All posts tagged: shortages

Samsung Chip Profits Soar Amid the Tech World’s RAM Shortages

Samsung Chip Profits Soar Amid the Tech World’s RAM Shortages

The world’s largest semiconductor-maker is reaping the rewards of a global memory chip shortage driven by AI demand so rapacious that it’s making everyone else miserable. Samsung said in its latest earnings report that it saw record profits, up almost 500% from the same period last year, to $31.72 billion. The figure was boosted by a nearly 50-fold increase in revenue from its chip business.  The company has sold out all of its memory production capacity for the rest of this year and says that shortages, which are driving up prices of everything from laptops to smartphones to external storage devices to gaming consoles, will get worse in 2027. That, in all likelihood, will continue to increase prices for tech devices and begin affecting the shopping behavior of millions of consumers. In an investor call for its earnings report, one of the company’s memory chip executives, Kim Jaejune, said, “Based solely on the demand currently received for 2027, the supply-to-demand gap for 2027 is set to widen even further than ⁠in 2026.” Long-term memory loss Memory prices began …

Estrogen Patch Shortages Likely Driven By Empowered Women Seeking Relief, Expert Says

Estrogen Patch Shortages Likely Driven By Empowered Women Seeking Relief, Expert Says

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, April 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A new generation of empowered women could be driving the estrogen patch shortages now bedeviling the United States, the medical director of The Menopause Society told HealthDay TV. “I think it’s that women and clinicians and people in general are talking about menopause much more so now than in the past, which is a good thing,” said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, who is also director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health. “This is a different generation than the baby boomers who really didn’t talk about things like menopause in public,” she said. “The Gen Xers and the first of the millennials are now in the age range where they would start to experience symptoms, and hearing that there’s nothing that can be done for their symptoms is not acceptable to this generation and you got to love it. “So, they’re not only asking for answers, they’re crowdsourcing answers and using social media to do so,” Faubion said. “They’re educated. A lot of them …

Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI

Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI

Overpriced Mac minis are flooding eBay amid shortages of the sold-out machines, which have become a favored tool for running on-device AI models like OpenClaw. This week, reports indicated that the $599 M4 Mac mini base model with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage is sold out on Apple’s retail website, with no options for delivery or in-store pickup. The shortages have since extended to other configurations of the base model, regardless of the amount of memory selected. This is the first time the base model has been sold out, some outlets noted. Meanwhile, models with higher storage (512GB and up) are only available to ship starting in June. As a result, eBay has become a secondary market for these in-demand computers. On the site, various configurations of the M4 Mac mini are available for sale at higher prices than if buying direct from Apple, which is no longer an option. Apple’s power-efficient Mac minis have become popular devices for testing and running at-home, on-device AI models, beginning with the OpenClaw craze but now extending …

Top Stories: ‘iPhone Ultra’ Rumors, Mac Mini and Mac Studio Shortages, and More

Top Stories: ‘iPhone Ultra’ Rumors, Mac Mini and Mac Studio Shortages, and More

It was another busy week of Apple news and rumors, with upcoming Apple product categories like the foldable iPhone and smart glasses featuring prominently in the news. This week also saw continued tightening of supplies of the Mac mini and Mac Studio, while Amazon announced it will be acquiring Apple’s satellite partner that supports a variety of Apple services for users off the terrestrial grid, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! Top Stories ‘iPhone Ultra’ Will Solve Two Key Problems Apple reportedly plans to unveil a foldable iPhone in September, with one leaker on Chinese social media claiming the device will be called the “iPhone Ultra.” Now, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the device will have improved screen quality and overall durability compared to competing foldables. “Apple engineers believe they’ve solved problems with screen quality and overall durability, two long-running flaws with phones in this category,” he said. Rumors on launch timing have been all over the place, with some claiming the foldable iPhone will be available in …

UK Government Prepares For Food Shortages As Iran War Continues

UK Government Prepares For Food Shortages As Iran War Continues

A view of empty shelves, at a Tesco supermarket in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept 12, 2021. Retailers, manufacturers and food suppliers have also reported disruptions due to a shortage of truck drivers linked to the pandemic and Britain’s departure from the European Union, which has made it harder for many Europeans to work in the U.K. (AP Photo/Jon Super) A cabinet minister has confirmed that the government has planned for food shortages this summer amid economic strains caused by the Iran war. Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle said ministers were engaging in “scenario planning” as Iran continues to block the major oil shipping waterway, the Strait of Hormuz. It comes after The Times reported the UK could endure a shortage of chicken, pork and other supermarket goods in the coming months. Food supplies are not expected to reach critical levels but there could be less variety on the shelves as a result, according to the newspaper. Kyle told Times Radio: “We are doing this kind of scenario planning. “Bearing in mind that back in …

