Why does a 1TB SD card (or 'micro SD card') cost as much as it does at the moment; i.e., over $100? It's a tiny thing, and it does not contain appreciable amounts of gold/platinum etc. …
What exactly is involved in producing that tiny little thing that makes it so expensive to buy?
Surely the answer is not that the cost of its physical construction/production is high, because that would of course be 100% automated in this day and age.
So, it's not that the tiny little thing contains a substantial amount of precious metal, and it's not that there's a substantial 'human labour' cost associated with creating it … so why are they so expensive?
There must be a logical explanation, because even on the 'free/international market' the prices remain pretty competitive, I'm just trying to understand what that explanation is to satisfy my own curiosity.
The equipment required to produce cutting-edge tech is immensely expensive, as in multiple billions for a new factory
Obviously they have to recoup this investment by amortizing that cost over each chip sold, which is the majority of the cost right now
Eventually competitors catch up and prices drop, then the cycle repeats anew