Apple just bought a company by the name of Authentec for $356 million. The company primarily focuses on security, as it provides security hardware and software for PCs and mobile devices. From a business standpoint, it’s a smart move on the part of Apple, as this acquisition is an obvious attempt to better penetrate the business consumer market, a market in which Research in Motion is slowly losing by the day.
Authentec has an impressive list of customers, which include Cisco, Fujitsu, HBO, HP, Lenovo, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Samsung, Sky, and Texas Instruments. As for patents, the company has over 200 filed and issued in the US; interesting stuff is included in its portfolio, such as biometric fingerprint sensor technology to embedded security devices. No doubt impressive holdings Apple could do great things with.
Something else interesting about this deal is the fact that Samsung will be cutting Apple a check indirectly, because the Korean based manufacturer just so happens to use Authentec to help enhance enterprise security in its new Android smartphones and tablets.
That said, to me the picture is beginning to look much more clearer now; Apple seems to be more interested in spending its $117 billion in beefing-up its trove of patents, so it can continue to not only strengthen its position in the business market, but to do its patent trolling of all things Android. Here’s a thought, Apple. Instead of focusing on buying more patents, you should have snatched up Sparrow to replace your shitty and mediocre default mail client on iOS and Mac OS X.
Just saying…
[Yahoo Finance; via The Verge]