Kim Yoo-chul of The Korea Times writes that a growing number of complaints from companies in the "semiconductor industry" claim that Apple is manipulating NAND flash pricing using "'questionable' purchasing strategies".
The news which comes from industry sources familiar to The Korea Times states that Apple is adjusting prices of NAND flash in its favour "by ordering more chips from semiconductor makers than the amount it actually buys from them."
An anonymous industry official told The Korea Times that "Apple should certainly be blamed for deteriorating the supply and demand cycle in the global NAND flash market,"
The official added, "Apple has asked Korean semiconductor makers to produce a certain amount of chips for its digital products, only to actually purchase a smaller volume eventually. The company doesn't make immediate purchases, but waits until chip prices to fall to the level the company has internally targeted."
Apple's behaviour was described by sources as "absurd" and that, "Apple's strategy could hurt the industry's health".
The report goes onto state that Samsung and Hynix who manufacturer NAND for Apple are helpless in combating Apple's strategy.