Full on licensing route - then buyout. I believe this is the way ...
as for this...
"Would you rather have POET acquired by MegaCo (e.g., AAPL) and pocket your $50/share next year? very reasonable, especially for those who's time horizon is not measured in decades."
100% yes.
For those who want the long term dividend, and follow on ops...keep some shares of the aquirer and reap the ongoing rewards of a leader in the chip space (due to POET).