Apple may back a bid by its largest contract manufacturer, Hon Hai/Foxconn, to acquire Toshiba’s semiconductor unit. This would be the latest example of Apple increasing its control over critical iPhone technologies and components, a strategy that may be mirrored by Google, if reports that it will invest in LG Display to secure screen supplies for its Pixel smartphone prove well-founded. Japanese reports said that Apple was looking to team with Foxconn and would invest several billion dollars for a 20% stake in Toshiba’s memory business, which is the world’s second largest player in this market, after Samsung. An investment with Foxconn would be Apple’s first direct stake in a significant memory company. The increasing self-sufficiency of some large device…