“‘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.