26 Oct Hard drive shortage of 2011 | IT Service | Computer repair
Just like many of the memory shortages you might have heard about, there is currently a hard drive shortage in the market. Recently hard drive prices have begun to creep up and consumers are noticing the difference. Example: While a 1Tb (Terabyte) drive used to cost sixty dollars a couple months back, now the same drive is nearing the hundred dollar mark. Market analysts and some companies such as Apple Co. are warning that prices could jump significantly in the fourth quarter. This jump in price will affect the overall cost of cost of a desktop computer by about 50 dollar. The shortage is due to massive floods in Thailand. Many factories have been destroyed or closed down due to these floods and a good amount of computer components are produced in Thailand including hard drives. The prime minister of Thailand stated that the floods are not expected to recede for about six weeks and even if it happens, roads will have to be repaired to resume logistics.
The HDD drive motor manufacturer Nidec, which supplies between 70-80 percent of the market with motors, is expected to limit production due to flooding. Western Digital, a well-known and respected hard drive manufacturer has indicated that they have about 2 weeks of hard drive in stock. This flood is also affecting companies like Asustek, which is a common manufacturer of motherboards. With these floods experts expect a rise in cost of components and with that the consumer will take a hit until supplies are returned to normal.
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