Why SD cards and hard drives are the new ‘digital gold’ in Hong Kong
Hongkongers find prices of professional-grade storage devices are going through the roof
After Hong Kong photographer Jacky Lau Kin-sang upgraded his camera systems a few months ago, he was shocked to find professional, high-capacity SD memory cards for the set-up cost up to HK$3,000 (US$383) each, three times more than expected.
But the real shocker for the 42-year-old was that the price of the hard disks he had been purchasing for years to back up his clients’ images also skyrocketed from HK$1,880 to HK$3,880 for a model with a capacity of 16 terabytes (TB).
“It means you essentially have to spend much more just on backups because the equipment has surged in value. In fact, the costs have already doubled,” said Lau, who owns a studio specialising in overseas pre-wedding shoots.
Basic storage devices for general consumers have essentially become “digital gold” amid persistently low supply, with experts warning that these high prices will last at least until the end of the year.
A search by the South China Morning Post on price.com.hk, a popular comparison site for electronic products, found that the cost of professional storage devices in Hong Kong has surged dramatically over the past four months.