14 DAY TRIAL // Apple announced it signed agreements with five major NAND flash memory manufacturers. Three of these companies are Hynix, Samsung and Toshiba, while the other two are Intel and Micron, who just announced that they will form a new company that will produce NAND flash memory.
Samsung is currently the leader in NAND flash memory production, with more than 50 percent of market under their control. Under the name of IM Flash Technologies, the new venture between Intel and Micron will cover a significant portion of the market, as well.
Apple intends to use these chips in their iPod shuffle and iPod nano models. The company said that the new agreements will secure its need of NAND flash memory until 2010, also intending to prepay components worth US$1.25 billion during the next three months. IM Flash Technologies already received a part of the sum.
The market began to ask for more iPods and Apple is trying to face the demand by signing these agreements. Additionally, they are in a transition process, switching from PowerPC processors to chips made by Intel. The new Intel based products from Apple are expected to be presented in January 2006.