Microsoft has jacked the prices of several of its Surface computers, citing RAM and other component costs.
In Canada, prices have risen significantly, in some cases as much as $700 just for the base configurations without even getting into options with more memory or storage:
- Surface Pro 13-inch – starts at $2,149.99 (previously $1,449.99)
- Surface Pro 12-inch – starts at $1,499.99 (previously $1,199.99)
- Surface Laptop 13-inch – starts at $1,649.99 (previously $1,349.99)
- Surface Laptop 13.8-inch – starts at $2,149.99 (previously $1,449.99)
- Surface Laptop 15-inch – starts at $2,299.99 (previously $1,649.99)
Worse yet for the Surface Pro 2-in-1s, Microsoft still doesn’t include a keyboard accessory. If you need a keyboard — and you will, since it’s a Windows PC — that’s at least another $220 on top of the already egregious price. Moreover, Microsoft’s mid-range devices, like the 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop, now cost more than the flagship versions of those devices did before the price increase.
These price increases are hitting Microsoft’s online store first, but for now, you can still get some Surface hardware for cheaper at retailers like Best Buy. If you want to get a Surface device, you’ll want to move quickly before third-party retailers update their pricing to match Microsoft.
Microsoft told Windows Central that it raised prices “due to recent increases in memory and component costs,” and it’s far from the only tech company making changes because of the AI-caused RAM shortage.
Samsung just quietly hiked prices on several of its phones and tablets, while Sony jacked up PlayStation 5 prices at the beginning of the month. AMD said it would try to keep GPU prices down, while Apple recently agreed to a 100 per cent price increase from Samsung for RAM. And even Valve is getting hit, with the company running out of stock for its popular Steam Deck and delaying the highly anticipated Steam Machine due to component shortages.
And what do we get for all these AI-induced price increases? Billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg can make AI clones of themselves to talk to employees, Google can spread more misinformation, and tech giants can lay off tens of thousands of workers.
Source: Microsoft Via: Windows Central
