By Tom Warren
Publication Date: 2026-01-08 05:00:00
The personal computer has remained surprisingly resilient to change over the past 15 years. Apple promised a “post-PC” era with the iPad in 2010, but was unable to deliver. Smartphones even overtook laptops as the most popular device for connecting to the Internet a decade ago, but millions of people still bought a PC every year. But that PC resilience will be tested even further this year.
RAM and NAND/SSD prices have risen sharply in recent months due to shortages caused by AI data center demand. Some stores have had to sell memory like a Hummer, the cost of prebuilt PCs has increased, and some assemblers are even selling PCs without RAM.
Now we will see how the shortage affects regular laptops and PCs from Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus and Acer. TrendForce predicts that memory prices “will rise sharply again in the first quarter of 2026.” Further price increases will only put further pressure on laptop and PC prices, and we are seeing early signs that PC…
