The NAND flash chip market is a little tighter now that Apple has apparently placed orders for 100 million 8Gb NAND chips. The orders look to have put a strain on the market and are causing supply shortages for other manufactures, according to DigiTimes.
There isn't any word yet on exactly what Apple has in store for the flash chips, although is seems likely that they may be destined for iPods or the iPhone.
Assuming the DigiTimes sources are correct, Apple's big buy could mean that the company is ramping up for a big product push, and since chip supplies are now expected to be thin through May, iPod competition may be behind the curve for several weeks.