Apple Now Eats More Chips Than Anyone

Apple has been the world’s largest consumer of flash memory for years. Now it has become the leading buyer of chips, as well. The company spent some $17 billion on semiconductors in 2011, giving it a 5.7 percent share of chip purchasing for the year, according to Gartner. That’s more than Samsung, which spent $16.7 billion for a 5.5 percent share, and Hewlett-Packard, which spent $16.6 billion for a 5.5 percent share. Driving Apple’s ascension in rank: The iPhone, the iPad and the MacBook Air.