Toshiba To Supply Apple With Flash Memory?

[MacRumors]

In a China Daily article, news comes of Toshiba's intent to supply Apple Computer with flash memory chips "early next year." This news fuels speculation of Apple releasing a previously rumored flash memory-based version of the iPod at MWSF in January.

Toshiba already supplies Apple with 1.8-inch hard drives for use in larger iPods models such as the 40-gigabyte version that can store 10,000 songs. Hitachi Ltd supplies 1-inch drives for Apple's iPod mini, which stores about a 1,000 songs.

[beatle888]

if they get the memory next year, how soon before they can start selling the flashPods

[Mudbug]

According to one source, as early as February.

[iGary]

Why are they doing this?

Won't this kill iPod sales?

[Some_Big_Spoon]

ok, so what does this do for us? We get flash ipods and Apple increases their player market share.. great, so? I know I bash the ipod all the time, but seriously, where does this get us?

Is the ipod $ going into R&D for useful things? Chip dev? Hardware? Software? Or does it just go to "profit" I know Apple spends a great deal, proportionally, on R&D, but is the ipod fuling that? Would be nice to think so.

[Mudbug]

Originally Posted by Some_Big_Spoon

ok, so what does this do for us? We get flash ipods and Apple increases their player market share.. great, so? I know I bash the ipod all the time, but seriously, where does this get us?

Is the ipod $ going into R&D for useful things? Chip dev? Hardware? Software? Or does it just go to "profit" I know Apple spends a great deal, proportionally, on R&D, but is the ipod fuling that? Would be nice to think so.

the article explains why:

The market for flash memory music players is five times as big as the hard-drive market by unit sales and double its size by revenue

[Daveway]

I bet Steve is gonna blow his cap again like he did a few months ago with the 60GB drives.

Apple + Toshiba = BAD

[nuckinfutz]

Originally Posted by Some_Big_Spoon

ok, so what does this do for us? We get flash ipods and Apple increases their player market share.. great, so? I know I bash the ipod all the time, but seriously, where does this get us?

Is the ipod $ going into R&D for useful things? Chip dev? Hardware? Software? Or does it just go to "profit" I know Apple spends a great deal, proportionally, on R&D, but is the ipod fuling that? Would be nice to think so.

Apple's stock is 60+ dollars "because" of the promise of the iPod. Apple's market capitalization is over double it from just 18 months ago. It's hard to think of an area of Apple that "isn't" affected positively by the success of the iPod.

It should mean a better chance of aquiring companies to move Apple into areas where they can affect marketshare change. There is very little downside to the iPod success. My girlfriend...who owns a gateway computer has an iPod mini. Where else was Apple going to get her money? All the Chip, HW and SW R&D in the world concerning Macs wasn't going to mean squat.

[jwhitnah]

Increasing mp3 player market share increases the halo effect of Apple Computer and hopefully gets more people to buy macs.

[Some_Big_Spoon]

Yeah, no, I get that.. I get the ipod, and I've owned 4 of them.. It plays music and that's great, but I depend on their platform to make my living, so the ipod, directly, doesn't help that. I'm glad they've got mucho market share, but my thing is really a fear that they're putting all their eggs in the ipod basket., and not getting chickens out of the deal.. if you get my mangled metaphor.

I'd hope that Apple's mikling the hell out of the ipod phenom to dump most of it back into Steve's Mac, making deals like the rumored one with IBM,a nd getting windoze users to use more mac software as it creeps into their platform.

The ipod's just a music player now, not a productivity tool. When I can check my email on it, then I'll quit my bitching. That's a promise!

Originally Posted by Mudbug

the article explains why:

[maya]

Originally Posted by daveway00

I bet Steve is gonna blow his cap again like he did a few months ago with the 60GB drives.

Apple + Toshiba = BAD

I don't think Apple or Steve J, has a choice, I mean Toshiba makes the HDD for they iPod and next the flashPod.

Besides the only reason Apple didn't say anything is because they WERE INDEED going to use the 60 GIG HDD only in a Photo iPod, nothing more.

Unless Apple is making every part of of they products I see no reason why they have to be up in a fluster.

[broken_keyboard]

Hopefully they are buying the flash memory to throw it in the sea.
That would be preferable to a flash-based iPod.

If they throw enough of it in the sea then the cost of flash based players will go up due to supply and demand.

[jared_kipe]

A flash based ipod would probably hamper sales of normal ipods a bit.... Can we say flash based Powermac?!?!... ?Flash Powerbook G5?

[dashiel]

Originally Posted by Some_Big_Spoon

ok, so what does this do for us? We get flash ipods and Apple increases their player market share.. great, so? I know I bash the ipod all the time, but seriously, where does this get us?

