- An Asus exec has warned of big price hikes for PCs
- Prices could rise by 25% to 30% in the second quarter in Taiwan, we're told
- This is likely to be reflected globally, and with other increasingly gloomy predictions hanging over the PC industry, it would seem the time to buy is now
Asus has warned that its laptops are going to get a lot more expensive in Taiwan, and while this doesn't necessarily apply globally, you can bet it's reflective of the situation worldwide — and the scale of the increase is seriously worrying.
As reported by UDN in Taiwan (flagged by VideoCardz), Asus said that PC prices in the country are going to rise by 25% to 30% in the second quarter of this year on average (with varying increases depending on the exact model, of course).
This prediction came direct from Liao Yi-hsiang, who is General Manager of Asus United Technology Systems Business, during an interview conducted after a press conference for a new Zenbook laptop.
The Asus exec made it clear that double-digit price increases would apply to all PC makers, as they're obviously all suffering from the same RAM and storage pricing headwinds (and the rising costs of other components besides, such as GPUs).
The report further notes that price increases of components "may continue in the second half of the year", and therefore Liao "suggests that consumers who need to upgrade their PCs should buy 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 also didn't say it wouldn't — and I think you can safely draw your own conclusions there. Yes, there will likely be some regional variability, but Taiwan isn't in a bubble, and warnings of price hikes of nearly a third over the course of the next quarter is a hugely worrying signal of what's to come with the whole of the PC market.
Meanwhile, we're hearing gloomier forecasts around PC pricing and the latest twists on the RAM crisis on a weekly — if not daily — basis. Here's another doom nugget from this week, for example, with memory chip maker Micron letting us know how bad things have got with supply in no uncertain terms. It's getting dire out there, to the point where hardware is being cancelled — witness Kotaku's report about the Ayaneo Next 2 getting canned (at least for now, with pre-orders just having been shut down) because the price of the handheld would be around four grand at this point.
I'd fully agree with the Asus exec that if you think you'll need a new desktop PC or laptop in the near future, it makes sense to buy now. These devices will surely only get pricier as 2026 rumbles onwards, with supply difficulties around memory not expected to get any better for a long time. (Indeed, some believe the RAM market won't be back 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 some tempting bargains floating around still. These offers may not be nearly as compelling a few months down the line, because if Asus is right, serious price jumps could be here before we know it.
