[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
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Kinetics is at the Canalys industry conference in Vietnam this week, and we’ve just been warned about a trend that’s going to impact all of us in the next few months.\u00a0 It’s even worse if you are planning a PC refresh or Windows 11 migration in the next few months.\u00a0 The AI boom is changing the equation.<\/p>\n
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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px||4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
The hundreds of billions being poured into AI data centres has created a massive side effect: DRAM prices have jumped 170% year-over-year<\/a>. Memory manufacturers are abandoning consumer PC chips for the far more profitable High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) that powers AI accelerators.<\/p>\n Memory prices are rising 30% in Q4 2025 and another 20% in early 2026<\/a>. Since memory represents 10-25% of a PC’s cost, you’re looking at 5-10% overall device price increases. That $1,200 PC? It’ll be $1,320+ by mid-2026.<\/p>\n Dell’s COO<\/a> put it bluntly: “We have not seen costs move at the rate that we’ve seen.”<\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.27.4" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_image src="https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AIChips.png" title_text="AIChips" _builder_version="4.27.4" _module_preset="default" border_radii="on|20px|20px|20px|20px" box_shadow_style="preset1" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.27.4" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.27.4" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.27.4" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"]<\/p>\n 1. Budget Models Are Vanishing<\/strong> Manufacturers are cutting low-margin products. That entry-level replacement strategy may not exist anymore.<\/p>\n 2. Specs Are Shrinking<\/strong> To maintain price points, some manufacturers are trimming RAM and storage. A 16GB system becomes 8GB at the same price.<\/p>\n 3. Everything Costs More<\/strong> It won’t just be PCs. Smartphone makers warn of “sizeable price rises”<\/a>, and analysts forecast device markets will shrink 2% in 2026<\/a>. Even hyperscalers are only getting 70% of memory orders filled<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n Windows 10 support ended October 14, 2025. If you are still to replace devices, then you are now caught between:<\/p>\n Industry forecasts<\/a> show:<\/p>\n Building new chip fabrication facilities takes years. AI demand isn’t slowing. This could be a multi-year supercycle.<\/p>\n \n Act Now on Critical Systems<\/strong> Don’t wait if systems are end-of-life or need Windows 11. Prices will keep rising through mid-2026.<\/p>\n Be Strategic About Everything Else<\/strong><\/p>\n Lock in Pricing and Specs<\/strong> Get firm commitments. Volatile markets mean configurations and prices can change between order and delivery.<\/p>\n Rethink Your Refresh Cycle<\/strong> This exposes the risk of being locked into hardware replacement schedules you don’t control. Consider:<\/p>\n Resources for ongoing updates:<\/strong><\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you still have Windows 10 PCs to replace, what does this mean for you?Kinetics is at the Canalys industry conference in Vietnam this week, and we’ve just been warned about a trend that’s going to impact all of us in the next few months.\u00a0 It’s even worse if you are planning a PC refresh […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":15599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/h2>\n
Three Ways This Hits Your Business<\/h2>\n
The Windows 11 Trap<\/h2>\n
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None of these are ideal. Strategic planning is essential.<\/h2>\n
It will only get worse:<\/h3>\n
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What Kinetics Recommends<\/h2>\n
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Track the Situation<\/h2>\n
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