“In a new report from DigiTimes, Taiwanese memory module makers said there have been a ‘serious shortage’ of NAND flash chips, as companies provide more and more of their supply to Apple. Industry sources said memory providers will limit the supply of memory provided to companies other than the Cupertino, Calif., hardware maker,” Katie Marsal reports for AppleInsider.
“‘Samsung Electronics has informed Taiwan module makers that it will halve its NAND flash memory to them in September, and Micron Technology has also told some of its downstream customers that no NAND flash chips are available, claimed the sources,’ the report said. ‘Toshiba and Hynix Semiconductor are also giving priority to Apple, and are offering limited supply to the spot market, the sources added,'” Marsal reports.
“The average price for a 16GB chip was $4.48, up 7.2 percent in the first half of September,” Marsal reports. “32GB also rose 4.3 percent to $6.80… If true, the latest report from DigiTimes could suggest that competitors, like the Zune HD, have been unable to offer the capacity of the iPod touch because memory suppliers simply will not provide enough product to anyone other than Apple.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Pfft. Zune. Surely, Samsung and Micron could dust off and ship Microsoft the handful of 64GB parts that happen to fall off the conveyor belt onto the floor before they’re packed for Apple. 5-second rule! Microsoft can’t need more than a couple thousand such chips, most of which are destined to sit on warehouse shelves until the end of time or retailers demand that Microsoft take them back, whichever comes first.
Zune Tang is now going to be no-Zune Tang.
@MDN Take: I thought the 5 second rule applied to Windows uptime.
funniest MDN take in awhile.
“5 second rule!”
First ATT complained that Apple is too successful,
now NAND flash chip makers are saying Apple is too successful.
Doesn’t anyone want to sell their product?
Steve Ballmer, even the suppliers can’t take the Zune seriously. You should take what is left of the cash from your dying company and buy or build your own chip company. In for a penny in for a couple billion. IF YOU BUILD IT SOMEONE COULD … MAYBE … MISTAKINGLY … BUY ONE.
You should make them brown again!
I think the only thing preventing the 64GB Zune is the market, as in none . . .
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
http://nelsonhaha.com/
Zune can use faulty NAND and no one would notice any difference
Zune Tanged won’t be around today I bet. He’s probably camping out at the local Walmart Store/Best Buy to beat the crowd of 12 or so on launch day!
What’s a Zune again?
I’m sure the shortage of Zune customers is a bigger obstacle for Microsoft.
Sell memory to the customer who has 80% of the marketshare or to a customer with 1.1%, I wonder who will win.
somehow this feels a lot like the complaints about getting games on the Mac.
“Sell memory to the customer who has 80% of the marketshare or to a customer with 1.1%, I wonder who will win.”
Yeah, that was it.
I am sure glad that Apple has managed to get a chunk of market and doesn’t have to suffer that crap anymore.
Though most of Apples market share is in home users, and we all know it is the people at work who are playing games…
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
The world rejoice, for you have been saved!
This isn’t simply a matter of selling to the company that has the larger market share.
Apple has spent billions of dollars in pre-payments to to flash memory suppliers. When Apple orders memory, it is basically ordering memory from a factory built with its money, not the manufacturer’s.