So Skype is due to be purchased by the behemoth Microsoft for 8.5 Billion.
MSFT is saying it will continue support for Skype on non Windows machines, but is not making any concrete promises.
Some say MSFT is greatly overvaluing Skype . Skype has rarely turned much of a profit. and was recently sold by eBay for 2.5 Billion.
Others say this could be the start of MSFT competing with the currently more relevant Apple and Google by having it’s own social networking flagship.
I think it is a bad decision by MSFT. Google telephony is inevitably going to compete with Skype’s current supremacy. MSFT has been losing ground to Apple/Google for years. I don’t think Skype will change anything. I suggest those on LingQ acquaint themselves with Google phone, if possible.
Have faith, I mean It can’t possibly get any worse. The interface on Windows is so bloated, it’s unbelievable. Not to mention the fact that newer versions also show adverts. I wouldn’t mind so much, but I actually pay a subscription to Skype for world-wide calls, and don’t want a huge bloated, advert ridden interface.
I kept the old Mac version, because it was minimal. The newer mac version takes up an entire screen, and is a total UI nightmare.
I also recall Hotmail being the king of web based email in the 90’s. Then it was bought by the MSFT and only now it has struggled back to 3rd or 2nd place.
I like the old Skype I use on Ubuntu but it is limited for adding people in group calls. You have to end the whole discussion first.
The newest Skype I use at work is ok. No issues actually.
I am just wondering if there are any alternatives to Skype for LingQ tutors. Something with a chatbox and free calls. I am guessing yahoo or msn messenger but I am not familiar with them.
I use Facetime, but only with my husband (since he’s the only other person I know who has an iPad here). It’s very cute, it would be great if more people had it.
I used to be a big Skype user, both of the free calls and the SkypeOut service or whatever it was called.
It’s a sad day for Skype since M$ bought it. Now it will surely go the way of Hotmail.
I agree 1000000%. Skype is such a great language learning tool… I hope M$ leaves it alone…
Facetime and Ichat are better designs… just wish more people used it.
You can’t really blame Microsoft for trying to jump into another market. They don’t want to have all of their eggs in one basket. Sometimes Microsoft has huge successes, and sometimes they fall flat on their faces. To me it seems that Microsoft does their best work when they have businesses in mind as their customer base. Currently they are still winning the personal computer operating system war, and the original Windows had a significant impact on making computers usable for the general population. In the programming world, Microsoft’s .NET software development platform and its programming languages C# and Visual Basic are also very popular among software development shops. Their cloud service, Azure, looks very promising. They of course fell flat on their face with the Zune, which was aimed at the general consumer, and arguably with hotmail as it has, as already mentioned, fallen behind other web based email systems. (Microsoft Exchange however is still doing rather well, because its aimed at businesses). Windows Phone 7, which includes a mobile version of Microsoft Office, is steadily gaining market share and seems like its going to be a success, perhaps because businesses like it.
The success of Skype under Microsoft rule will probably depend on who Microsoft chooses to gear it towards. If they have success selling it to businesses as a viable VOIP solution and integrate it with other remote office functionality, it may find a good deal of success. It may even grow in user base as people who use it at work decide to get personal accounts at home.