AuthenTec, the company behind fingerprint ID technology that Apple bought earlier this year, will stop supporting its other customers in 2013 which means companies such as HP and Samsung will have to look elsewhere for fingerprint scanning technology, reports "The Mac Observer" (www.macobserver.com).
In August it was announced that Apple had agreed to buy AuthenTec (www.authentec.com), a maker of fingerprint sensor chips used in personal computers, for US$8 per share, in a deal valued at about $356 million.
Here's the company's official description of itself:
"AuthenTec encryption technology, fingerprint sensors and identity management software are deployed by the leading mobile device, networking and computing companies, content and service providers, and governments worldwide. AuthenTec’s products and technologies provide security on hundreds of millions of devices, and the Company has shipped more than 100 million fingerprint sensors for integration in a wide range of portable electronics including over 15 million mobile phones. Top tier customers include Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Fujitsu, HBO, HP, Lenovo, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Samsung, Sky, and Texas Instruments."
