Micron blames Apple and customers for the lack of memory capacity
Micron attributed insufficient memory capacity to Apple and other customers, according to a report. The company cited demand from major clients as a factor behind the shortage of memory chips.
Background
Micron Technology is one of the world's largest memory chip manufacturers, producing DRAM (used in PCs and servers) and NAND flash (used in phones and SSDs). This article reports that Micron's CEO blamed the company's recent financial woes on Apple and other large customers for not increasing the amount of memory in their devices — meaning Apple ships iPhones and Macs with less RAM than Micron would like, and that customers are holding off on upgrades longer than expected. This matters because memory chip prices have collapsed due to oversupply and weak demand; Micron saw a significant revenue drop. The broader context: the memory chip industry is notoriously cyclical ("boom and bust"), and Micron is currently deep in a bust phase caused by falling PC and smartphone sales.