TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese IT distributor has warned that personal computer prices could rise by 15% to 20% in 2026, driven by soaring memory costs that are expected to hit laptops and other PCs particularly hard.
Lin Chia-chang (林佳璋), president of Weblink International, said Tuesday that an ongoing global memory shortage will push up PC prices next year. He said higher component costs are likely to dampen consumer demand across Taiwan’s IT market, per CNA.
During a media briefing, Lin said the impact of rising memory prices will be most evident in the low-end laptop segment, dominated by students and home users, who are more likely to postpone purchases in response to price hikes. Lin said memory accounts for about 10% to 20% of the cost of a personal computer, more than any other category of 3C products.
With memory prices continuing to climb, PC manufacturers will have little choice but to pass costs on to consumers. Lin said the impact on the high-end commercial market will be limited, as Microsoft ended support for the Windows 10 operating system in mid-October, a move he said is expected to spur a new wave of PC upgrades among business customers, for whom upgrading is a necessity.
Founded in 1997, Weblink is Taiwan’s second-largest distributor of software and IT products, a bridge between international vendors and local retailers. Its clients include Acer, Apple, and Microsoft.
While overall PC demand is expected to weaken, Weblink has seen growth in its memory product business as sales of memory products from suppliers such as Samsung and SanDisk have increased, with the segment’s contribution to company revenue rising from about 6% at the beginning of the year to 8% to 9% currently. He said this growth will help offset weaker PC sales.
Weblink also announced it acquired a stake in Australian IT distributor Bluechip Infotech for NT$149 million (US$4.7 million), with the deal expected to be completed in the first half of next year. Lin said the acquisition will push Weblink’s revenue above NT$30 billion in 2026.
