What Does Tech and Gadgets Look Like in 2028?

01 Jul, 2026

With RAMaggedon in full swing and prices from Xbox, Steam Machine and even Apple going to all new levels as AI buys every RAM and SSD it can get its hands on I was thinking today what is the world of tech going to look like before this has a chance to get better. Current estimates put the end of this phase sometime in 2028 unless AI companies take a major tumble.

Assuming AI does not implode and crater the economy I'm just looking at what will it look like in 2-3 years when prices continue to rise or stay out of reach for most.

Lay up ideas:

• Tech is so expensive that it's not just your older relative with the 4 year old phone, but it's perhaps a majority. Looking at this chart of current ownership it's pretty even distribution with maybe the iPhone 16 combined being the most used year. That shifts as people stay and my guess is in 2028 the iPhone 16 might still be the most used.

• Many tech ideas and gadgets gets shelved or delayed. I don't have anything in mind but anything we've seen at shows like SXSW or similar don't come out in the next 2 years with current price restriction.

• Items like AppleTV and streaming boxes that are mostly RAM and Memory do not get a new update in the next two years.

Bigger Ideas:

• One of the major phone developers skips a major phone release. We've seen Nothing phone cancel a phone release from its CMF line, so what if next year someone like Samsung, Google, Apple or even something like OnePlus. I'd count even a delay from a September release to a spring release in 2028 as this being true. If Phones like the base iPhone hit $900+ then I could see this being a possibility.

• This one is a long shot for sure, but by 2028 Xbox ends physical hardware sales. The cost and lean into cloud gaming and PC leaves the Xbox as a service based system that only plays cloud games and game pass games. I don't believe Xbox no matter how poorly run would close down by 2028, but they could start to show signs of maintaining Xbox as an access point to cloud gaming through the game pass service.

• Repairability becomes mainstream. I'd say this is probably not a "bigger idea", but with the cost of a new phone, laptop, smartwatch rising over the next two years AND the increase in Right to Repair laws happening in the past few years we will see a lean into tech that can be maintained and held on to. Much like the delaying phone purchases this hurts companies like Apple who limit repairability in favor of design. A MacBook is a great laptop, but replacing parts and upgrading is nearly impossible. Companies like Framework will likely become more mainstream as well.

I honestly think things could get worse for some of these companies. It's a minority who can afford a $900 phone if that happens in September and I expect phone companies to try all kinds of ways to make them "affordable"¹, but it's still going to impact the bottom line and could make the next two years unlike any we've seen in tech before.