When I worked for a terminal vendor a few years ago, I made a prediction that the market would quickly consolidate down to a few (probably 3) big players - and that they'd most likely be VeriFone, Hypercom & Ingenico - but what I didn't see coming was that the market would get as cutthroat as this.
What's unfolding in the Hypercom/Ingenico/Thales 'love triangle' is the kind of thing that would normally only happen in a soap opera. In fact the latest letter from Stout to Lazare indicates that the activities of the big 3 may end with us having a global duopoly before too long (which the EU says is bad in the card scheme world). But I guess the real question has to be 'is Ingenico trying to buy Hypercom or just toy with them?' (answers on a postcard please...) - I can't wait for the next episode to be honest!
Thankfully though, VeriFone have got their own self-induced problems to deal with and so are keeping well out of it. Wonder if they'll swoop for Thales when the dust settles?