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Worsening chip shortage will apparently limit supply of Windows 11 compatible PCs and laptops

Many users will probably consider upgrading their devices this fall if their current hardware is incompatible with Windows 11 (Image: Microsoft)
Many users will probably consider upgrading their devices this fall if their current hardware is incompatible with Windows 11 (Image: Microsoft)
Microsoft's strict hardware requirements for Windows 11 are expected to increase the demand for new compatible devices, which will supposedly lead to extended shipping times for notebooks and PCs due to the continuing worldwide semiconductor shortage.

There's no end in sight for the current microchip shortage. According to a new report by Bloomberg the situation has not improved, but even worsened in the past month. Between June and July 2021, the average delivery time for chips has increased drastically to over 20 weeks. Meanwhile, the shipping times for popular microcontroller and logic chips have even surpassed an average of more than 26 weeks.

This is particularly bad news for consumers who are looking to upgrade their current devices in order to run the latest version of Microsofts operating system, Windows 11. According to Windows Central, these new Windows 11 PCs and laptops are expected to be in short supply due to the chip shortage. Larger manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell and HP appear to be less affected by the shortage, but smaller manufacturers like Microsoft with its Surface Pro (from US$635 on Amazon) and Surface Book devices could be hit harder with production and shipping delays.

Since Microsoft's strict and controversial requirements for Windows 11 will likely drive up the already high demand for new devices, the imbalance between supply and demand in the PC and notebook segment could grow even further. Under normal circumstances, the aforementioned PC manufacturers only have to wait six to nine weeks for the delivery of their chip orders. Since that waiting period has increased threefold, consumers will probably have to scour the internet to find and buy a compatible device when Windows 11 is expected to be released this fall.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 08 > Worsening chip shortage will apparently limit supply of Windows 11 compatible PCs and laptops
Enrico Frahn, 2021-08-13 (Update: 2021-08-13)