On January 5, 2026, shockwaves ran through the global PC market—particularly Taiwan, Asia's technology hub. A massive price revision implemented by industry giant ASUS on this date fired the starting gun for a "price surge domino effect" that would drag in competitors as well.
This article will examine the detailed breakdown of ASUS's price increase, the complex factors behind it, the ripple effects hitting competitors' products on the retail front, and the peculiar countertrend behavior of Apple, which is moving against this tide.
The Shock of January 5: The Reality of ASUS's "Up to 20%" Price Hike
On January 5, 2026, ASUS notified and implemented price increases for its notebook PC lineup to partner companies and distributors. The scale of this increase stands apart from the gradual upticks seen in recent years, marking an extremely drastic shift.
Price Increases Spanning Entry-Level to High-End
According to reports from Mirror Daily and TrendForce, this price adjustment is not limited to specific high-end models but is directly hitting the volume zone of the market.
- Mainstream Consumer Notebook PCs:
- Price increase: 3,000–5,000 New Taiwan Dollars (NTD)
- For entry-level models (approx. 14,000 NTD) and mid-to-high-end office models (approx. 30,000 NTD), this equates to a rise of approximately 15%–20%.
- Gaming Notebook PCs:
- Price increase: 8,000–10,000 NTD
- For these models, priced at over 35,000–50,000 NTD, an increase of nearly 10,000 NTD represents an impact of roughly 20%, which could dampen consumer purchasing enthusiasm.
What these figures signify is a forced shift in PC purchasing standards: specs that consumers used to be able to buy within a "mid-range" budget will now only be attainable within an "entry-level" budget bracket.
"Why Now?" Structural Factors Rooted in the Supply Chain
ASUS cites "structural changes in the global supply chain" as the reason for this price revision. Specifically, unprecedented cost pressure on the following key components has reached a breaking point.
The Memory and Storage Crisis Comes to a Head
The most serious factor is the surge in prices of DRAM (memory) and NAND Flash (storage such as SSDs).
The semiconductor market has faced tight supply-demand balance since the latter half of 2025, and the resulting increase in procurement costs has been squeezing manufacturers' operations. Other global players such as Dell and Lenovo face similar challenges, and ASUS's move suggests that the industry as a whole has reached the "limit of cost absorption."
Rising Raw Material Costs
Often overlooked, but equally serious, is the rise in costs of non-semiconductor components. According to Mirror Daily's reporting, prices of basic materials such as aluminum used in chassis and gold and tin used in circuit boards and contacts are also on an upward trend. These are essential materials with no substitutes in PC manufacturing, meaning macroeconomic inflationary pressure has been passed on directly to hardware prices.
The Domino Effect at Retail: Competitors Also Forced into "Passive" Price Hikes
ASUS's announcement immediately rippled across the entire market. What's notable is the fact that retailers began raising prices on competitors' products even before official announcements from those manufacturers. This is evidence that the market has judged an overall rise in PC prices to be unavoidable.
Unusual Movements Seen at Taiwan's Guanghua Digital Plaza
The movements seen at "Guanghua Digital Plaza," often referred to as Taiwan's Akihabara, and at "Syntrend Creative Park" are symbolic of this trend.
- Mildef Crete's Response:
- Following ASUS's price hike, the store immediately raised prices on products from competing brands such as Acer, HP, Dell, MSI, and Gigabyte by approximately 6,000 NTD per unit (roughly 15–20%).
- Sanjing 3C's Response:
- Starting Monday, January 5, the store raised prices on notebook PCs from HP, MSI, and Gigabyte in addition to ASUS. The average rate of increase remains 15% or higher.
In this way, even at a stage when brands other than ASUS have not officially announced price increases, the value of distribution inventory is already being reassessed, and actual market prices have already entered an upward phase.
Movements Among Global Giants Such as Lenovo and Dell
Of course, other manufacturers are not standing idly by, either.
- Lenovo: It has been reported that the company will implement price increases across its entire product lineup starting January 5. The scope may extend even more broadly than ASUS's.
- Dell: The company has already implemented price increases of 10–30%, primarily on commercial PCs, since mid-December 2025.
In other words, as of January 2026, the PC market is showing signs of an across-the-board rally, and obtaining an inexpensive PC is becoming extremely difficult.
Concerns Over a "Second Wave": This Isn't the End of Price Hikes
A further concern is that this 15–20% price increase may be merely a "prologue." Testimony from industry insiders suggests that suppliers of power modules and PCBs (printed circuit boards) are also planning price increases.
There are also observations that the quarterly discounts that have customarily been offered may be halted or scaled back. If this becomes reality, the risk of a further "second round of price increases" occurring from spring 2026 onward will rise, forcing both corporations and individuals to fundamentally reconsider their IT equipment procurement plans.
The Sole Exception: Apple's "Contrarian" Strategy and the Reason for Its Success
While the Windows PC camp is uniformly struggling with price increases, it's extremely interesting that only Apple is charting a completely different course.
MacBook Air Price Cuts and Stable Supply
According to Mirror Daily, as of November 2025, Apple has cut the price of its flagship MacBook Air by 2,000 NTD in Taiwan and by roughly $200 USD (over 6,000 NTD) in the United States. Amid a phase of rising costs across the entire market, why is Apple alone able to push through price cuts?
The Key to Victory: "Long-Term Contracts" and "Buying Power"
Behind this lies Apple's unique supply chain strategy.
According to analysis from TrendForce and others, Apple has signed long-term supply contracts with NAND Flash suppliers and the three major DRAM manufacturers, minimizing its exposure to market price volatility risk. This powerful buying power has allowed Apple to avoid the memory cost surge that Windows PC manufacturers are facing, successfully maintaining and strengthening its price competitiveness.
It has also been reported that Apple plans to launch a new 12.9-inch model targeting the entry-to-mid-range segment in spring 2026. This timing—when Windows PC prices are surging and the price gap with Mac is narrowing (or even reversing)—could prove to be a golden opportunity for Apple to expand its market share.
PC Purchasing Strategy for 2026
January 5, 2026 has become a watershed moment in the PC market. ASUS's price increase is not an isolated event but a signal of a structural price revision across the entire industry, driven primarily by the surge in memory and storage prices.
Three key points can be drawn from this:
- "Waiting Will Make It Cheaper" No Longer Applies: The rise in supply chain costs is long-term and structural, making a short-term price decline unlikely. There is even a risk of a "second wave" of price increases.
- A Scramble for Market Inventory: If distribution inventory still being sold at old prices exists, it should be regarded as an asset to be secured immediately.
- Consider Switching to Mac: As the price gap narrows, the MacBook series may re-emerge as a strong option from a cost-performance standpoint.
This will be a year in which consumers must rigorously weigh the balance between specs and price, and demonstrate the decisiveness to make necessary investments without hesitation.
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