Is the ipod $ going into R&D for useful things? Chip dev? Hardware? Software? Or does it just go to "profit" I know Apple spends a great deal, proportionally, on R&D, but is the ipod fuling that? Would be nice to think so.

increased brand awareness (quote wired magazine "the ipod brought apple more attention than apple brought ipod).

theoretic halo effect. people who get an ipod/ipod mini/ipod micro are so impressed with it and/or itunes and/or the apple store, when it comes time to buy their next computer they buy apple. even if the conversion rate is 1% of current ipod owners that amounts to 5,000 new apple computer users. if the projected sales of 28 million by 2008 are correct that's 28,000 new users. now imagine they get 5 or 10%.

increased likelihood of itunes/aac becoming the defacto standard for online audio sales. there are multiple benefits to this: a) stop microsoft from monopolizing yet another arena, b) should apple retain 70% of the download market sales are projected at $4.4 billion. apple may not make much on sales yet, but when you talk about 70% of 4 billion songs you can bet they'll be making money. c) proof to hollywood that apple knows how to cater to the consumer and the corporation, first dibs at a real online video store.

diversification to help apple out in lean times. like when motorola fails to make a single megahertz improvement on over a year and people stop buying or wait on buying power macs. or like when there were no imacs to be had for a month. without the ipod division the last 12-18 months wouldn't have looked so hot for apple.

stock price increase. the majority of people who buy and sell stocks are sheep who jump on bandwagons and wouldn't know an ipod from an ice cream cone if they didn't read it in forbes or on etrade. ipod has wall street buzz, adding a third model kicks up the price of the stock.

in short, the ipod does absolutely nothing bad (despite what people may think) and lots and lots of good for the company.

[maya]

Originally Posted by jared_kipe

A flash based ipod would probably hamper sales of normal ipods a bit.... Can we say flash based Powermac?!?!... ?Flash Powerbook G5?

maybe this is the NEW iPhone.

[dongmin]

Originally Posted by Some_Big_Spoon

I'd hope that Apple's mikling the hell out of the ipod phenom to dump most of it back into Steve's Mac, making deals like the rumored one with IBM,a nd getting windoze users to use more mac software as it creeps into their platform.

What, you've not seen the new iMac?!? It's as direct a reference to the iPod you can get. In fact, Apple markets the iMac as being designed by the same people as the iPod (isn't everything at apple designed by the same 'people'? J Ive?). So Apple is obviously trying to cash in on the iPod craze as much as it can.

[brap]

Originally Posted by broken_keyboard

Hopefully they are buying the flash memory to throw it in the sea.
That would be preferable to a flash-based iPod.

Why?

The only reason I want an mp3 player is because I need something that won't skip, or break when I'm at the gym. ATM I use my minidisc, because I don't care if it breaks Only problem is, none of the flash based players I've seen are good enough.

iPods have moving parts, and are expensive. I need a flash based iPod. This is a bona-fide good thing.

That's a very snobbish opinion you seem to have there.

[beatle888]

Originally Posted by Some_Big_Spoon

but my thing is really a fear that they're putting all their eggs in the ipod basket.

hardly, can we say OS X and the move to IBM? OS X alone with core image is incredible. and the Xgrid? i think that will help anyones workflow. the iPod is just ONE of apples angles...what about quicktime? all the things i mentioned help real world professionals...and their even better then the iPod, which i love.

[Dr. Dastardly]

I dont want another stupid iPod! Come on iPhone!

[infiniteedge]

I'm holding out buying a 12" Powerbook until they put GigE in it. I want my Gigabit Ethernet!

[snahabed]

You know, I love the iPod as much as the next guy (proud 4G owner), and I appreciate what it has done for the company, but can we PLEASE move on to something new?

Keep pushing the iPod of course, but Apple seems to be putting all its eggs in one basket.

A flash based iPod is a total snooze, not to mention in direct contradiction to the point of the iPod mini.

Now, if Apple plans on putting iPod functionality in a new flash based device (like an iPhone), then THAT would be something. I'm not holding my breath though.

[swissmann]

There is definately a market for a flash iPod if it fills in the cheaper range.

[afields]

I couldn't care less about another iPod. Apple laptops need a complete overhaul

[Macmaniac]

Apple still needs to tap the $150 MP3 player market, the iPod is not yet in the buy on a whim price list. $150 is cheap enough for teenagers earning minimum wage
MWSF here we come.

[Stella]

Originally Posted by afields

I couldn't care less about another iPod. Apple laptops need a complete overhaul

You don't, but there are consumers who would love a cheap iPod, and don't care if its flash.

Not everyone can afford a few hundred <your_currency> for an mp3 player.

The potential for flash mp3 players are great.. far exceeds hard disc based players.

Apple aren't dumb ( though sometimes I wonder) and probably well realise PBs are being old and dated compared to the competition. IF apple could they would offer G5 PB tomorrow ; however with the current range of G5s its simply not possible.

Oh, and apple are capable of working on several products at one time. I'm sure development of iPods haven't impacted on their computer range. iPods are a different division of Apple.