Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple in Talks to Buy Israeli Flash Storage Company Anobit for Over $400 Million

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,457
30,671



anobit.jpg


As noted by TechCrunch, Calcalist (Hebrew) reports that Apple is considering purchasing an Israel-based company called Anobit for $400-$500 million.

Anobit is a fabless semiconductor company that specializes in flash storage. According to their website:
Anobit provides flash storage solutions for the Enterprise and Mobile markets. It's MSP(TM) (Memory Signal Processing) technology significantly improves the endurance, performance and cost of flash storage products and systems. Anobit's products are used by world leading flash manufacturers, consumer electronics vendors and storage system providers.
Click to expand...
Calcalist reports that Apple already relies on Anobit's technology in the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air. Apple's interest in the company is related to their ability increase the amount of flash memory storage in a device and improve long term reliability. A Storage-Switzerland article describes the company's MSP technology:
Essentially this means they can detect flash problems in flash cells when they're much older, allowing them to extend the usable life of MLC flash significantly longer than other manufacturers. The net of this ability is Anobit's flash products have much longer endurance than comparable products from other vendors. They claim commercial-grade MLC endurance comparable to that of SLC flash from other manufacturers. Theoretically, this would enable users to replace SLC flash with the more economical MLC products.
Click to expand...
A $400-$500 million acquisition price would make Anobit one of Apple's largest acquisitions ever. Prior to that, you have to go back to 1997 when Apple paid $404 million to acquire NeXT, Inc, bringing Steve Jobs back to the company.

Flash memory has been a key component in Apple's products over the past decade. Apple has made strategic bets on Flash storage in the past by pre-purchasing large amounts to ensure a constant supply. Apple's reliance on Flash remains with the ongoing popularity of the iPhone and shift in notebooks to SSD.

Article Link: Apple in Talks to Buy Israeli Flash Storage Company Anobit for Over $400 Million
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/12/13/apple-in-talks-to-buy-israeli-flash-storage-company-anobit-for-over-400-million/
wikus

wikus

macrumors 68000
Jun 1, 2011
1,795
2
Planet earth.
I'd rather have SLC over MLC.

Although, I have to wonder if Apple's recent lawsuits against the entire industry has forced them to find alternatives, I can't imagine Samsung being too happy providing any more services for Apple.
 
H

Henriok

macrumors regular
Feb 19, 2002
226
14
Gothenburg, Sweden
wikus said:
I'd rather have SLC over MLC.

Although, I have to wonder if Apple's recent lawsuits against the entire industry has forced them to find alternatives, I can't imagine Samsung being too happy providing any more services for Apple.
Click to expand...
Or…*They are buying this company for its patent portfolio. It everyone in the industry is using their technology, there could be an opening for a lawsuit. Perhaps against Samsung?
 
C

CplBadboy

macrumors 6502
Mar 1, 2008
405
3
United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
This move is most likely that Apple can secure flash storage but its more due to the fact that they can now keep their storage prices sky high for the forseeble future. Apple have to be the greediest most extortionate company in the business. They make great products but boy, they are greedy :apple:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Santabean2000

Santabean2000

macrumors 68000
Nov 20, 2007
1,882
2,043
MultiMediaWill said:
Flash storage is stupid. The cloud is the future.
Click to expand...
Spoken like a true expert...
Flash storage has a big future and Apple is absolutely right to increase its stake in the industry.


CplBadboy said:
Yeah it would be if EVeRYONE had access to speedy networks. I think less onboard storage will be the future but ultimately cloud storage has its benefits. They compliment each other well.
Click to expand...

Spot on. Cloud storage is not going to become a mainstream substitution any time soon, if at all. I think local storage will always have a role, diminishing yes, but still important.
 
S

Superken7

macrumors member
Feb 13, 2011
55
0
MultiMediaWill said:
Flash storage is stupid. The cloud is the future.
Click to expand...

Try booting off the network and doing everything off the network: you'll soon find it is a nightmare, even if you had 4G speed everywhere, everytime. Not to mention issues related to energy efficiency!
Flash storage isn't going anywhere, you NEED to locally store and cache stuff. Maybe in 20 or 30 years we don't need local storage, but until then I betcha we do.

----------
wikus said:
I'd rather have SLC over MLC.

Although, I have to wonder if Apple's recent lawsuits against the entire industry has forced them to find alternatives, I can't imagine Samsung being too happy providing any more services for Apple.
Click to expand...

Apple is a customer for Samsung. I would say its the other way around: Apple is not too happy giving Samsung loads and loads of their money which they use for developing competing products such as samsung smartphones running Android :)
I bet Samsung is very happy with Apple as a customer.
 
Sasha-1

Sasha-1

Contributor
Aug 11, 2001
467
182
Superken7 said:
Try booting off the network and doing everything off the network: you'll soon find it is a nightmare, even if you had 4G speed everywhere, everytime. Not to mention issues related to energy efficiency!
Flash storage isn't going anywhere, you NEED to locally store and cache stuff. Maybe in 20 or 30 years we don't need local storage, but until then I betcha we do.

----------



Apple is a customer for Samsung. I would say its the other way around: Apple is not too happy giving Samsung loads and loads of their money which they use for developing competing products such as samsung smartphones running Android :)
I bet Samsung is very happy with Apple as a customer.
Click to expand...

They'd likely still be a buyer of Samsung NAND. This would simply be for the controller.
 
arcite

arcite

macrumors 6502a
Sep 6, 2009
889
517
Cairo, trapped in a pyramid with my iphone
Michaelgtrusa said:
Good move? We'll see. 
Click to expand...


I love the fact that Apple is consolidating their philosophy of 'making the whole widget'. They will rely on few and fewer individual companies for components, while also spreading production to facilities around the world (to avoid catastrophes such as flooding in Thailand). They control the means of production on every level. They are set up to be formidable player for the next generation. :apple:
 
C

christian_k

macrumors 6502
May 31, 2005
333
12
Germany
CplBadboy said:
Yeah it would be if EVeRYONE had access to speedy networks. I think less onboard storage will be the future but ultimately cloud storage has its benefits. They compliment each other well.
Click to expand...

Who has access to cloud storage as fast as local flash memory?
(Including upload speed & mobile access?).

Think of a SLR that takes 8 frames per second, 8 MB each. I don't think it will be possible to upload(!) them in realtime over a mobile network in the near future. We will need flash memory (or something similar) for a long time.

Christian
 
Piggie

Piggie

macrumors G3
Feb 23, 2010
9,116
4,013
KnightWRX said:
Apple still has no manufacturing capabilities. Only design. This is a fab-less company.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought.
Why would you pay this much just for a R&D/Design company.

As the article said: "Anobit is a fabless semiconductor company"

That means Apple still has to find and rely on other people to make the actual product. If they were buying the R&D and the capacity to manufacture then I'd understand as they can have free control over everything to make products in private (so to speak) specifically custom to Apple only products.

Seems a lot to spend, and then still be reliant on other companies to make the things.
 
Z

ZipZap

macrumors 603
Dec 14, 2007
6,076
1,448
Though quoted....

Not sure how you "Improve the cost". You might, "Reduce the cost".
 
kugino

kugino

macrumors 65816
Jul 10, 2003
1,163
168
400-500 million? that's a drop in the bucket for apple...it might be a bad purchase, which i don't think it is. but even if it is, it won't hurt apple much, and the upside is pretty high...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom