Following Apple's acquisition of AuthenTec, Tokyo Institute of Technology venture company CBA Japan is enabling global Android products producers and Microsoft providers to use its optical fingerprint sensing technology in notebooks and tablets, and also allowing the unique integration of CBA's optical fingerprint sensing technology within Microsoft and Android products.
CBA Japan has already delivered optical fingerprint sensing technology to 1M phones developed by Sharp. Apple's competitors may make use of this technology. In contrast, CBA Japan now authorizes its optical fingerprint sensors and fingerprint algorithms to be adopted by all Android product manufactures as well as Microsoft-related producers, thereby enabling the companies to carry out business operations without involving Apple and AuthenTec.
Apple's acquisition of AuthenTec and its fingerprint authorization technology has posed several investigations to CBA Japan.
The acquisition of AuthenTec, the fingerprint authorization technology company by Apple was disclosed on July 26 in a SEC filing. With an overall value of $356 M, Apple paid $8 per share for AuthenTec.
Though Apple has still not declared the acquisition officially, the fingerprint authorization technology will be incorporated within in its mobile devices to be deployed in mobile payment settlements for online and conventional shopping, in addition to applications such as digital signatures and web logins.
This acquisition may be a threat for Apple rivals like Microsoft and its OEM hardware manufacturers, and Google and its Android providers. The fingerprint sensor of AuthenTec has been deployed largely by Apple competitors like Toshiba, Acer, DELL, ASUS, Lenovo, and Samsung. AuthenTec’s fingerprint authorization solution has been adopted within HP’s SimplePass.