RAM prices are forcing companies to choose higher prices, worse specs, or both

Globalization, Labor, and Declining Product Quality

• Some argue the West exhausted the “cheap labor” model; as emerging economies catch up, rich countries face worse products, longer work, and weaker services.
• Others reject this as fatalism, saying there’s no obligation to accept worse conditions just because of past choices.
• Debate over global outcomes: one side notes rising global living standards and poverty reduction; another stresses persistent between-country inequality and environmental damage.
• View that capital continually relocates to cheaper labor and new industries, repeatedly recreating worker unrest and deindustrialization cycles.

Shrinkflation vs Supply Shocks and “Enshittification”

• Multiple definitions of shrinkflation:
  • Narrow: same price, reduced quantity.
  • Broader: same price, reduced quantity and/or quality.
• Some insist RAM/SSD cost spikes are supply-chain/demand shocks, not shrinkflation per se; others say lower RAM/storage at same price is exactly shrinkflation.
• Distinction raised between:
  • Shrinkflation (less for same price).
  • “Enshittification” (degrading products/services, lock-in, ads, dark patterns).

RAM/SSD Price Spike and Market Impact

• Reported RAM/SSD prices have increased several-fold in a year; GPUs and consoles perceived as unusually expensive or not getting mid-cycle “Super” refreshes.
• Examples given: laptops and phones with lower RAM or storage than prior models, or higher prices for similar specs.
• Some companies report concrete business impact: minimum account sizes doubled, or entire product launches delayed because sufficient memory can’t be sourced “at any price.”

Apple vs PC OEMs and Supply Chain Strategy

• Discussion on why Apple seems less affected:
  • Huge scale (especially phones), deep pockets, and long-term contracts.
  • Willingness to prioritize price stability and absorb margin hits.
  • Control over silicon and more of the stack, avoiding some vendor margins.
• PC vendors like Lenovo/Dell:
  • Operate in commoditized Windows market with weaker pricing power.
  • Use sprawling product lines and segmentation (e.g., “small business” vs “enterprise”) as marketing and price-discrimination tools; some see this as helpful targeting, others as confusing “badge engineering.”

Software Bloat, Consumer Needs, and RAM Demand

• Some argue hardware demands are inflated by bloated software, AI features, ad tech, and heavy browsers; they claim most users were fine with 2010-era capabilities.
• Counterpoint: non-technical users accumulate malware, security tools, and junk, making them genuinely need more RAM than power users on clean systems.

Inflation, Wages, and Perceptions

• Debate over whether salaries like $100k are still “good” given cost of living.
• Emphasis from several commenters that averages vs medians and local COL matter, and many people misunderstand inflation’s long-term effects.
• US wealth inequality cited as extremely skewed; others note that inequality can rise even while most people’s absolute condition improves.