The Memory Shortage Strikes Again, This Time With Rising Microsoft Surface Prices
Current RAM chip shortage made another victim: Microsoft Surface PC range. Microsoft has quietly increased the prices of all available Surfaces computers on the Microsoft Store, and these price changes are expected to be reflected in retail stores in the near future.
“Due to recent increases in memory and component costs, Surface is updating pricing on Microsoft.com for its current-generation hardware portfolio,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNET in an email. “We remain committed to delivering value to our customers and partners while upholding our standards of quality and innovation.”
The price increases depending on the model, but maxes out at around $500 for the flagship and several mid-range models. As Windows Central pointed out, this means mid-range Surface devices are now more expensive than flagship models were two years ago when they launched.
Current starting prices on the Microsoft Store are as follows:
- 15-inch Surface Laptop: $1,600
- 13.8-inch Surface Laptop: $1,500
- 13-inch Surface Laptop: $1,150
- Surface Pro 12-inch: $1,050
- Surface Pro 13-inch: $1,500
This puts the Surface Laptops and Surface Pro above the prices of some of the best laptops from companies like Apple, Acer and HP.
Memory shortage shows no end in sight
Microsoft isn’t the only tech giant feeling the pressure this week. AI Data Centers continue to gobble up as many available RAM chips as are humanly available.
Samsung also increased prices on some of its phones and tablets for up to $280 on Tuesday. Apple had several configurations of RAM- and storage-intensive products listed as out of print from Monday.
The even more unfortunate news is that prices are likely to increase and remain in place. The demand for RAM from AI data centers is sky-high and shows no signs of slowing down. So much so that Micron, one of the largest memory suppliers, closed its consumer-focused Crucial brand to produce more RAM for AI data centers.
Other major memory suppliers, like Samsung and SK Hynix, are also feeling the pressure, with the latter company’s president proclaiming that the memory chip shortage will likely last until at least the end of the decade.
