cheung@vu-vlsi.Villanova.EDU (Wilson Cheung) (07/12/88)
I am aware that the trade barriers against Japan are now really starting to have its effect on memory chip prices. However, what I don't understand is why one company is selling 2 Megs of RAM (chips only) for around $800 and others seem to be selling 2 Meg fully populated boards with expansion chasis at prices like $700. Why the trememdous difference in price? Are some companies getting secret duty-free supply lines from Japan? Wilson Cheung
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (07/13/88)
In article <1691@vu-vlsi.Villanova.EDU> (Wilson Cheung) writes:
-> I am aware that the trade barriers against Japan are now really starting
->to have its effect on memory chip prices. However, what I don't understand
->is why one company is selling 2 Megs of RAM (chips only) for around $800 and
->others seem to be selling 2 Meg fully populated boards with expansion chasis
->at prices like $700. Why the trememdous difference in price? Are some
->companies getting secret duty-free supply lines from Japan?
Some companies make their own DRAMs, Micron comes to mind. Their cost of
making memory chips has not gone up, so they could conceivably sell RAM
at pre-shortage prices, but this is America after all, so they raise their
price to dampen demand until it is exactly equal to their production capacity
(actually until it is just above their capacity) and then squirrel away the
profits or invest heavily in new equipment so that they can meet the Japanese
head on with 8" wafers and 4 meg chips.
--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.scott@applix.UUCP (Scott Evernden) (07/13/88)
In article <1691@vu-vlsi.Villanova.EDU> cheung@vu-vlsi.Villanova.EDU (Wilson Cheung) writes: > > I am aware that the trade barriers against Japan are now really starting >to have its effect on memory chip prices. However, what I don't understand >is why one company is selling 2 Megs of RAM (chips only) for around $800 and >others seem to be selling 2 Meg fully populated boards with expansion chasis >at prices like $700. Why the trememdous difference in price? Are some >companies getting secret duty-free supply lines from Japan? Because the dealers are money-grubbing scum, and they'll get whatever they can. I'd been running all over town lately trying to find a Mac SCSI cable (for my new hard disk =-) The local slimeballs wanted $49.95 for this sucker; Apple's own price is $50. Finally, gaving up the chase, I checked Computer Shopper, and mail-ordered for the thing for $9.95. Same deal earlier trying to buy the drive itself - same model drive with prices ranging a $200 spread. You have to shop around... -scott