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New York TimesIntel, the chip maker, has turned into Intel, the security specialist. Making one of most eye-catching moves in its 42-year history, Intel announced Thursday that it planned to acquire McAfee for $7.68 billion in cash. Under the terms of the deal, Intel will pay $48 a share in cash, a 60 percent premium over McAfee’s Wednesday closing stock price of $29.93.
The deal makes Intel a major player in the security software and services market. As such, Intel will shed some of its identity as a component supplier and climb higher up the technology food chain. Intel expects the market for security technology to grow as electronic gadgets and things like cars and home appliances increase their computing power and tap into the Web.
Analysts expect that many of the tools that McAfee provides today may be built-in to chips and devices over time. “Eventually the software features will get embedded in the hardware,” said Ashok Kumar, a technology analyst with Rodman & Renshaw. “So, maybe this is an expensive way for Intel to acquire domain expertise.”
Intel’s chief executive, Paul S. Otellini, said in a statement: “With the rapid expansion of growth across a vast array of Internet-connected devices, more and more of the elements of our lives have moved online. In the past, energy-efficient performance and connectivity have defined computing requirements. Looking forward, security will join those as a third pillar of what people demand from all computing experiences.”...
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/technology/20chip.html
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