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onehandle

(51,122 posts)
Thu Sep 6, 2012, 10:43 PM Sep 2012

Apple cuts memory chip order to Samsung for new iPhone

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has reduced its orders for memory chips for its new iPhone from its main supplier and competitor Samsung Electronics Co (005930.KS), a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

South Korea's Samsung is a core Apple supplier, producing micro processors, flat screens and memory chips - both dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips and NAND memory chips - for the iPhone, iPad and iPod.

Apple has been cutting back its orders from Samsung as it seeks to diversify its memory chip supply lines, although the South Korean firm remains on the list of initial suppliers for the new iPhone, the source told Reuters. The person declined to be named because the negotiations are confidential.

The Korea Economic Daily, citing an unnamed industry source, reported on Friday that Apple had dropped Samsung from the list of memory chip suppliers for the first batch of the new iPhone, the iPhone 5, which is widely expected to be unveiled next Wednesday. The report said Apple instead picked Japan's Toshiba Corp (6502.T), Elpida Memory ELPDK.PK and Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) to supply DRAM and NAND chips.

Read more: http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/07/apple-samsung-idINDEE88600Q20120907



Payback is a...
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RoccoR5955

(12,471 posts)
1. Good.
Thu Sep 6, 2012, 10:50 PM
Sep 2012

Their RAM products suck!
I use different vendors, and the ones that I like, in order are:
1) Micron (Crucial)
2) Toshiba
3) Patriot
4) Elpida

And I have more than 20 years experience maintaining, building, and supporting computers.

cstanleytech

(26,082 posts)
2. Micron announced their were buying Elpida back in july.
Thu Sep 6, 2012, 11:30 PM
Sep 2012

As for this issue with the samsung memory, I suspect they had this in the works for awhile for fears of samsung leaving them short of memory for their new generation of phones if they (apple) won its lawsuit.
Long term I dont think it will matter though for samsung nor for apple unless of course apple gets a huge amount of bad memory from this new vendors.

DainBramaged

(39,191 posts)
3. Micron (Crucial) Micron (Crucial) Micron (Crucial) Micron (Crucial) Micron (Crucial)
Thu Sep 6, 2012, 11:45 PM
Sep 2012

give them the business


Micron was founded in Boise, Idaho, in 1978[2] by Ward Parkinson, Joe Parkinson, Dennis Wilson, and Doug Pitman as a semiconductor design consulting company.[3] Startup funding was provided by local Idaho businessmen Tom Nicholson, Allen Noble, and Ron Yanke. Later it received funding from Idaho billionaire J. R. Simplot, whose fortune was made in the potato business. In 1981, its first wafer fabrication unit ("Fab 1&quot with 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of space was completed and Micron started producing 64K DRAM chips. A second fab was completed in late 1984 to produce 256K DRAM chips.[2]

By focusing on being a low-cost producer, Micron survived numerous collapses in the DRAM market which caused many competitors to leave the industry. One of the most vicious was in 1985, when allegations of Japanese import dumping fueled a price collapse that caused DRAM pioneer Intel to leave the market.[citation needed] Micron survived and eventually acquired the memory businesses of rivals Texas Instruments in 1998 and Toshiba in 2001. These acquisitions gave Micron an international presence with production facilities in Italy, Singapore, and Japan. In 1994, founder Joe Parkinson retired as CEO and Steve Appleton took over as Chairman, President, and CEO.[2]

On July 2, 2012 Micron announced they would buy, for $2.5 billion, the bankrupt Elpida Memory a memory supplier for Apple Inc.. The move would is reported to double Micron's share of the memory market to 24%

 

RoccoR5955

(12,471 posts)
4. I do whenever I can.
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 12:02 AM
Sep 2012

In all my time with computers, I have NEVER EVER had any problem whatsoever with Micron memory.

I remember that memory dumping scandal in '85. Memory was so cheap (but now it's relatively cheaper.)

The only thing that stops me from using Micron memory, is, realistically, when someone buys their own, without my recommendation. They often do so to save a few pennies.

And in my 20+ years of supporting people's computers, I must have seen at least 10,000.

AlphaCentauri

(6,460 posts)
10. Does Micron have production facilities in the US?
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 11:17 AM
Sep 2012

Other wise what is the benefit for the US labor market.

IDemo

(16,926 posts)
11. Yes, in Utah and Virginia
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 05:35 PM
Sep 2012

As well as extensive R&D operations in Boise, Idaho, the corporate headquarters.

DainBramaged

(39,191 posts)
14. Google is your friend
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 03:04 PM
Sep 2012

When you think asking a question to trip someone up simply could be supplied by finding the answer yourself, 90% of the time, DU takes the lazy way out and waits for someone else to do the work.


Have a Union day.

Occulus

(20,599 posts)
15. Or you could actually be helpful and not ASSume they can google just then
Sun Sep 9, 2012, 12:27 PM
Sep 2012

Next time, try NOT being a jerk about it.

IF you're capable.

4saken

(152 posts)
5. From what I've seen from reviews, Samsung has good flash memory quality testing.
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 01:57 AM
Sep 2012

And is usually near the top of the benchmarks. The fact that Apple is cutting them only now suggests other motivations. Which may mean less reliable internal storage for future iProducts.

onehandle

(51,122 posts)
7. Apple is diversifying their supply chain to prevent shortages.
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 07:45 AM
Sep 2012

Including buying one of their own chip makers last year.

They expect to sell 10 million iPhone 5s next week and don't want to come up short.

 

RoccoR5955

(12,471 posts)
9. Tests and magazine reviews/benchmarks are one thing
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 08:21 AM
Sep 2012

20+ years of practical experience is another.

4saken

(152 posts)
13. Well I'm not referring to a magazine review...
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 08:23 AM
Sep 2012

I'm talking about hundreds of online reviews from people who are testing the speed of the chip that they receive. Samsung is pretty consistently producing the speed that is advertised, something that is not very common among flash memory nowadays. Flash memory is very dependent upon the quality testing. Slow chips should be sold with a lower class rating, but they often aren't.

20 years of experience could easily imply only testing a couple Samsung chips for all I know. It could also lead you to false conclusions, and misappropriated confidence regarding an industry whose manufacturing techniques, testing methods, and materials change over time(even under the same label). Personally I'd trust the aggregate of many people testing chips that they just received, over one guy's claims that could be easily based on a single misattribution.

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
8. Samsung has had cancer clusters show up in their memory chip factories
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 08:12 AM
Sep 2012

I read on a site here in South Korea that several employees have died of cancer.

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