Apple is known for releasing very innovative products, but the company is incredibly conservative when it comes to introducing new technologies to its existing products. The flash storage options in Apple’s iOS products have remained relatively stagnant for the last few years. The iPhone has particularly suffered from this. Right now, Toshiba, Samsung, Hynix and other memory manufacturers have already found ways to make smaller and more efficient flash storage, using new 20nm-class manufacturing processes. Apple, not being one to rush into things, has yet to approve the use of sub-30nm NAND storage technology in the manufacture of its popular products.
Samsung and Toshiba, two of Apple’s primary flash memory suppliers, have already begun producing sub-30nm NAND storage technologies which would allow Apple to use larger amounts of flash storage in its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch products, in addition to the company’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro computers.
The newer storage is more dense, which means it consumes less space and power than existing technologies. This allows for improved battery life and thinner product designs.
Previously, Apple took about six months to authorize the use of new storage technologies in its products. However, with recent developments, Apple has taken longer and longer to approve the use of new technologies. It now takes about 9 months for Apple to decide to adopt an up-and-coming technology. Because of this, we will probably see the first introductions of sub-30nm storage technologies in Apple products by the end of 2011.
What does this mean for you? It means that we can expect higher maximum storage capacities in the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, MacBook Air, and other Apple products that use SSDs and flash storage — more than likely by the end of this year. Battery life in these products should also see improvements due to the use of this newer and more efficient storage technology.
Article and Image Via AppleInsider
