Skyrocketing price of mechanical hard drives

Hi there

Sorry to read the above -- but the US Political system and its welfare options are the responsibility of the US electorate -- maybe in Europe even though the taxes are higher the Social Security and Welfare arrangements - especially medical provisions are a lot more mature -- but we have to pay a high price for the privilege.

Reading your previous post and some of the others in this thread I tend to think the higher price we pay in Europe is worth it.

Getting back on track (I'm sure especially in all sorts of I.T we are painfully aware of the pitfalls and failed business models that "Offshoring" has caused a lot of us directly) I've found that HDD prices are still remarkably cheap --even in such places as the UK's COMET or PC WORLD stores.

In any case it's easy to buy a cheap HDD USB container (7 USD or even less for laptop type HDD's)

You can use these say for backing up images, storing pictures / music etc etc and instead of tossing the disks when buying a new computer just use as external USB HDD's,

Memory is also rediculously cheap currently too -- I upgraded my somy VAIO to 8GB RAM -- it's cheaper than an SSD (much much cheaper) and once the OS has booted the performance difference isn't as much as you think --since most of the W7 OS is now in RAM.

Of course if you are huge photoshop type of users then scratch files on an SSD does make a big difference but for typical users an upgrade of memory might be a better option than by using SSD's.

(Europe also of course has problems --however it's easier fixing Banks and the Finance system than trying to introduce a decent Healthcare system -- not sure if Europe could even attempt to do this now if we didn't already have them - so we at least have something to be greatful to our ancestors for).


Cheers
jimbo

Drive prices are not "skyrocketing".
So hold the overstatements and cliches.
It's just a temporary price increase.

Thinking much more on this, I truly do not believe these price hikes will be "temporary" as some have claimed here... because of this disaster, and finding out how many corporations and even civilians will "pay anything" to get what they need and/or want and RIGHT NOW... they'll milk it as long as they possibly can and keep the prices "sweet" FOR THEM. In fact, just exactly like how the employers of big businesses are milking the economic situation to halt all new hiring and to even lay off their "fat", despite making the same or even more money per year as they've always had before and all the while, giving themselves and all the other high and mighty titans a very hefty raise and bonuses - Union or not (and I cite UPS's Scott Davis here, who's been ordering job cuts and hiring freezes for the last four years, while at the same time getting up on a podium and saying that UPS is making RECORD PROFITS DESPITE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS).



As for offshoring all industry and production in the US... I guess you have to be on the short end of that stick to truly "get it" and where this is all headed. It's not OK, it is not "fine" and it is not working - literally. I know that at least for those in my age group, 18 - 25, half of my generation are completely out of work (I myself have been unsuccessfully seeking stable, year-round work for the past FIVE YEARS, straight out of High School) and it is because there are massive hiring freezes, layoffs and entire industries and sectors of jobs being removed from our workforce here that we're unable to even make a start. As for whatever is left, it seems to be mostly going to Immigrants (legal, but also mostly illegal). Seems that all that is left here at home is entry-level, minimum wage, part-time jobs (that nobody can live independently off of, unless they didn't eat, drive or use any utilities) and everyone from every education and experience bracket are fighting each other for and over them. 2,000 people for every 100 jobs (at least here in CA): that is the reality. Also, I do not believe the BS that China and other Nations producing our products for our Businesses solves anything, nor that it is cheaper. It takes huge ocean liners to get all of that cheaply made and poisonous crap over here, and that means millions of gallons of gasoline and the price of all of that gasoline is tacked onto the end-product prices of all those goods coming in. Money that should instead be going into paying American workers to make our own products for our own businesses (small or large), right here at home (and this also applies to every other Nation, not just us Americans - just using America as the example because it is a much larger problem for us right now)!

But I guess it is going to take EVERYONE getting the raw end of this deal (and it will in the not so distant future), before EVERYONE will be able to "get it" and share the same "this freaking sucks, we need our jobs back at home!" mentality. If that doesn't happen and we don't make our jobs come back home, we're done. Those wheels are already in motion as I type this. Why do you think we and most of the other Nations are failing right now? No industry, just almost totally consumer-based economy. That's the key of the entire world-wide crisis. As we all become poorer, China and the rest become richer and more successful and more powerful. To me, the people letting it happen because it doesn't affect them (the super rich) and because the prices SEEM to be cheaper (the middle class) are just criminal.


BTW, as I've said before, if they'd have kept production here at home... this HDD crisis would never have happened. It's pure, straight-up Karma: for everyone. Them for moving production out of the Nation they grew so large and successful in (a nice way to repay their start-up Nation!), and us for letting them do it without so much as a single complaint (until now, I hope)!


Apologies for rambling on, just wanted to get that off of my chest.

EvilOzzmess said:

Thinking much more on this, I truly do not believe these price hikes will be "temporary" as some have claimed here... because of this disaster, and finding out how many corporations and even civilians will "pay anything" to get what they need and/or want and RIGHT NOW... they'll milk it as long as they possibly can and keep the prices "sweet" FOR THEM.

You don't understand competition.

When the supply crunch ends, theose sellers who keep their prices high will be undersold by those who don't, losing market share in the process. That's supply and demand.

Corporations and civilians will NOT "pay anything" to get what they want or need. When prices rise (without a drop-off in supply), demand drops ... forcing prices down.

This is elementary stuff. Economists know it. Marketing people know it. Everyone should.

EvilOzzmess said:

Also, I do not believe the BS that China and other Nations producing our products for our Businesses solves anything, nor that it is cheaper. It takes huge ocean liners to get all of that cheaply made and poisonous crap over here, and that means millions of gallons of gasoline and the price of all of that gasoline is tacked onto the end-product prices of all those goods coming in.

But it's still cheaper to make (most) things over there.

Wonder why refrigerators are still made in the USA? Because a typical, mid-priced refrigerator weighs about 300 lbs, right? And it sells for perhaps $800. Consider the shipping cost across the Pacific!

Now, ship a crate from China to California, a crate the same size as a refrigerator, shipped across the ocean at about the same cost as shipping a refrigerator. That crate could hold 1000 cell phones, bulk-packed ... which would then retail for $50,000 to $400,000, depending on the model. Divide the crate's shipping cost by 1000.
1. The per unit shipping cost is quite low.
2. The shipping cost represents a much smaller proportion of the retail selling price.

So shipping small, lightweight valuable items across the ocean is cheap.

That doesn't work for big, heavy low-value items like refrigerators (and stoves and large air conditioners). So those are still made over here.

We really need to be careful when making conclusions about costs. Businesses are KEENLY aware of costs, constantly evaluating and re-evaluating. If something is made in China, that's because it's cheaper to make it there and ship it here.