Live data from Hacker News

Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

idc.com

281–290 of 341 posts

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#281
post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The latest phone reviews have been eyebrow raising. It's eyebrow raising for me in other ways. I have a Pixel 9a and it's been quite good with really solid battery life. It's barely 6 months old and I got it new straight from Google. A few days ago I noticed the battery started to drain much faster than usual. I also noticed at the same time Google is pushing the 10a. Nothing changed on my end. I barely use the pho…

I dont think Google is gimping your device to sell you new ones. What you probably see is Google toggling on some new AI feature, which is now doing some initial on-device computation. It will usually calm down after a few days.

> I dont think Google is gimping your device to sell you new ones.

I'm not sure.

Last year they ruined my Pixel 4a by pushing that battery patch to everyone (even to end of life devices).

Their official repair center replaced the battery as per Google's guidelines and offer but during the battery swap they managed to physically break other parts of the phone over the course of multiple visits. Each visit broke a new component.

Google support didn't do anything in the end, eventually ignoring me. This went on for almost 6 months with an email chain over 100+ replies.

Eventually the repair center gave me enough credit towards a new phone (this 9a) but only after I mentioned I was going to small claims court since they left me with a device that didn't function in the way it used to function before I visited them.

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#282
post #277
post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure, it seems that cross platform Applciations are possible using something like python3/gtk/qt etc.

Cross platform GUI libraries suck. Ever used a GTK app under Windows? It looks terrible, renders terrible, doesn't support HiDPI. Qt Widgets still have weird bugs when you connect or disconnect displays it rerenders UIs twice the size. None of those kinds of bugs exist for apps written in Microsoft's UI frameworks and browsers. The problem with cross platform UI is that it is antithetical to the purpose of an OS-nati…

> Ever used a GTK app under Windows?

I have created and used them. They didn't look terrible on windows.

>What a browser asks from an OS is a rectangle (a graphics buffer) and the fonts to draw a webpage. Nothing else. Entire drawing functionality and the behavior is redefined from scratch. This is the advantage of Web..

I think that is exactly what Gtk does (and may be even Qt also) too..

I think it is just there there is not much funding going to those projects. Web on the other hand, being an ad-delivery platform, the sellers really want your browsers to work and look good...

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#283
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You guys have ads on youtube?

Ad blockers don't work anymore, at least not with the version YT serves me. If it thinks that I have an ad blocker active (false positives happen too), it will only show a black rectangle and not even load the comments.

Strange.

On PC, I use Firefox with the uBlock Origin extension and I see no ads on Youtube.

Same with my pocket supercomputer: Firefox works great on Android, including for Youtube. And it uses extensions like the PC version does. No ads there, either.

On the BFT in the living room, I have a Google-manufactuered Google TV device. It runs SmartTube, and displays no ads on Youtube.

I even have an iPad that I use primarily for watching Youtube videos. For that, I stay completely within the confines of the walled garden and use Safari with the AdBlock add-on. And: If you're guessing that I'm about to write that have no ads on Youtube there either, then you're right. There's no ads on Youtube with that device, either.

Am I doing this wrong?

Maybe my perspective differs from that of some others, but it seems to all work very well for me here in 2026. (There's been some ups and downs with this over the years, but it all finds its way back to exactly what I wrote above, anyway.)

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The data centers have already been financed, they’re not going to stop halfway through because they’ve run out of money. Whether or not they’ll make money on completion is a different story, but that’s 2-3 years away at least. Then you might see RAM prices drop, but not before.

I would not be so sure - for example Oracle is already struggling to finance its datacenter commitments: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/shareholders-sue-...

They’ve sold the bonds, so they already have the cash. What worries investors is whether Oracle will be able to repay the debt.

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#285
post #278
post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> LLMs aren’t exactly known for writing extremely optimized code. They are trained on everything, and as a result write code like the Internet average developer.

The average developers suck. The distribution is also unbalanced. It is bulkier on the low-skill side. Great UIs are written by above average or even exceptional developers. Such experience is tied to the real-life reasoning and combining unique years-long human experience of interacting with the world. You need true general intelligence for that.

[deleted]

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#286
post #278
post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> LLMs aren’t exactly known for writing extremely optimized code. They are trained on everything, and as a result write code like the Internet average developer.

The average developers suck. The distribution is also unbalanced. It is bulkier on the low-skill side. Great UIs are written by above average or even exceptional developers. Such experience is tied to the real-life reasoning and combining unique years-long human experience of interacting with the world. You need true general intelligence for that.

That is the point I was making, but I suppose that may not have been clear. Thanks for expanding.

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#288
post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are we sure these are ram shortages or ram "shortages"? If these are "shortages" why blame the ai companies for exposing it, you should complain to the ram maker for refusing to manufacture any.

The AI boom is worse for DRAM fab planning than the crypto boom was for GPUs. It's way way way bigger, somehow has huge money behind it, and DRAM fabs are investments with usually no less than 5 years latency from starting to build any particular one until the first memory sticks show up on a best buy shelf, while planning for the factory to produce continuously for 20+ years in normal times to turn profit if one cal…

There have been multiple RAM price fixing scandals in the past so my default position is strong skepticism in this matter. I am sure they have various "explanations" but I will wait before believing them.

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#289
post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From everything I’ve seen, LLMs aren’t exactly known for writing extremely optimized code. Also, what happens to the stability and security of my phone after they let an LLM loose on the entire code base for a weekend? There are 1.5 billion iPhones out there. It’s not a place to play fast and loose with bleeding edge tech known for hallucinations and poor architecture.

> LLMs aren’t exactly known for writing extremely optimized code. They are trained on everything, and as a result write code like the Internet average developer.

[deleted]

Re: Smartphone market forecast to decline this year due to memory shortage

#290
post #262
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s on Google. iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are amazing upgrades.

Maybe for fortnite players. If you just call/text/email whats the point in upgrading? At this point I pretty much just ride out whatever iphone se I happen upon on deep discount until Apple finally walls me off from the OS version I need to access my bank account (thanks to very helpful flow of bank website forcing app store redirect to their app for mobile users). Then it's on to the next se. Now that I think on it…

Strange comparison. If you just call, text and check on bank apps, then the market is not for you. Just buy a used phone from 10 years ago.

It's like saying why should you get a new gaming laptop to replace your 6 year old current gaming laptop, when all you do is office work. If all you do is office work, why buy a gaming laptop at all? Just use a standard okish smartphone or tablet.

Post reply on HN