Laptop makers are getting absolutely wrecked by memory shortages, and some research firm says the industry might start pushing 8-gigabyte configurations as the new normal to keep supply chains from completely falling apart. Dell has apparently been tacking on hundreds of extra dollars for upgrades, and the whole situation could get way worse heading into the middle of next year.
Companies like Lenovo coasted through most of this year on stockpiled RAM chips, but their inventories are running dry. The mid-range laptop segment will probably see more base-model machines shipping with minimal memory as manufacturers try stretching their DRAM supplies further.
Microsoft set 16 gigs as the floor for Copilot PCs, but developers might need to start optimizing apps for tighter memory constraints since higher configurations are getting stupid expensive. Dell wants an extra 550 bucks to jump from 16 to 32 gigs of LPDDR5X, which puts them right up there with Apple's predatory pricing.
Companies like Lenovo coasted through most of this year on stockpiled RAM chips, but their inventories are running dry. The mid-range laptop segment will probably see more base-model machines shipping with minimal memory as manufacturers try stretching their DRAM supplies further.
Microsoft set 16 gigs as the floor for Copilot PCs, but developers might need to start optimizing apps for tighter memory constraints since higher configurations are getting stupid expensive. Dell wants an extra 550 bucks to jump from 16 to 32 gigs of LPDDR5X, which puts them right up there with Apple's predatory pricing.
