Well they already did buy a flash maker, Anobit. That said, Anobit is fabless just like PA Semi was. If I am not mistaken, there were reports that Apple provid

Well they already did buy a flash maker, Anobit. That said, Anobit is fabless just like PA Semi was. If I am not mistaken, there were reports that Apple provided at least some of the capital for both Samsung's upcoming fab in Texas and the newly opened Foxconn factory in Brazil. I guess they have decided it doesn't (yet?) make sense to own manufacturing facilities outright, but they seem to be making actual investments in their manufacturing partners rather than just purchasing services. I would say that is indeed further evidence of a tendency toward vertical integration.