Apple is reportedly in talks to buy Israel’s Anobit, a maker of flash storage technology, for as much as US$500 million, according to a report in the Israel-published “The Calcalist” (http://www.calcalist.co.il/home/0,7340,L-8,00.html), as reported by “Reuters” (http://macte.ch/na1wY).
Anobit has developed a chip that enhances flash drive performance through signal processing, the article adds. The chip is already incorporated in Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad and the MacBook Air.
“The Calcalist” says Apple is interested in Anobit’s technology to increase and enhance the memory volume and performance of its devices. The chip could double the memory volume in the new iPads and MacBooks. If a $500 million deal were to happen, it would be Apple’s biggest company acquisition since bringing founder Steve Jobs back to the company by buying NeXT Computers in 1996.
— Dennis Sellers