Apple Rumored to Be After Samsung Flash Memory

Steve Nixon writes "An unconfirmed report today from Reuters quotes an industry analyst firm iSuppli as saying that Apple plans to buy as much as 40 percent of Samsung's second-half flash memory output. The NAND flash memory cards will be used in a new, 4 GB iPod Mini, which Apple would release in time for the holiday shopping season, the report stated. The current version of the 4 GB mini contains a hard drive. Apple's iPod Shuffle uses flash memory."

Comments

Slashdot

[kevin_conaway]

Rumors for nerds. Stuff that may turn out to matter tomorrow.

All your memory are belong to us

[Anonymous Coward]

All your memory are belong to us. Well 40% of it anyways. After we pay you for it.

Sincerely,

Apple Computer

40 percent is pretty significant

[sexyrexy]

I don't think the big news here is that Apple is making a Shuffle-Mini hybrid, but that Fourty percent of the world's Samsung Flash memory stock is going to be eaten by a single buyer. Think about how many different manufacturers and resellers buy that memory - and 40% of it is going to Apple. Wow.

More info

[i_should_be_working]

More info here

Looks like Samsung is wooing Apple with a price reduction. Samsung also makes mp3 players. Seems like they would hoard the memory for themselves. Maybe they have figured out the sweet spot, in terms of profit, of how much to keep for themselves and how much to sell to the best selling brand.

Re:About time

[Rude Turnip]

I know! I go through about 10 or 20 hard drives per day and have to wear safety goggles because of all the shards of platters flying about!

Re:Finally

[Golias]

I call FUD. I jog with my 20GB iPod every day, and I've never had a problem.

Perhaps an array

[SuperKendall]

Nothing says Apple has to stick with using only one 4GB flash memory... (beyond price).

A smaller Mini that holds 8GB might go over well, and fit even better between the large iPods and the Shuffle.

Mini-Disc

[Alistar]

Ok, I have to wonder, why these never caught on. I have a mini-disc player and I love it.

I get 30 hours off of one AA, 15 off the rechargable.
I can throw my MP3's on it easily, (sonicstage sure, stupid program, but its easy)
I pay $5 for 1GB discs and it came with one.
Playlist management on the device.
Plus I can record through a mic to it, transfer back and forth and whatnot.
It has never skipped for me.
They are fairly small, smaller than an IPod.
USB, optical or stereo jack in.
Anyway, yea, I would love to be enlightened

Re:Mini-Disc

[That's Unpossible!]

Anyway, yea, I would love to be enlightened

No problem.

1. ipods run MP3's natively. No encoding to a proprietary format (ATRAC) and losing quality as with minidisc.

2. "sonicstage sure, stupid program, but its easy" Meet iTunes. It's not stupid, it's quite awesome, and quite easy. And it's a great portal into a digital music store.

3. You have to use interchangeable discs. My iPod has 40GB. I have 5000 songs, over a dozen audiobooks, and now a dozen constantly synced podcasts on this thing. I drive a lot, and what I feel like listening to at any given moment can change frequently.

4. You can use ipods like portable hard drives. Because they are.

5. Apple engineering. Sorry, the iPods are a thing of beauty and great UI. This counts, A LOT.

6. Marketing. iPods are hip. MDs were never hip. Yeah, this counts as well. When you see white headphones, you know there's an ipod on the other end. Steve Jobs is fucking brilliant at marketing.