Is Silver The Tech Industry’s Kryptonite?

[UPDATE: In an email reply from Tyler Durden of ZeroHedge to SilverVigilante about the notion, he replied: "Nothing to do with silver and everything to do with lack of demand"]

And if it is, is it that to the banks as well?

Recent rumors around the delay of Apple’s iMac have led to speculation that their product has experienced delay due to delays on silver in China. As SV reader Jack Lee notified us, there have been numerous hardware based products from flagship companies that use silver and have been delayed since April 2012. The issues have cropped up across the tablet and smart phone industry, affecting the old-guard and current powerhouses like Google and Apple.  Here is a list of the products that have been delayed since April 2012:

1. Nexus 4 (Google)

2. ATIV Odyssey (Samsung)

3. iPad Mini Cellular (Apple, Inc.)

4. Nokia Lumia 920 (Microsoft)

5. Android 4 (Samsung)

6. Acer RT Tablet

7. Lenovo 39 ThinkPad Tablet

8. Windows 8 Tablet

9. Latitude 10 Tablet (Dell)

10. HP Envy X2

11. VivoTab Smart

12. iMac

Virtually nothing has been said anywhere, really until GoldCore’s article this week which mentioned the delay of the iMac. The Silver Doctors, as well, have covered the iMac story. But, that there are at least twelve  products – from tablets to smart phones, etc. – off the market with very little said thereof hints at something behind the curtain. Not necessarily a silver shortage, but that is certainly an intriguing proposition considering silver’s history of supply and manipulation.

It could also be symptomatic of a consolidation within these industries, though that does not explain why the would-be inheritors in a tech-world “cannibalization” G00gle and Apple are mired in the same issues as Dell and HP. Everyone knows that Google and Apple are on different levels than at least HP and Dell these days, not to mention many of the other companies as well. That we are seeing these delays across the industry implies something fundamental is here awry. But what?

I don’t think it is a consolidation period in which companies are buying each other up and assassinating each other off the market. Though this might occur, I do not think that this is the underlying issue. This is merely symptomatic of an underlying issue, which, as this is Silver Vigilante, might or might not have something to do with silver, which is a fundamental component of all these devices.

Moreover, all these devices are very new. The cell phone industry is maybe thirty years old. In its commercial form, we’re talking about one decade. That means that all these smart phones, etc. are revolutionizing single-handedly the silver paradigm, not to mention all the other silver-utilizing technologies we want. Demand for silver out of China has been stalwart. The country is also important massive amounts of silver. Interestingly enough, none of the aforementioned companies are public members of the Silver Users Association.

• Chinese silver turnover rose to 2,200 tonnes on Friday
• Chinese investor interest in silver continues to rise as many are looking at silver
• Silver bullion imports by China remain robust as well. Silver imports were 228 metric tons in December, according to data released by Chinese customs.

The implications are huge if this indeed is a silver shortage. There is a major possibility that we are seeing something different here. But, never in my career of following silver demand and price have I seen the inflow into ETFs so high, into physical so high, with perceived sentiment so low about price. Silver is not an investment. It is a necessity of life not only from a technological perspective, but also from a monetary perspective, and this demand is monstrous, thus leaving miners in a similar position to their platinum counterparts: parting with a metal at depressed prices for depressed revenue.

The post Is Silver The Tech Industry’s Kryptonite? appeared first on Silver Vigilante.