The “will they or won’t they” speculation continues. Toshiba is spinning-off its core memory chip business and seeking outside investors in it. Apple is considering investing several billion dollars in a bid that would give it and partner investor Foxconn a more than 20% stake in the business, Reuters — citing a report from Japan’s national broadcaster — says Apple is deciding whether to take a decreased stake in the embattled Toshiba chip unit to skirt governmental regulations limiting the transfer of Japanese technology to outside companies.
The tech giant could have the edge to win the business, which would allow it to lock in memory technology for its iPhone and other products, Chris DeMuth Jr. writes for Seeking Alpha. The seller values the business at $17-18 billion. Bids are due March 29. Toshiba shareholders meet March 30 and the spin is scheduled for April 1.
