Do you remember when the global chip shortage started?
On December 18, 2020, after the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that SMIC was included in the "Entity List", the chip industry's production capacity, which was originally "a carrot and a pit", suddenly became stretched, and the core shortage crisis began. .
01
In half a year, the chip crisis has not been alleviated, but the prices of consumer terminals have not changed significantly. However, with the passage of time, the myth that consumer terminals will not increase prices may have been difficult to maintain.
Xu Qi, vice president of realme and president of China, said at the Realme Heartbeat 618 conference: “Storage is rising, chips are rising, and components in charging are also rising.” He pointed out that the chips, batteries, The impact of the shortage of raw materials such as sets of films, it is predicted that the cost of mobile phones will increase by about 10% in the second half of the year. "Based on the current situation, price increases are an inevitable trend."
The current global chip shortage has swept across all industries. Relevant people predict that in addition to mobile phones, TV sets, monitors, refrigerators, air conditioners, and sweeping robots will gradually join the price increase.
Consumers will soon feel that consumer electronics are not only getting more expensive, but also getting harder to buy.
"The chip inventory has been used up. We can't sell one and lose one. We can only increase the price." The person in charge of the display manufacturer said helplessly. "But the price increase will inevitably lead to a decrease in shipments. Everyone is in a dilemma."
02
Despite the bitterness, with the opening of the 618 curtain, many brands shouting price increases still made substantial price cuts.
In the 618 event, the iPhone 1264G version dropped by 1,000 yuan, and the starting price was as low as 5299 yuan. The realmeGT, which started at 2799 yuan when it was first released, has now directly reduced the price to 2299 yuan.
Midea, which is also an air-conditioning giant with Gree, not only did not increase prices simultaneously after Gree announced price increases at the end of May, but instead took advantage of the east wind of 618 to continue its low-price strategy, and many categories reduced prices by more than 1,000 yuan. With the same performance, the price gap between the two brands has further widened.
The effect is also obvious. According to the JD Home Appliances List on June 1, Midea won the first place in the air-conditioning market and kitchen appliances market with a clear advantage. Gree ranks second.
03
He said that it would go up, but he still made a price cut. Will 618 be the last time to buy consumer electronics products in the next year?
Huawei's rotating chairman Xu Zhijun believes that the chip shortage will not be resolved in a short time. This is not only the reason for the production capacity, but more importantly, the trust in the global semiconductor industry chain is undermined by the United States. In order to obtain a stable supply of chips, many countries may consider building an independent chip industry chain in their own countries, thus losing the price advantage and technological advantage brought about by the global division of labor.
Even if the production capacity can keep up in the future, the price of the chip may rise by 35%-65%, and it is difficult to return to normal prices in a short time.
The price increase of chips is a typical sequelae of political means, but now global consumers are paying for it.
Although the emphasis on the imminent price increase may be a salesman's word for sales, the growth of the domestic chip industry does take time.
Buy early and enjoy early, but you may not get discounts if you buy late.
If you have a demand for electronic products, you might as well take it in 618.
