Items tagged with Shortage
Since the launch of new CPUs, GPUs, and consoles late last year, chip supply has certainly struggled to keep up with demand. This supply issue is due in part to an ongoing semiconductor shortage which is not showing signs of stopping any time soon. To look for solutions, President Joe Biden is stepping in to review the semiconductor supply chain ecosystem and hopefully fund increased manufacturing capacity in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has ultimately wreaked havoc across many industries, leading to a trickle-down effect of shortages and delays in production. Subsequently, there has been pressure on the Biden administration, from both the GOP and other organizations, to take a look...
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If you think that you have had trouble finding a new console as we enter the holiday season, you are not alone. PlayStation 5 consoles are out of stock, and Xbox Series X/Series S console shortages are expected to last into 2021. These shortages and stock issues could stem from the pandemic we are facing or highly increased demand, but some analysts think these shortages are entirely artificial. International Data Corporation (IDC) analyzed the goings-on in hardware markets, such as with Xbox vs. PlayStation sales this quarter. IDC’s gaming research director Lewis Ward has claimed to CNN that profit margins may be “thin or even outright in the red” as this generation of consoles...
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Many students will be engaged in remote learning this coming school year. Remote learning naturally requires access to a device and a reliable Internet connection. Unfortunately, many American schools are currently facing a major shortage of laptops. Educators throughout the United States are deeply concerned about how this shortage will impact learning, especially the learning of vulnerable students. Lenovo, HP and Dell have all stated that they have a shortage of nearly 5 million laptops. There are several factors that are contributing to this shortage. First, there is simply a higher demand for devices now than there was prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Second, many laptop producers...
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Seagate this week reported financial results for the quarter ended December 30, 2011, in which the company said it shipped 47 million disk drives and collected $3.2 billion in revenue. For the six months ended on the same day, Seagate says it collected revenue of $6 billion and returned $151 million to shareholders in the form of a dividend. Not too shabby when you consider severe floods in Thailand left the hard drive industry in shambles. Unfortunately for Joe Consumer, relief is hardly in sight. In a supplementary note (PDF) discussing its quarterly results, Seagate warned that the impact of the floods on the hard drive industry will be felt throughout the entire year. "Seagate believes that...
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Can it be? Can it be? Nintendo's Wii has finally left its perpetual state of "sold out?" We can't definitely say that's the case across the board, but we can personally say that we've seen more Wiis on local store shelves (meaning at least one, and usually not two) over the past month than we've seen in the past two years. Oh, and aside from that totally anecdotal evidence, GameStop senior vice president of merchandizing Bob McKenzie has given the world at large reason to believe that supply and demand are finally, finally aligning on this white hot console. For those who actually haven't been pulling their hair out for the past 2.5 years, consider yourself lucky. Everyone else has been waltzing...
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There was a fire in LG Chem's plant in South Korea in March of this year. "So what?" you might ask. Well, that plant makes lithium-ion batteries, and that's helping to limit the supply of laptop computers. "I think maybe the battery shortage may hurt every brand," said J.T. Wang, chairman of Acer, at the company's investor conference two weeks ago.But the head of the world's largest independent notebook battery maker, Simplo Technology, said he expects the lithium-ion supply to return to normal in the third quarter and allow battery makers to substantially increase production. "The LG Chem problem has had a big impact on supplies, but we're working with customers and they understand," said...
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Two days ago we reported on Intel's alleged shortage of Atom processors. When we contacted Intel to confirm the story, an Intel spokesperson refused to comment. Perhaps we had the wrong person on the wrong day, because it would appear that today Intel is coming clean about the Atom shortage with Computerworld: "The new chip, code-named Diamondville, won't be officially released until June, but Intel Corp. has already been inundated with demands for early shipments, said company spokesman Bill Calder. He added that several PC makers plan to announce in June that they're working on Diamondville-based products. Many of the products announced in June should ship in the third and fourth quarters of...
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Anyone jonesing to get their hands on an Intel Atom-based product, just might have to keep waiting a little longer than planned. According to electronista, Intel is meeting less than 40 percent of Atom orders. This is sure to impact the expected rollout of Atom-based products--some of which are expected as early as June. Either product ship dates will get pushed back, or far fewer of a particular product will be available at launch. The rumor mill strongly hints that Apple is one of the manufacturers integrating the Atom processor into a yet-to-be divulged handheld device. (iPhone 2.0 perhaps?) Considering Apple's strong relationship with Intel of late, it wouldn't be suspiring if Apple is first...
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Many of us are familiar with the "Butterfly Effect," the phenomenon described as the beating of the wings of a butterfly on one side of the world causing a huge storm on the other side of the world. We may be seeing the high tech version of that; it's snowing a lot in central and eastern China, and that's where a great deal of the world's printed circuit boards are manufactured. Will snow in China cause a shortage of ones and zeros halfway around the globe?Some makers have only 30-40% of their capacities running, which is forcing them to halve their shipments, the sources said.Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE) revealed that its Changshu plant already received notification about power shortages last...
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Naturally the Wii is a hot sell, and if it's the last one in the store, even hotter. But telling buyers over and over again that the last one is for sale, that's ridiculous.A reader over at Consumerist says he watched an employee at a Princeton, NJ, Best Buy carry a Wii over his head, proclaiming that it was the last one in the store; an eager customer snapped it up within minutes. Then, about half an hour later...it happened all over again. Hmmmm! Here's more from the suspicious reader:I overheard two manager-types (one in a suit, the other a yellow shirt) discussing it, the suit asking, "Did Julie sell that Wii, yet? How long?" And then, "Wait 40 minutes and send out the next one."And...
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Another day, another report of tight supply of finished electronic goods due to shortages of lowly but vital components like IC chips and printed circuit boards. According to Digitimes, Nintendo will have to continue to delay expanding production of its wildly popular Wii gaming console because of component shortages. With the delay of its plans, any easing of the Wii shortages in the worldwide market is unlikely to be seen in the second half of 2007, said the component makers. Since Nintendo launched Wii in November 2006, the company has only introduced the games console in select regions such as the US, Japan, Europe and Australia. Worldwide accumulated shipments of...
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There is a lot of talk going around about AMD CPU shortages. DailyTech, Ars Technica and Tech Report are a few sources weighing in on the matter. A shortage for AMD during the critical year end cycle will mean lost sales and potential defections to Intel based machines. However, it is good news for AMD that its offerings have been well received and they have this problem rather than warehouses full of product. Below are a few out-takes from some articles regarding the shortage. Ars Technica- With demand from OEMs strong, will the enthusiast community get the short end of the stick? "We don't expect our users to jump brand," DiFranco remarked. "Their loyalty comes from many years of dedication,...
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Digitimes is reporting that manufactures should expect to see a CPU shortage during 4th Quarter due to rapid surges in notebook sales. Manufacturers are stock piling additional CPU's in expectation of an upswing in holiday notebook sales. Earlier this month, DigiTimes reported that unexpectedly strong demand in the notebook market has resulted in CPU shortages, sending notebook makers scrambling to secure CPU supply for the fourth-quarter high season. Notebook makers described the gravity of the shortage at that time by saying they may have to "beg" for CPU supply, the sources claimed. Head...
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