Analyst iSuppli claims that Apple is set to become the biggest buyer of hardware from the Far East with considerable economic clout.

According to a report  penned by Min-Sun Moon, senior analyst for semiconductor spend and design at iSuppli the iPad and iPhone is expected to make Apple the world's second-largest OEM semiconductor buyer in 2011.

This could make it the world's top chip purchaser in 2012. With projected semiconductor spending in 2011 of US$16.2 billion, Apple will leap over Samsung Electronics said iSuppli. It will move the company to a close second place behind HP which will retain its No. 1 ranking in 2011 thanks to US$17.1 billion in spending, but might challenge it by 2012.

Spending ranking represents a position of prestige. An advancement in the rankings means that a company has been successful in introducing new products and that it is allocating more dollars in research and development. But it also means that suppliers have to be a lot nicer too you. They have to call you “sir”, or madam, and get out the chocolate biscuits for the meetings rather than the old tea-buscuits.

The next five companies following Apple, in descending order, are Lenovo, SanDisk, RIM, Cisco and Acer.