Apple's Appetite Clears Plates

Remember when Toshiba's 1.8" hard drives were in short supply because Apple was building music players? Then Flash drives?

Then there was the Samsung LCD production Apple squatted for a while, right?

In what is becoming a familiar echo, CMOS vision sensors are constrained because Apple has bumped iPhone production. A 20% production bump seems consistent with the prediction Apple is inching ever closer to RIM's smartphone leading position in market share.

Apple's position as a major OEM consumer of electronics components places it in an interesting position from which to benefit from economies of scale, both in terms of buying in bulk and in terms of negotiating with vendors whose businesses' fortunes are dramatically impacted by Apple's component sourcing decisions. Consuming huge chunks of the market's ability to produce components is an interesting way to reduce competitors' ability to chase Apple's design decisions: bidding on Apple's leftovers can't begin at particularly favorable rates ....