14 DAY TRIAL // According to a report from American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu, Apple is looking to expand the use of NAND flash memories to their iPod and Mac lines. He also said in this report on Wednesday that Apple is launching a new subnotebook that will also use the much appreciated NAND flash memory, instead of the regular hard disk drive.
This is somewhat on the border of Rumorsville. We've all heard sources speaking of NAND memory use in Apple lines of products, and there was also a report stating the Cupertino-based company is planning a new subnotebook, after a prolonged absence of over ten years from the mini portables market.
As predictable as this scenario is, the truth is there is no confirmed information regarding either NANDs or the new subnotebook. "Our sources indicate that Apple would like to introduce the product in [the second half of 2007] to further capitalize on its strong MacBook growth, but timing will be dependent on NAND vendors' ability to drive down pricing further, making it economically attractive for Apple," said Shaw Wu in a note to customers. In regard to the switch from HDD to NAND in iPods, the analyst confirmed it will happen, but not in the immediate future.
The thing with NAND flash memories is that they're much more expensive than regular HDD, especially in large sizes (NANDs are light-weight memories that offer better access speeds).
The use of NANDs is now limited to small capacities or high-end portables. NAND prices are slowly dropping, so perhaps in 2008 we will see a more intensive use of this technology in both computers and consumer electronics.
Analyst foresight: Wu rates Apple stock BUY (as all analysts do, in fact), with a price target of $115 (higher than most).