Skip to main content

Report: Apple concludes Anobit acquisition for $500 million

Anobit MSP flash controller
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Following reports earlier this week that ever-secretive Apple was in talks to buy Israeli flash technology firm Anobit, Reuters is reporting that Apple has concluded the deal for a total of $500 million. But that’s not all: Reuters also has Apple planning to open a new research and development facility in Israel—the first time the company would have taken its development work outside the United States.

Recommended Videos

At $500 million, the acquisition of Anobit would count as Apple’s most-expensive takeover since it acquired NeXT—and along with it, Steve Jobs—15 years ago for $429 million and 1.5 million shares of Apple stock. However, Apple’s fortunes have shifted substantially since its “death spiral” days of the mid 1990s: the reported purchase price for Anobit is roughly one half of one percent of Apple’s current cash assets.

Apple’s interest in Anobit has everything to do with flash memory. Apple’s iPhone, iPod, iPad, and (increasingly) Mac computers rely on flash memory rather than traditional disk-based storage, for all the usual reasons: no moving parts, lower power consumption, and higher performance. However, rather than manufacturing heaps of flash memory, Anobit has been focussing on improving the design of flash memory to improve performance and reliability, as well as bringing down power needs and manufacturing costs. In fact, Apple is already using Anobit-designed flash in many of its flash-based products.

By acquiring Anobit—much in the same way Apple acquired PA Semi back in 2008—Apple gets an exclusive lock on Anobit’s flash memory innovation—meaning Apple will get the call on whether or not Anobit’s technology is available to competing smartphone and portable device makers. We’re guessing not.

Apple’s decision to open an R&D center in Israel is also interesting, making Apple one of a group of large global technology companies like Qualcomm and Intel that have set up facilities near Israel’s Institute of Technology.

Geoff Duncan
Former Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Apple is hoping your emails will fix its misfiring AI
Categories in Apple Mail app.

Apple’s AI efforts haven’t made the same kind of impact as Google’s Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The company’s AI stack, dubbed Apple Intelligence, hasn’t moved the functional needle for iPhone and Mac users, even triggering an internal management crisis at the company. 

It seems user data could rescue the sinking ship. Earlier today, the company published a Machine Learning research paper that details a new approach to train its onboard AI using data stored on your iPhone, starting with emails. These emails will be used to improve features such as email summarization and Writing Tools. 

Read more
Apple Watch owners can earn an exclusive reward to celebrate its 10th birthday
Activity Rings on the Apple Watch Series 10.

Apple is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch by marking April 24 as Global Close Your Rings Day, giving owners an exclusive reward when they close all their Activity rings.

The company shared plans for the Apple Watch's milestone birthday in a press release on Monday, encouraging users to be more active throughout the day and close their move, stand, and exercise rings in order to receive an exclusive reward created especially to celebrate the Activity rings that came with the first batch of the Apple Watch line, as well the Activity app on iPhone. If you close all your rings by doing the exercises you love and move around more during the day, you'll get a limited-edition badge with gold borders, plus 10 colorful animated stickers for the Messages app.

Read more
Apple Intelligence is coming to the Apple Watch in a limited capacity
A person wearing the Apple Watch SE 2.

In his most recent Power On newsletter, Apple insider Mark Gurman says the Apple Watch won't be receiving onboard Apple Intelligence, but it will still get useful features that are powered by AI. While the Apple Watch isn't receiving a major overhaul, Gurman says it will get some new interface elements and give users a "smaller taste of the big shifts underway at Apple."

These upcoming changes will be announced in more detail at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC). Gurman says the two main subjects of the June event will be Apple Intelligence and something called Solarium, the internal name for a new design language Apple plans to implement for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Read more