By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 10:10 AM EST

Apple Computer plans to introduce a 2GB iPod shuffle in June and a 4GB version two months later, according to an overseas report.

Samsung Electronics and Toshiba are aggressively planning to ramp up their output of 8Gbit NAND flash chips in preparation for the new Apple-branded players, says the report by DigiTimes.

It should be noted that DigiTimes has been consistently inaccurate in their predictions of future and unannounced Apple products.

Still, the overseas publication which closely monitors Apple's component suppliers and hardware manufacturers in the far east, may be on to something.

AppleInsider sources believe Apple is destine to use at least one of these chips for a future digital music player that will debut in the next month or so.

Rumors of a new iPod using 2GB flash memory have been steady over the past two months. Whether these new players will debut as an iPod shuffle -- in its current form and design -- is a totally different subject.

The most reliable rumors suggest the new breed of flash-based iPods, due this spring, will contain a display screen.