Hmm, might be a problem there. It would appear we are in a perfect storm of inflated pricing and there is no such thing as a cheap laptop at the moment.
The combination of high demand and low supply will lead to higher prices. This is basic economics. High demand is being fueled by companies sending their employees home to work and buying laptops to facilitate that. Low supply seems to stem from last year's shutdown of manufacturing in China and the lag in resupplying to the UK. The final nail in the coffin is Brexit and the fact that all the big suppliers were importing from China to the EU (Luxembourg, Holland etc) and from there to the UK. This now means import duties and VAT being added, as well as delays.
Laptop prices are now 30 to 40 per cent higher on average at the entry level of the market. More expensive models seem less affected, with laptops in the £1000 bracket much more easily available and better priced.
Will things get better? Probably. When? Who knows......
Trying times indeed.