Apple Reportedly Buying Flash Memory Company Anobit For $400 Million – $500 Million

Apple is reportedly going to use part of its enormous pile of cash to buy an Israeli fabless semiconductor company that specializes in flash storage solutions. Calcalist reports - in Hebrew - that the world's most valuable company is in talks to buy Herzliya Pituach, Israel-based Anobit for $400 million to $500 million.

If the report checks out, this would mark Apple's first acquisition in Israel (and the first with Tim Cook at the helm as CEO), and also a rare occasion because the consumer electronics giant doesn't usually buy non-software companies. The only hardware companies Apple is known to have acquired in the past two decades were Steve Jobs-founded NeXT, Raycer Graphics, Intrinsity and P.A. Semi.

Why Apple Bought Anobit

Apple finally confirmed earlier reports that it bought Israeli semiconductor startup Anobit Technologies. Apple did not confirm the price, which is believed to be between $400 million and $500 million.

Apple bought Anobit for two reasons: its flash memory controllers are a key component of all Apple's leading products (from iPads and iPhones to MacBook Airs), and in one fell swoop it just added a large team of chip engineers to payroll. Do not underestimate how important those chip engineers are. Apple had at least 1,000 chip engineers. Roughly 160 of Anobit's 200 employees are also engineers, thus they instantly represent more than 10 percent of the total number of chip engineers at Apple.

Apple opens third Israeli development center

Globes is reporting that Apple has now opened its third R&D center in Israel. The facility is based in the city of Ra'anana and will be staffed by 100 to 150 former Texas Instruments employees that were laid off late last year and earlier this year. Perviously it was reported Apple only hired "dozens" of those workers. The Ra'anana R&D center comes after Apple acquired flash memory maker Anobit for up to US$500 million in December 2011 and opened a Haifa-based R&D center in 2012. As with the previous two R&D centers, no one knows exactly what Apple is working on at Ra'anana. Globes states that when TI owned the facility its operations were primarily based on "technological capabilities in short-range communication chips, mainly for WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC" but that "in all likelihood Apple will take the Ra'anana center into a different strategic direction."Apple opens third Israeli development center originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple buying Anobit performance flash specialist tips report

Apple has reportedly bought Israeli flash memory specialist Anobit, in a $400-500m deal for the NAND company’s proprietary performance technology. Anobit is a fabless semiconductor company which apparently already counts Apple among its clients, Calcalist reports, using embedded flash controllers in devices like the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air. The acquisition would presumably give Apple greater control over [...]

Bob Mansfield: 'all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT'

Here's something you don't want happening when you're trying to wrap up a career, plan a jaunt to Moorea and generally goof off while waiting for the final checks to clear: large numbers of people demanding that you change something. That's probably what one Bob Mansfield is dealing with, just weeks before he'll turn in his Apple employee badge and do... well, whatever he wants. Just six days after the company yanked its products out of EPEAT's green registry, all eligible Apple products are back. Why? Well, many cities, entities and organizations (San Francisco, we're glaring at you) won't purchase products that aren't on the list, and according to a letter from Bob (embedded in full after the break), the removal "was a mistake." He also notes that "Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry," and that no other company in this industry can say that its entire product line "exceeds the stringent ENERGY STAR 5.2 government standard." Curiously, he also states that Apple's relationship with EPEAT "has become stronger as a result of this experience," which sure makes one wonder what went down to begin with. Now, Bob -- retirement. No more emails. Focus.Continue reading Bob Mansfield: 'all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT'Filed under: Cellphones, LaptopsBob Mansfield: 'all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink The Loop  |  Apple  | Email this | Comments

Apple reportedly buying flash memory company

According to Calcalist, Apple may acquire Israeli company Anobit for US$400 to 500 million. Anobit is a fabless semiconductor company that produces flash storage solutions for the enterprise and mobile markets. The Calcalist report claims Apple already uses Anobit's technology in its iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air and is supposedly interested in the company's flash controllers. These controllers are known for their low-cost and fast memory performance.

Apple's past hardware acquisitions include chip maker Intrinsity and microprocessor design firm P.A. Semi. Intrinsity is the brains behind Apple's A4 chip and likely worked with P.A. Semi to develop the A5, Apple's latest dual-core mobile processor.

[Via TechCrunch]

Apple reportedly buying flash memory company originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Calcalist: Apple to buy Israeli company Anobit

As noted here & here last week, the Israeli business daily Calcalist has been tracking the story of Apple's purported buyout of the flash/DSP technology company Anobit. Today the site reports that the deal is good to go, and that Anobit's employees are being told of the new ownership. To put an exclamation point on the transaction and the possible expansion of Apple's R&D efforts to a new facility near Haifa, the official Twitter account of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a welcome to Apple today. In the odd-coincidence department, today is the 15th anniversary of Apple's 1996 acquisition of NeXT and the return of Steve Jobs.

