Apple's CFO predicts memory pricing relief

Apple's chief financial officer has claimed that the memory market may be nearing its peak, predicting stable or even falling prices in the near future - in direct contrast to claims from memory manufacturers themselves.

The memory market is currently suffering from under-supply of both dynamic RAM and non-volatile flash memory parts, which is having a noticeable effect on wholesale and retail prices of both memory and storage components. While memory manufacturers like SK Hynix say that the issue is simply due to high demand and a lack of manufacturing capacity which is unlikely to be relieved in the near future, and others point to alleged price-fixing between manufacturers, Apple's latest earnings call came with a glimmer of hope: the suggestion from its chief financial officer that an end is in sight.

'On the memory [pricing] front, we feel that for NAND [flash modules] we're going to be turning the corner very soon,' chief financial officer Luca Maestri told analysts and investors during the company's quarterly earnings call this week. 'For DRAM, we also think that we are near the peak, possibly at the end of this year.'

If Maestri's prediction proves true, it could spell relief for system builders and end-users - though prices are likely to remain high through to the end of the year and into 2019.