AI Memory Crisis Threatens Black Friday Electronics Deals
AI-generated image · US National Wire
A global memory shortage and economic instability are driving up prices for PCs and gaming consoles, forcing consumers toward refurbished hardware.
The upcoming Black Friday shopping season is expected to be more expensive than in previous years, driven by a memory crisis in the AI industry and the ongoing war in Iran, according to reporting from Wired.
Jitesh Ubrani, director of Consumer Devices Research at IDC, warns that pricing for PCs and tablets will be particularly difficult for consumers, noting that elevated costs could persist into 2027 or 2028. Amazon has already increased prices on its Echo speakers, tablets, and latest Kindles. Consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky predicts that while laptops, desktops, and SSDs will still be on sale, the discounts will not be as deep as in the past due to high memory prices.
Conversely, products with lower memory requirements, such as headphones and robot vacuums, may offer better deals. Wired also reports that some early discounts remain steep for televisions; for example, the LG C6 65-inch OLED is listed at $1,400, and the TCL QM7L 65-inch Mini-LED is priced at $898.
As manufacturers pass additional costs to buyers, some are pivoting to the secondary market. Sean Cleland, vice president of Mobility Tech at BStock Solutions, states that manufacturers are increasingly buying back their own products to sell as certified renewed or authorized refurbished units to fill gaps in the budget smartphone market.