Given the reported US$500 million price tag on the acquisition (Apple 2.0 notes that's more than the inflation-adjusted price Apple paid for NeXT, and may represent the largest single purchase by Apple of another firm), the value Apple places on moving Anobit's technology in-house must be pretty high. GigaOM laid out the case for ownership last week; since Anobit's tech makes cheaper flash memory reliable & long-lived enough for high-end devices, it's a key capability for Apple's light and portable product line. Anobit's engineering is already adding to Apple's product line via inclusion in the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air -- that graphic up there comes from Anobit's news page, and even with the logos filed off the gear it's pretty obvious what those 'mystery products' actually are.

While 2011 hasn't seen many big Apple acquisitions of smaller companies, 2010 was extremely busy by comparison. After buying LaLa at the end of 2009, last year's shopping list included SIRI, Poly 9, Intrinsity, C3 Technologies, IMSense, Quattro Wireless and Polar Rose. Apple also sold off Agnilux to Google in 2010. Apple's fiscal year 2011 ended in September with the company reporting over $81 billion in cash and marketable securities, which is the very definition of "war chest."

If Apple does expand its R&D facilities to the Haifa area, it's another bit of good news in a remarkable week for Israel's Technion university. The technical institute, which anchors Israel's version of Silicon Valley, is also partnering with Cornell University to launch New York City's future 'superschool' and technology incubator on the city's underdeveloped Roosevelt Island.

Calcalist: Apple to buy Israeli company Anobit originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Haifa may host Apple innovation center

The Israeli business publication Calcalist reported this week that Apple plans to site an innovation center (translation, original here) in the northern Israel city of Haifa, close to the country's leading technical university. The site points to a visit by Apple R&D VP Ed Frank to the area, and also notes that Apple appears to be in talks to acquire chip technology firm Anobit.

The Anobit acquisition would be in line with Apple's other buyouts of companies like PA Semi, as it continues to pull critical chipmaking IP and capabilities in-house to ensure that mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad have the purpose-built silicon they need (and, not coincidentally, that competitors have a harder time getting those crucial parts). Anobit's technology concerns flash memory; Apple's devices use the lion's share of worldwide flash production.

Haifa's mayor, Yona Yahav, sounded more hopeful than certain when asked about the company locating its first non-Cupertino R&D center in his area: "The future arrival of Apple in Haifa would be a very great celebration and we would embrace them in the city." It's possible that the press push on the R&D center is just wishful thinking at this point, but if Apple does build out a facility there it would be in good company. Intel, Yahoo, IBM and other international tech firms have offices there, taking advantage of the talent pipeline coming from Technion. The Israeli technology institute is a rival to top US computer science schools like MIT, Carnegie Mellon and Stanford, but also maintains tight ties to the high-tech Israeli military establishment.

[via Reuters & MDN]Haifa may host Apple innovation center originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple to buy flash chip maker Anobit for $500 million?

Disclaimer: Delving into Apple's business requires a hefty pinch of salt, okay? Good. Is Apple about to open that $84 billion war chest to make another one of its traditional flash-memory supply-chain land-grabs? Rumors from Reuters suggest it's planning to snap up Israeli outfit Anobit for $400 or $500 million. The outfit specializes in signal processing for the memory chips, increasing volume and performance, which you'll already find bolted onto the Samsung and Hynix flash drives inside the iPhone 4S. Whilst we're having a hard time believing Cupertino would buy a hardware maker (even P.A. Semi and Intrinsity were fabless designers), it seems a logical move from a company who probably see traditional HDDs as an evil to be eradicated from its simplistic designs. We've reached out for comment from the companies and we'll let you know if we get anything more substantial than the regular "no comment." Update: The initial reports suggested that Anobit had production facilities, but it's since been clarified that the company is a fabless designer in the same vein as P.A. Semi and Intrinsity.Apple to buy flash chip maker Anobit for $500 million? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments

Apple Reportedly Finalizes Deal With Flash Memory Company Anobit

It seemed last week like Apple was eyeing up flash memory technology company Anobit for a potential purchase, and now word from Israeli news outlet Calcalist is that the multi-million dollar deal has been finalized.

While Anobit has already broken the news to their employees, many of the deal's salient details are still unknown to outsiders. There's still no word on exactly how much Apple paid in the acquisition aside from the vague "400 to 500 million" price tag mentioned last week, and 9to5mac's sources mention that Anobit's executive team haven't yet been formally introduced to Apple employees.