PC Industry in Dire Straits, ‘Asking You to Personal Nothing and Be Joyful,’ Says Framework CEO

The ongoing RAM disaster and international provide chain woes have meant the PC business is taking it from all sides. Framework, the maker of ultra-customizable and repairable laptops, has come out and mentioned what many PC homeowners have feared.

“The computer in the cloud has increasingly greater economic output than the computer in the hand,” mentioned Framework founder and CEO Nirav Patel in a blog post. “This means that to the extent that there are constraints on the supply that feeds both, the cloud will win every time.”

And right here’s the kicker: “What does this all mean? The industry is asking you to own nothing and be happy.” Gizmodo has beforehand reported that execs in corporations like Lenovo think about the long run could also be “hybrid,” the place there could possibly be much more reliance on cloud computing to counteract skyrocketing PC costs. Personal computing evangelists like Patel worry a cloud-centric future will inevitably drive customers into ever-more costly Netflix-like subscriptions.

Over the previous few months, Framework routinely issued worth will increase for its RAM and storage elements. Most just lately, in April, the repairable laptop computer maker said it was hiking costs of SSDs of 4TB or larger. The worth of prebuilt configurations of the Framework Laptop 16 with 64GB of DDR5 RAM additionally went up. Framework, like different computing corporations that promote extra customizable elements, has been much more vocal in regards to the influence the RAM disaster has had on enterprise.

PC makers are all feeling the warmth

The whole PC business is rising, however analysts worry that might change. In its newest PC shipments report, market evaluation agency IDC stated that your complete business is in flux. IDC’s report mentioned that the business was rising properly within the first quarter of 2026. That identical progress took a nosedive on the tail finish of that interval on account of “the component shortages and deteriorating economic conditions.” Many corporations, save for HP, noticed robust progress year-over-year, however IDC hinted which will change.

The present conflict in Iran is doing additional harm to PC makers’ prospects, based on IDC senior analysis analyst Isaac Ngatia. The pressure on international logistics is “trickling down the value chain, intensifying the pricing pressure of PCs on the end-users.” We can see this impact in actual time. On Tuesday, Asus launched its Zenbook A16 laptop computer with an affordable worth of $1,600. By that very same afternoon, the corporate adjusted the worth to $1,700. In an e mail explaining the change, Asus blamed “an error” from retailer Best Buy.

Framework is utilizing doom and gloom to advertise merchandise

Framework’s Patel is giving voice to a sentiment rising amongst PC circles. AI datacenter initiatives have created a large demand for HBM (high-bandwidth reminiscence). The three largest semiconductor corporations that make RAM—specifically Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron—have all tuned their companies to supplying the AI business moderately than shopper or business electronics. Over the previous six months, the price of consumer-end DRAM and NAND flash storage has turn into more and more untenable. Prices of many elements, from RAM to SSDs to GPUs, have skyrocketed many instances over.

“Computers are no longer a bicycle for the mind,” Patel continued, quoting a well-known line by Steve Jobs. “They are becoming the self-driving car that takes you directly to the destination.”

Patel isn’t simply scripting this to lament the state of the business. He’s trying to make use of that sense of doom and gloom to advertise an upcoming product announcement slated for April 21. In a teaser video, Framework retains displaying off penguin-laden icons, hinting at some kind of Linux connection. Framework’s present computer systems, like its Framework Desktop, Framework Laptop 13, and Framework Laptop 16, are all constructed so you’ll be able to set up Linux your self or else buy a Windows 11 license.

The subsequent Framework laptop could save on prices by counting on the open-source Linux working system. But actually, Patel is hoping the devoted PC consumers will likely be prepared to spend extra for the sake of possession. Either manner, PCs have gotten extra of a luxurious.