Toshiba to Sell Apple Flash Memory Setting Off Further iPod Speculation

Toshiba Corp. will supply flash memory chips to Apple Computer in early 2005 that could be used a much rumored flash memory-based iPod, the China Daily reported Thursday.

A Senior executive vice-president at Toshiba admitted an agreement for sale had been completed. An Apple spokesperson refused comment to both The China Daily and to The Mac Observer.

Speculation has been rampent over the past month about Apple entering the lucractive market for flash memory music players, which market research group IDC reports is currently five times bigger than the hard-drive market, which Apple dominates.

No less than five Wall Street stock analysts have predicted in the last few weeks that Apple will launch a flash-based iPod at MacWorld Expo, which starts on January 10.