Canon camera prices expected to rise, as prices are likely to increase across the whole market

Canon’s latest financial reports have been released, and one thing of particular importance is the notice regarding memory prices, as AI companies buy up all the available RAM for huge datacentres, the remaining stock (if there is any) is increasingly expensive. Memory is used in almost every electronic device, from computers, to phones, and of course cameras. This means that camera prices are likely to go up, not just for Canon, but for every camera manufacturer.

“This year, one issue affecting not only Canon but also a wide range of industries has been tightening supply and rising material costs. At Canon, we have already secured the memory components we need for this year, and fourth-quarter procurement prices remained at roughly the level we had anticipated.” [Canon PDF]

Canon say they “have secured the memory components we need for this year” but could next year be more difficult, as well as more expensive?

Canon’s question and answer section [PDF] has more information on this, with a number of questions regarding price increases. Importantly Canon say they have been absorbing price increases, reducing their profits, but next year, this changes, as Canon say “If these higher costs persist next year, we will absorb them through price increases.” Although I’m not sure it’s still Canon absorbing the costs, as it sounds like the price increases are now being passed on to the end customer.

This is explained more clearly in this answer:

“For components that are in short supply, we are using every possible means to secure the quantities we need for next year. As a result, we expect higher procurement costs, but our policy is to offset those increases through price increases from next year onward.“

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