Apple eyes fingerprint sensor tech developer

Today Online reports.

Shares of AuthenTec, whose sensor chips can be used in personal computers and mobile devices, closed above the $8 per share that Apple agreed to pay for the company, suggesting some investors expect a rival bid.

AuthenTec counts Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Fujitsu, HBO, HP, Lenovo, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Samsung, Sky, and Texas Instruments among its customers, so Apple might be positioning itself not only to secure the company's products, but could end up licensing them back to its rivals, USA Today writes.

Apple will also pay AuthenTec $7.5 million for “non-recurring engineering services,” with any new research conducted by company immediately belonging to Apple.

This will undoubtedly increase speculation that Apple is to include similar technology in its next-generation devices, but the company has yet to comment on the acquisition.

According to iAfrica, the security products are used to "protect individuals and organisations through secure networking, content and data protection, access control and strong fingerprint security on PCs and mobile devices," according to the AuthenTec website.

It has sold more than 100 million fingerprint sensors and portable electronics, including 15 million mobile phones. The move comes amid concerns about hacker attacks on mobile devices, especially Apple gadgets or those powered by Google-backed Android software.