Apple to unveil 8GB iPod?

Industry sources suspect that Apple may unveil a new 8GB flash-based iPod based on further NAND flash orders. Sources say the industry will likely break out of its low point as Apple books considerable capacity at chip makers, according to DigiTimes. Both of the leading Korea-based chipmakers -- Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor -- have received more orders from Apple, and DRAMeXchange noted in mid-May that Apple had ordered considerable 2Gbit NAND memory at Samsung. Apple in November of 2005 announced long-term agreements with Hynix, Intel, Micron, Samsung Electronics, and Toshiba to secure the supply of NAND flash memory through 2010. The Cupertino-based company planned to pay a total of $1.25 billion for flash memory components over the following three months, and word came in early April of 2006 that Apple had agreed in December to buy 40 million gigabytes of flash memory chips from Hynix last year alone.

by MacNN Staff