Iran War Leads To Fluoride Shortages For Some US Water Utilities

Iran War Leads To Fluoride Shortages For Some US Water Utilities

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, Multiple water providers have lowered the amount of fluoride they add to water for millions of Americans, amid shortages stemming from the U.S.–Iran war. The Baltimore City Department of Public Works said on April 13 that it is reducing the level of fluoride from 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to 0.4 mg/L. The move, officials said, was driven by disruptions to the supply chain caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. A key Israeli supplier, specifically, has been struggling to meet demand. “This is an adjustment driven solely by supply availability,” Matthew Garbark, director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, said in a statement. “We remain committed to providing safe, high-quality drinking water.” Some 1.8 million people in and around Baltimore, the most populous city in Maryland, are served water by the city of Baltimore utility. Fluoride, a mineral, is put in water as a preventative for tooth decay and cavities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adding 0.7 mg/L. WSSC …

India hit by Middle East war: Millions face gas shortages – Focus

India hit by Middle East war: Millions face gas shortages – Focus

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again FOCUS © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 09/04/2026 – 16:12Modified: 09/04/2026 – 16:18 05:52 min From the show Reading time 1 min In the weeks leading up to the ceasefire, the impact of the war in the Middle East was felt far beyond the region, reaching countries such as India. The nation of nearly 1.5 billion people relies heavily on imports of cooking gas, or LPG, much of it sourced from the Middle East. When Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz – a critical global shipping route – supplies were severely disrupted. Long queues formed outside distribution centres in major cities, forcing many to turn to the black market. The conflict has also put at risk the lives of nearly ten million Indians living and working in Gulf countries. At …

Ramen, K-beauty, clothes face shortages as Iran war hits Asia’s supplies

Ramen, K-beauty, clothes face shortages as Iran war hits Asia’s supplies

TOKYO — “Wasabeef” potato chips. Instant ramen. Bottled water. K-beauty cosmetics. School uniforms. Rubber gloves. Garbage bags. Across Asia, far from President Donald Trump’s war in Iran that has driven up fuel prices for Americans and motorists worldwide, companies and consumers are facing or preparing for shortages of everyday goods as the economic consequences ripple across the map. Even snacks aren’t safe from scarcity. Source link

‘India is going to face a food crisis’: Farmers panic over fertiliser shortages amid Iran war | India

‘India is going to face a food crisis’: Farmers panic over fertiliser shortages amid Iran war | India

Gurvinder Singh never thought the war in Iran would touch his quiet corner of Punjab. Yet looking out over his smallholding, where he alternates between wheat and rice crops in the state known as India’s breadbasket, the 52-year-old farmer can barely think of anything else. His anxiety over a conflict playing out thousands of miles away is crippling as he fears what will come of this season’s rice crop. “We are already struggling with profits,” Singh said. “If we don’t get fertilisers, there will be less yield. That will affect my entire family and the entire region, because we are completely dependent on agriculture. “We are praying this war stops because it will not spare us either,” he added. Iran’s decision to blockade one of the world’s critical shipping routes, the strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for the US and Israel’s decision to launch strikes on the country over a month ago, has sent the world into a dizzying tailspin over the impact on oil and gas supplies from the Gulf states, which are now …

Iran war’s fuel crisis spurs panic, violence in nations with shortages

Iran war’s fuel crisis spurs panic, violence in nations with shortages

Painful fuel shortages are beginning to drive violence and instability in parts of Asia, adding to the cascade of repercussions from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. In Bangladesh, illegal syndicates are stealing fuel in the middle of the night and raiding transport vehicles to stockpile supplies, according to a trade association for gas station owners. Gas pump workers in Bangladesh as well as in neighboring India and nearby Pakistan have been killed in fuel thefts or rage-driven assaults over the lack of supplies, authorities said. And in the Philippines last week, thousands of transportation workers went on strike to protest soaring diesel prices. Source link