One of the many secrets of Apple’s success in devices has been its ability to control its access to memory supplies, and even stockpile the chips when prices are good. As mobile products get more memory-hungry, the fluctuating nature of prices and availability are a real risk for vendors. This is why Apple and Amazon are both supporting Foxconn’s bid to acquire Toshiba’s semiconductor business, since that will help both companies secure a steady supply of NAND flash memory. Toshiba is the second largest supplier of memory worldwide after Samsung – and Apple wants to loosen its reliance on its largest smartphone rival for vital components like memory. The deal had been rumored before, but was confirmed by Foxconn’s CEO…