A spike in the price of memory could lead PC makers to stop selling laptops and desktop computers that cost less than $500, according to a report from the research firm Gartner.
The same forces that could fuel an increase in smartphone prices will affect the PC market by 2028, according to the report, with a combined 130 percent surge in RAM and SSD storage costs pushing up PC prices by 17 percent. The price spike, Gartner predicts, will lead people to hold onto computers longer rather than upgrade, making it harder for PC brands to absorb costs.
“Ultimately, we expect the sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028,” Gartner senior director analyst Ranjit Atwal said. Additionally, the price trends will slow down the adoption of so-called AI PCs, which are designed to handle some artificial intelligence tasks on the device. Gartner says it will take until 2028 for AI PCs to make up 50 percent of the PC market.
Smartphone prices, the firm predicts, will rise about 13 percent by 2028.
Budget PCs costing $500 or less are typically ideal for younger students or for those who aren’t using them for intensive tasks like video editing or gaming. They generally come in the form of laptops, desktops or tablet hybrids with touchscreens. Chromebooks, which run Google ChromeOS, are another type of computer that typically lands in that low-cost range.
The Gartner report comes at a time when Apple is expected to introduce a budget MacBook model as early as this week, which could cost about $600. The company makes a desktop Mac Mini M4 model that starts at about $600, but the entry model can sometimes be found on sale for about $500.
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