Flash storage suppliers Apple once squeezed are now 'getting their revenge' amid the memory shortage, WSJ reports
A Wall Street Journal report, summarized by MacRumors, says the memory shortage has turned the tables on Apple's flash storage suppliers. Companies that Apple once pressed hard on price are now the ones with leverage.
A buyer used to getting its way. As the iPhone grew, Apple became the world's largest buyer of flash storage, and that scale gave it considerable bargaining power. According to the Journal, Apple at times ordered flash at very low prices and then declined delivery when market prices were falling, leaving suppliers holding unsold chips, including custom parts. Executives at Kioxia, the Japanese maker formerly known as Toshiba Memory, reportedly likened the experience to Charlie Brown and the football.