Rising Computer Prices Buck the Trend

And I've been in the market for one too.



After buying a new laptop for each of the past three years, they seem even more expensive. I blame Obama.



At WSJ, "Average Prices Rose 6% in November, Industry Reversal Has Some Executives Saying Prices Have Bottomed; No $99 Laptop":

For the first time in several years, people shopping for personal computers are doing something new: paying more.



Computer prices are rising even as the prices of other consumer electronics such as high-definition televisions and digital cameras plunge this holiday season.



In November, the average retail price of a PC sold in the U.S. was $615, up 6% from last year's $580, which marked a record low, according to research firm NPD Group. Average PC prices have now increased in six of the past eight months compared with 2009 levels, according to NPD data.



The rising prices for PCs—including desktops, laptops and low-cost netbooks but not tablets—is a stark turnabout for the $250 billion global PC industry, which for years has coped with sharp price declines even as machines became more powerful.



The cut-throat pricing of recent years has rippled through the industry, squeezing profit margins for big PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. Now those firms are focusing on premium machines and seeing profit margins expand.



The higher-end models are "flying off the shelves," said PaulHenri Ferrand, chief marketing officer for Dell's consumer unit.



The price reversal is also driven by stabilization in the prices of laptops, which dominate the mix of computers sold today and have been pressured by both new tablets and low-priced netbooks.

More at the link.