Rising Costs Impact Student Tech Essentials: A Strategic Purchasing Guide

I think we all noticed the rising prices of tech, i mean who didnt? And as the new school year aproches for many student, the question remains: What should i buy if i dont want to eat instant ramen for the next three years? And as a student myself i also asked this question, but then i realized i write for a tech web and actualy know something about this, so i will help you decide what and what not to buy for the new school year!

Well it all goes back to AI of course. Data centers now consume 70% of the world's memory chip supply, and that has driven prices up to the moon. Companies began responding to this by raising prices. Apple raised prices on some MacBook and iPad models by $100 to $300 back in June, directly blaming the memory shortage. Nintendo raised the Switch 2's US price by $50 this year for the same reason. Some analysts say that sub-$500 laptops could disappear in a couple of years. And this most likely wont be a short lived issue, because even the SK Hynix's CEO has said the shortage could last past 2030.

If you're working with a budget, you don't need to buy everything at once, and if its really bad then a pc and a tablet can always be replaced with physical notes.

-A phone should come first. You'll use it every day for everything else that comes with student life.

- For a computer/notebook, focus on what your course needs. There's no point in spending extra on a high-end graphics card that wont be used. Check the requirements for your program before choosing the hardware.

- A tablet can wait. Waiting until you're actually at university gives you a better idea of how you'll be studying and whether a tablet would even be worth the extra cash.

Some companies are sneaky you know? Instead of higher prices they will cut the specs. A laptop that looks same as last year's might have a 8GB of RAM instead of 16GB. So before deciding you should always compare or atleast check the specs.

If you want recomendations, then for laptops i would choose one of these

- ASUS Vivobook 14 / 15

- Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16 (AMD)

- MacBook Air (M1 or M2, refurbished)

- HP 2-in-1 14" Chromebook

You can also shop for second-hand phones/laptops since they are way cheaper and most of the time there is nothing wrong with them, just make sure to check the battery life and if its good, you are fine.