Global DRAM prices are continuing to climb on the strength of orders for the "iPhone 7" and demands from competitive China-based manufacturers, causing a ripple effect across the entire computing industry.
"DRAM prices in August were on an upward trend as they were in the previous month," said channel monitor DRAMeXchange in a report. "With the official launch of the next iPhone release on September 7, the entire smartphone supply chain is now under a critical period of intense stock-up activities."
As a result of the ramp-up and demand applied to the supply chain by the "iPhone 7," major DRAM suppliers are making more of the mobile-specific RAM. As a side effect, less PC RAM is available, constraining supply, and increasing prices.
Prices across the board for mobile and desktop RAM are expected to keep climbing for the remainder of the year, according to the report.
Rumors peg 2GB of application RAM in the smaller "iPhone 7." However, the "iPhone 7 Plus" is anticipated to have 3GB of RAM, boosting demand for the commodity more than needed for the 2015 iPhone 6s family release.
Recent reports suggest that the fall 2016 "iPhone 7" expected to be revealed on Sept. 7 won't have a major exterior redesign, as there is "new technology in the pipeline" that is taking time to fully exploit. Parts and details leaked from manufacturing suggest that the design is nearly identical to that of the iPhone 6s, minus the headphone jack.
The 2015 iPad Pro 12.7-inch model is the only iOS device to exceed 2 GB of RAM at this time, with 4 GB installed. The iPhone 6s, 6s plus, and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro all have 2 GB of RAM.