A forecast 27 percent drop in Q4 means memory costs will soon show up on laptop price tags, so if your work machine is limping, don’t wait for a better deal. Many different pressures are affecting computer and gadget pricing right now. Chip shortages and tariffs are the most obvious. I think many consumers are holding off on big computer purchases until things settle.
It’s interesting that Apple doesn’t seem to be hit as hard as others, with only an 11 percent decline. Perhaps chalk that up to their regular and expected drumbeat of upgrades, from hardware to chips to software. Having had both Macs and PCs in my household, my back-of-the-envelope numbers suggest Macs do last longer and retain their value a bit more. So, are people buying Macs now so they can wait several years before upgrading? (My M1 is from 2021 and doing amazingly well.)
Things will settle down. Computer manufacturers may need to stimulate demand with discounts to get people to buy again. Will it come in time for the holiday tech-buying season and be enough to turn the Q4 downturn around? I’m skeptical.