DRAM and blast - it's a component price hike

Korean DRAM makers are pushing up the price of their components in a further blow to the PC sector.

NEC has already said the rising price of DRAM is responsible for it hiking up its own PC prices. Other manufacturers are likely to follow suit.

Macs too will be affected. Apple recently put up the cost of an iMac by $100 - principally blaming the cost of manufacturing monitors, though it also said rising DRAM prices were a factor.

According to the Korea Times, Samsung expects demand for DRAM to rise by as much as 45 per cent this year, outstripping supply.