AI-Driven Volatility Continues to Increase OWC Storage Prices
Last week, news started floating around about an impending price hike for OWC storage products, with Japanese outlet DCWatch reporting increases of over 30 percent domestically. Fortunately, most of the price increases in the U.S. are much smaller than that, but photographers are understandably on edge given the widespread inflation in the storage market.
When asked about the upcoming price hikes, OWC told PetaPixel that the pricing changes for its memory cards and SSDs were generally not large, with the average price rising about six percent compared to April. While OWC’s complete product portfolio is massive and cannot be detailed one product at a time, OWC supplied a lengthy list of price changes that have gone into effect this month.
For example, on the memory card side of things, the largest percentage increases apply to the OWC 480GB Atlas Pro CFexpress 4.0 Type A memory card and the 2TB Atlas Ultra CFexpress 4.0 Type B memory card, which both increased by 14 percent compared to April prices. The 480GB CFexpress Type A card is now $319.99, up from $279.99, while the 2TB Type B card went from $1,099.99 to $1,249.99.
The next biggest increase applies to the 960GB Atlas Pro CFexpress 4.0 Type A memory card, which has increased by 11 percent, rising from $569.99 to $629.99.
Fortunately, many of OWC’s CFexpress Type A, CFexpress Type B, and SD cards have not experienced another price hike this month. As photographers and videographers know all too well, flash storage prices have been steadily increasing across the board thanks to AI data demands, sending SSD and memory card prices skyrocketing. It has made capturing and storing photos extremely costly. Fortunately, some recent sales, like massive discounts on Lexar cards this week, have lessened the blow a bit.
Speaking of SSDs, that’s where OWC’s May price changes hit the hardest. The largest increase is for the OWC 1TB Express 1M2 USB4 External SSD, which has risen from $329.99 to $429.99, a 30 percent jump. The 80G version of this SSD has increased by 24 percent, too, going from $399.99 last month to $494.99.
OWC’s 8TB Express 1M2 USB4 External SSD has jumped 21 percent, too, leaping from $1,729.99 to $2,099.99. While not as big of an increase in percentage terms as some others, it’s a sizable bump in real dollars.
A lot of OWC’s SSDs haven’t changed this month, but others have increased by a few percentage points to nearly 20, including USB 3, Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 5 drives.
It is worth noting that these price changes only detail what happened compared to April. As OWC tells PetaPixel, its Atlas memory cards and SSD prices have been increasing since late last year. These changes, even relatively modest ones this month, add up.
As OWC explains, the storage market is experiencing extreme volatility driven by AI-fueled demand, which is putting flash and NAND component supply chains under significant strain.
“OWC, like many technology companies, is navigating these industry-wide pressures. We work to absorb cost increases for as long as possible, and when adjustments are necessary, we keep them minimal, transparent, and rooted in fair pricing,” OWC tells PetaPixel.
Image credits: OWC
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