Apple Reportedly Closes Anobit Deal for up to $500 Million
Apple has reportedly closed on a deal for Anobit, an Israeli company that makes flash memory technology. A newspaper report places the deal in the $400 million to $500 million range.
I’ve asked Apple for input; last week, when news of the potential deal first surfaced, the company declined to comment.
If this is a done deal, it would follow an M&A pattern that Apple has pursued for some time. Though the company has enormous cash reserves, it has generally made smallish (by its standards) deals for technology vendors it is already using — in this case, it is using Anobit’s flash memory chips in its iPads, iPhones and MacBook Airs.
But Apple spends much more cash — billions a quarter — locking up inventory for the raw components than it uses in its gadgets, like flash memory or display screens.