HP follows Dell with PC price hike thanks to Brexit

Another major computer manufacturer, HP, is about to put up the prices of its PCs in the UK thanks to the aftereffects of the Brexit vote – and more tech firms may well follow in these footsteps.

We already heard last week that Dell was going to push up the prices of its machines by 10%, and now HP is doing the exact same thanks to the big dip in the pound's relative value to the dollar.

As the Inquirer reports, HP sent out an email to its hardware partners informing them of the impending rise due to an "unprecedented weakening of the pound to US dollar exchange rate".

The statement said: "In order to maintain a sustainable and consistent approach to our operation in the UK and Ireland, we have taken the decision to make some adjustments to our channel-supported and directly-contracted end-user pricing strategy.

"Effective from 1 August, we will be implementing an adjustment of circa 10% across HP's Personal Systems portfolio."

These increases will, naturally enough, be passed on to the consumers or businesses buying HP machines.

The pound was worth close to $1.50 before the referendum vote, but plunged when the decision to exit the EU was taken. It's now hovering around the $1.30 mark, and that affects the cost of computers over in the UK because components are priced in US currency.

Lenovo and Cisco, too?

Last week, it was rumoured that HP would make this move, and that turned out to be bang on the money. Current speculation points to Lenovo following suit, which would mean the three biggest PC manufacturers (by far) are hiking their prices, and this seems likely. The Inquirer reckons Cisco is also set to tread the same path with its hardware.

At any rate, if you are thinking of buying a PC from any of the big three, now is the time to make the move before these price increases go live and filter down to the end customer.

We had more bad news about the overall state of the PC industry this morning, and inflated prices in the UK are unlikely to help the struggling market in this country.

• How will Brexit affect the UK's tech industry?

July 12, 2016 at 05:34PM
Darren Allan