SerpApi.Org
The memory shortage is destabilizing pricing and preorders for Framework and its newest product, the Laptop 13 Pro, causing one configuration to jump by $800.
In a Wednesday blog post, Framework’s CEO said one of its suppliers drastically increased the cost for LPCAMM2 DRAM, a lower-power, compact memory module used in Laptop 13 Pro.
The new cost “goes far beyond anything we had predicted and anything we’re able to absorb without placing our ability to operate at real financial risk,” Nirav Patel wrote. "We received prices that are more than double that of the prior inventory we had brought in.”
San Francisco-based Framework has enough LPCAMM2 DRAM to cover all Laptop 13 Pro preorders, “but unfortunately not in the mix of 64GB, 32GB, and 16GB that matches those preorders.”
As a result, the company has been reducing the RAM configurations for later preorder batches and notifying affected customers via email. It seems 64GB has been reduced to 32GB, and 32GB to 16GB, with the preorder cost lowered. On the Framework shop, prices for individual LPCAMM2 modules have nearly doubled for the 32GB and 64GB models, which now reach $800 and $1,600, respectively.
In more bad news, Framework has increased pricing for the prebuilt Laptop 13 Pro for new buyers. Most notably, the 32GB model with Intel’s Ultra X7 358H chip now costs $2,899, up from $2,099 at launch. The company cites the memory crunch and an upcoming processor price increase from Intel, along with Microsoft’s Windows upping licensing costs, too. But on the positive side, the 16GB prebuilt Laptop 13 Pro has only increased $100 to $1,599. The AMD Ryzen prebuilt models have increased by $200 and $600 for the 32GB and 64GB models.
The news has sparked disappointment and a few order cancellations. In the meantime, Framework’s CEO says the company has been able to reduce some memory-related pricing here and there for other components. But signs show “that memory and storage prices continue to gradually trend upwards, but with a bounciness on specific parts and brands," he says.
"While we have kept our original 16GB LPCAMM2 pricing for now, we anticipate we will consume the remaining inventory of modules we brought in at lower cost soon, and will then need to increase pricing for new orders," Patel added.
