On weekends, the Amazon increased the sale price of its own hardware to a number of products such as Fire TV, Echo, Kindle and Eero. This is a very large increase, with some models rising by nearly 60 per cent overnight, indicating that the AI-enabled storage chip is strained and continues to be transmitted to consumer electronic terminals.
Echo Dot's increase is of the greatest concern.
One of the most notable cases of price increases mentioned in the report was Echo Dot. This smart speaker, which was originally at a lower price, rose from US$ 49.99 to US$ 79.99, an increase of about 60 per cent. The price tracking website CamelCamelCamel records also show that the price of the product had been at a lower level in the long run, with a more sudden increase this time.
In addition to Echo Dot, several Amazon hardware product lines were affected. While the report does not show new prices for all models, it notes that Fire TV, Echo, Kindle and Eero are within the current rotation price.
AI push up storage costs
The report links the round price increase to the global memory shortage. The cost of manufacturing equipment increases with the continuation of the AI heat and the rapid increase in the demand for memory and related chips. Cost pressures are increasing for hardware manufacturers that rely on the purchase of storage and spare parts.
Against this background, manufacturers are increasingly shifting the additional costs to consumers. This centralized price adjustment in the Amazon is seen as the latest manifestation of this trend in the consumer hardware market.
Apples have adjusted their prices.
The report also mentioned that apples had recently been partially priced up and that they had attempted to ease user pressure for one-time payments through equipment leasing schemes, allowing consumers to cover higher hardware costs in a phased manner.
In industry's judgement, this wheel-storage tension may last until 2027, and prices may not reach their peak and stabilize until 2028. This means that in the short term, price pressures on the consumption of electronics may not be significantly reduced.