Secondhand Laptop Market Goes 'Mainstream' Amid Memory Crunch (theregister.com)
- Reference: 0180805408
- News link: https://it.slashdot.org/story/26/02/16/1843220/secondhand-laptop-market-goes-mainstream-amid-memory-crunch
- Source link: https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/refurbished_pcs_memory_crunch/
> Stats compiled by market watcher Context show sales of refurbished PCs via distribution [1]climbed 7 percent in calendar Q4 across five of the biggest European markets -- Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain, and France.
>
> Affordability is the primary driver in the secondhand segment, the analyst says, with around 40 percent of sales driven by budget-conscious users shopping in the $235 to $355 price band for laptops. The $355 to $475 tier is also expanding -- representing 23 percent of the refurbished market, up from 15 percent a year earlier -- indicating some buyers are prepared to spend a bit more for improved specifications.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/refurbished_pcs_memory_crunch/
Refurbish the software too (Score:2)
Next we'll be refurbishing old software to run on machines with lower specs.
Yes and no (Score:2)
Complete systems maybe, but if they're refurbs then good luck. The secondhand market is falling apart for machines that have been stripped of RAM and/or storage. You will not find replacements at prices that make any sense. Perfectly good, working machines that have been repaired and restored to working condition can't be sold if they were stripped of RAM/storage prior to sale on the secondhand market.
Who would have thought ... (Score:2)
... that electricity guzzling AI would actually reduce waste? At least some. Kind of.
Can't wait (Score:2)
I have a feeling that the next Slashdot story will be about the amount of personal information and private pictures being recovered from secondhand laptops whose owners thought the HD was wiped.
Mainstream, huh? (Score:3)
I haven't bought a new laptop in years. There's a company in Australia (and many other countries I assume) who acquire ex-govt and ex-lease laptops. Business-grade laptops.
They get a new SSD and a bloat-free copy of windows, a 12-month warranty (excludes battery), and free shipping, for about 1/3 the price of a new machine. Currently typing this on a Lenovo i7-8550 with 12GB memory, a 240GB NVMe and a 500GB SSD in the spare slot. It'll do me for another couple of years.
You can keep windows or install your choice of distro. My "other" laptop has similar specs and runs Debian Trixie.
I hate seeing perfectly usable hardware go to waste, so every time I visit a pensioner with some creaking, wheezing old desktop, I point them to a "new" second-hand laptop.