Cameron Fisher

Apple's iPhone Could Create Memory Shortage

Don't under estimate the power of Apple. Their decision to go to flash on the IPOD killed the 1inch HD market. I think that competitors will definitely follow suite with respect to capacity. They announcement of Samsung's moviMCP was an attempt to anticipate the demand. The spec can also be matched with a combination of internal and expansion memory (MMC/SD). This is more attractive because it reduces initial handset cost. My conclusion is that it will impact demand, but in the next 1-2 years, not this year. The rise of the SSD will further the demand, and consume large quantities of Nand. I think the two year horizon for these is quite good.

Apple's iPhone Could Create Memory Shortage

This phone has more than 8x the embedded flash capacity of other phones on the market, and it has the brand awareness from the iPod. It will certainly have an impact on the flash supply next year.