Once again we have bad news about RAM prices for consumers and great news for manufacturers.  The price rose an average of 5% this past quarter, continuing the upwards trend we have been seeing for quite some time now.  The supply shortage is due to several factors but the dominant one would be the smartphone industry which has vastly increased overall demand for DRAM.  Currently demand far outstrips supply, though as new fabs come online and current ones complete their upgrades to new process technology we should hopefully see a levelling in prices.  As The Inquirer points out, this is not bad news for Samsung, SK Hynix or Micron who are all seeing very nice profits. 

Next time you are thinking about purchasing that shiny new phone, think about your computer for a moment before pressing add to cart.

"Prices, according to DRAMeXchange, increased by around five per cent in the third quarter, and buyers can expect to pay even more in the foreseeable future."

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