Why laptop and PlayStation prices are soaring
Semiconductor shortage due to work-from-home measures, greater demand for smart TVs, and US-China trade sanctions
Entry-level laptop prices in SA have jumped 30% in recent months; it’s next to impossible to buy a next-generation gaming console, such as Sony’s PlayStation 5; and things could get a lot worse, experts warn.A global shortage of semiconductors – especially the processors that power everything from your Xbox to your iPhone – is leading to supply shortages and is even forcing some car manufacturers to idle their production lines, costing them tens of millions of dollars a day.The problem is serious, should not be underestimated and won’t be resolved anytime soon, says David Kan, CEO of JSE-listed ICT distributor and computer assembler Mustek. "I didn’t expect it to be this bad," he tells the FM.American sanctions on technology giant Huawei and other Chinese hi-tech firms – pursued controversially by the Trump administration and still very much in force under US President Joe Biden – is also worsening the situation. Chinese firms are finding it increasingly difficult to source the fore...
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