Comment by dba7dba | Hacker News Reader

Comment by dba7dba | Hacker News Reader

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At least you can buy RAM if you really wanted to. For few years in late 1990's, you couldn't buy RAM if even you had the money. Companies like Dell/Apple were unable to manufacture computers to sell because of lack of RAM modules. Price of RAM Modules literally fluctuated a lot like gold or crypto coin day by day.

There were robberies targeted at computer parts distributors by robbers who wanted RAM modules to resell in black markets.

And this is how Samsung got big. They had just started investing in RAM manufacturing and Dell/Apple and the likes started signing long term contracts with Samsung for steady supply of RAM modules. Samsung Electronics Revenue grew x4 yoy one year around that time.

This is about the time when Dell signed 10 year contract with Samsung for computer parts. I learned much later that as a term of the contract, Samsung stopped selling Samsung branded laptops in North America. It was weird. Samsung had started making some good laptops but they suddenly disappeared from shelves in US. Laptop reviewers who reviewed them in EU praised them, but they were not sold in US.

I guess I am pretty old...

I also remember hearing about that Dell contract that prevented Samsung from selling Samsung branded laptop in the NA. I believe it was in part because Samsung designed and manufactured Dell's laptops in those days -- which now I believe is now outsourced to Quanta.

The parts contract between Samsung/Dell was about a billion dollars over 10 years. It included CD/DVD drives, RAM, screen etc. A billion dollar in tech industry today doesn't sound like much but for late 1990s, that was a big deal. But not reported much in US if I recall correctly.

Also I distinctively remember reading a piece by a reporter who was quoting a Dell representative talking about a small/light Samsung Laptop that Michael Dell was using as his everyday laptop. They really liked its small form factor. I think it may have been Samsung Q20 which was rebadged as Latitude X300 around year 2000 or so.

Also, I heard Tim Cook first caught the attention of Steve Jobs around this time. He joined Apple to help smooth out supply of parts for Apple computers and he was instrumental in working with Samsung to accomplish it. I just checked and he joined Apple in 1998 so the timing does make sense to me.

Btw, as I was trying to look up old computers of Dell, I realized there is no complete list of them anywhere. Not like one available for Apple computers. Sad how the latest thing at a point in time like in 2002 is no where to be found on the internet...

late 1980s?

Maybe similar happened in 1980s. But I was talking about late 1990s.

To be more precise, I am talking about the DRAM shortage.

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