Earlier this year, Apple's iPad was leading an almost five-fold surge in NAND flash memory use this year as consumers gobble up tablets in increasing numbers.

According to iSuppli, shipments of NAND for tablets show no sign of slowing down, and will hit a projected 12.3 exabytes of capacity shipped by 2014. When measured against the total supply of NAND flash, memory in tablets will represent 11.8% of the supply this year, up from a 4.3% in 2010. By 2014, tablet memory will represent 16% of all NAND flash.

Apple's ranking among equipment manufacturers to get to the number one spot. It surpassed HP in the U.S. and Samsung Electronics in South Korea, which had been no. 1 and no. 2, respectively.

In 2011 and beyond, Apple is likely to continue increasing its semiconductor spending at an above-average pace, allowing the company to extend its lead over HP and Samsung, iSuppli said. In 2011 Apple's semiconductor spending is expected to exceed that of HP by $7.5 billion, up from $2.4 billion in 2010.

While traditionally hot competitors, Apple and HP's consumption levels of NAND flash is an indication that the two companies are taking fundamentally different development paths, according to iSuppli.