Flash Prices Explode, Apple Loses Leverage

🔥 What happened Flash memory prices have surged 550% since 2023, topping 30 cents per gigabyte. Cloud giants Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Google now buy twice as much memory as Apple – a complete reversal from two years ago when Apple bought nearly double their combined volume. 💡 Why it matters Apple's annual flash spend is projected to jump from $6B in 2025 to $25B in 2026. The cost for a 256→512GB iPhone upgrade skyrockets from $15 to $66, gutting upgrade margins. Tim Cook likened the price spike to a natural disaster. ⚡ Our take Apple just lost its supply-chain stranglehold to AI infrastructure. Without long-term contracts, you pay through the nose – and Apple is now the prey, not the predator.