PC makers, as they are obviously all suffering from the same headwinds when it comes to RAM and storage pricing (and rising costs of other components, such as GPUs).
The report further notes that component price increases “may continue into the second half of the year,” and therefore Liao “suggests that consumers who need to upgrade their PCs should purchase them as soon as possible.” (Note that this is a translation of the article from Chinese, but the gist is pretty clear).
Analysis: don’t hang around at this point
Granted, the report specifically notes that Asus didn’t say whether this price increase would apply globally, but it didn’t say that either. wouldn’t I – and I think you can safely draw your own conclusions from this. Yes, there will likely be some regional variability, but Taiwan is not in a bubble, and warnings of price hikes of nearly a third over the next quarter are an extremely worrying signal about what’s to come for the overall PC market.
Meanwhile, we’re hearing darker predictions regarding PC prices and the latest twists and turns in the RAM crisis on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Here’s another dire nugget from this week, for example, with memory chip maker Micron letting us know just how bad the supply situation has gotten, in no uncertain terms. The situation is becoming dire, to the point where the hardware is being canceled – witness Kotaku’s report on the Ayaneo Next 2 being canned because the price of the handheld would be around four thousand dollars at this point.
I completely agree with the Asus executive that if you think you’ll need a new desktop or laptop in the near future, it makes sense to buy now. These devices will surely only get more expensive as 2026 approaches, and memory supply challenges aren’t expected to improve for a long time. (Indeed, some believe the RAM market won’t return to normal until 2030, and they include another major memory chip maker).
I think you’ll regret waiting, frankly, especially if you can get a good deal on a laptop now, and there are still some tempting bargains out there. These deals may not be as attractive in a few months, because if Asus is right, serious price hikes could come before we know it.
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