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Prices of streaming devices have risen sharply in recent weeks. First Apple implemented steep price increases, and then Roku and Amazon followed. For some models, price hikes reach as much as tens of percent, and Onn devices sold by Walmart have more than doubled in price. Everything suggests that the problem of high memory costs may continue to affect electronics prices for a long time.
Streaming is getting more expensive. Amazon is sharply raising Fire TV prices
After earlier increases from Apple and Roku, it's now Amazon's turn — the company has decided to raise prices across its entire Fire TV lineup. The changes affect both the popular Fire TV Stick dongles and the much pricier Fire TV Cube. The smallest increase applies to the Fire TV Stick HD, which rose from $34.99 to $39.99. A much larger jump hit the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, whose price went from $49.99 to $69.99. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max increased even more, now costing $84.99 instead of the previous $59.99. That represents about a 42 percent price increase. The biggest hike in Amazon's lineup was for the Fire TV Cube. Its price climbed from $139.99 to as much as $199.99, nearly a 43 percent increase. Roku previously raised prices on its devices by up to 60 percent, and Apple raised the price of the Apple TV 4K 128 GB from $149 to $249. For Apple, that means a rise of as much as 67 percent, one of the largest hikes in the whole segment. Manufacturers attribute these changes mainly to rising costs for RAM and flash storage chips. The issue is especially visible in devices that use similar components at scale.
Google TV Streamer Still Unaffected by Price Hikes
Against this backdrop, the situation of the Google TV Streamer looks interesting, as its price still sits at around $100. The device is one of the last major products of this type that has not yet been affected by the price increases resulting from the memory crisis. However, it is unclear how long Google will be able to maintain the current price. The older Nvidia Shield TV is in a similar position, although its age makes it hard to consider it a direct alternative to all the new devices. Meanwhile, Walmart's Onn products have already risen in price in some cases by more than 100 percent. The Onn Full HD Streaming Stick increased from $14.88 to $29.98, an increase of more than 101 percent. This shows how much component costs can impact even the cheapest devices. Amazon uses MediaTek chips in some of its streaming sticks, while Roku mostly relies on Realtek solutions. The Google TV Streamer also uses a MediaTek chipset, and Onn devices use Amlogic platforms. If memory prices continue to rise, further price increases in this segment seem very likely. For users, this means that buying a new streaming device may soon cost significantly more than it did just a few months ago.
Rising prices for RAM and storage chips are starting to hit the streaming devices market hard. Apple, Roku, Amazon, and Walmart have raised the prices of their products, and for some models the increase has exceeded 50 percent, even 100 percent. So far the Google TV Streamer remains unchanged, but it’s hard to predict whether the maker will keep the current price. The memory crisis increasingly shows that its effects are being felt not only by PC and console manufacturers but also by everyday users who stream.
Source: flatpanelshd
