On Wednesday, Bloomberg succeeded at confirming one of the hottest rumors in mobile technology over the last six weeks.
Apple has acquired Anobit Technologies Ltd., an Israeli company that manufactures a flash-memory drive part for the iPhone and iPad.
As the world’s largest buyer of NAND flash memory, the acquisition puts Apple in a better financial position to maintain and accelerate its appetite for that which Anobit makes.
Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple, confirmed that the purchase took place, although he opted to skip any relevant financial details.
“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” Dowling told Bloomberg.
Israel, with a population similar in size to Switzerland’s at 7.7 million, has about 60 companies traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market, the most of any nation outside North America after China. Israel is also home to the largest number of startups per capita in the world.
Industry chatter suggests that Apple reportedly paid $400 – $500 million for Anobit, although neither party will address that speculation.
