iPod delay rumors harm flash pricing

Industry observers say the rumored delay of Apple's next-generation iPod nano corresponds to an average 10 percent sequential drop for mainstream density NAND flash chips, while Hynix Semiconductor along with Samsung Electronics are said to be provoking a price war. Mainstream NAND continues to drop following an initial upside in May, and the price drop has ballooned to as much as 14.4 percent for the 1Gbit part as of July 6th, according to DigiTimes. SanDisk is rumored to have proposed a price reduction for its finished products, and industry sources say that Samsung is quoting its single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash at a level near to that of multi-level cell (MLC) offerings, in an effort to avoid losing customers while attracting more orders, according to the report.

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