Apple to acquire AuthenTec for $356 million

Apple has entered into an agreement to purchase mobile security firm AuthenTec. Reuters reports that the deal—worth $8 per share, or roughly $356 million—was disclosed in an SEC filing. AuthenTec makes mobile security software and chips for mobile phones, as well as chips for fingerprint recognition and near-field communication (NFC), the latter being a technology that has been repeatedly speculated upon in Apple’s upcoming devices. AuthenTec currently counts Apple competitors such as Samsung, Lenovo, Dell, and Fujitsu as customers.