Apple moves to buy flash memory tech shop

Apple is to acquire an Israeli flash memory company in a deal that could be worth as much as half a billion dollars according to Israel economics paper Calcalist.

In a rare move for Apple, the expensive acquisition of flash memory tech outfit Anobit would be one of the very few hardware firms acquired by Apple. One of the reasons for the acquisition could be to shore up performance of mobile devices with Anobit’s high performance flash memory controllers.

Then again it could be an IP play since Anobit has a good sack of patents to the firm’s name and licensing technology to a wide variety of flash memory manufacturers including Hynix, the brand favored in the latest iPhone 4S.

What’s more likely is that Apple is looking to enhance the firm’s own-brand of SoCs, previously built with Samsung’s assistance. A high performance memory controller design, possibly a rung above available elsewhere, would be an excellent addition to a future A-series of chip in forthcoming Apple devices.