January 15, 2010
Apple getting accused of manipulating NAND prices
Anonymous whistleblowers are blowing the lid off a contraversy in the portable flash memory sector by accusing portable electronics giant Apple of manipulating the manufacturer prices for NAND memory which is used within several of Apple's products.
On November 30th The Korea Times reported Apple has been requesting that manufacturers produce more flash memory than is inevitably bought. The report explains that Apple then waits until the prices fall before purchasing. Hynix and Samsung are two of the major manufacturers that Apple buys from.
It has been estimated that Apple purchases 20-30% of NAND memory produced worldwide. Apple reported recently that they had sold 10.2m iPod and 7.4m iPhone devices in their fiscal fourth-quarter. All three major manufacturers including Apple refused comment to the press.
There is not too much cause for alarm however as the price of NAND flash memory chips are starting to stabilize across world markets after a surge over the past year. Many industry insiders are speculating that 2010 will be a great time to buy affordable products made with these components such as USB flash drives and MP4 players.
On November 30th The Korea Times reported Apple has been requesting that manufacturers produce more flash memory than is inevitably bought. The report explains that Apple then waits until the prices fall before purchasing. Hynix and Samsung are two of the major manufacturers that Apple buys from.
It has been estimated that Apple purchases 20-30% of NAND memory produced worldwide. Apple reported recently that they had sold 10.2m iPod and 7.4m iPhone devices in their fiscal fourth-quarter. All three major manufacturers including Apple refused comment to the press.
There is not too much cause for alarm however as the price of NAND flash memory chips are starting to stabilize across world markets after a surge over the past year. Many industry insiders are speculating that 2010 will be a great time to buy affordable products made with these components such as USB flash drives and MP4 players.
