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Microsoft to Acquire Skype for $8.5 Billion

mingoglia said:
I really don't think they could do anything but improve the Skype interface. I'm an existing skype user and I think the interface is about the worst I've used.
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whilst I agree the current UI skype on mac is very bad, just look at microsoft mac messenger. A sign of things to come + adverts galore. And if microsoft start using their metro theme which is highly likely, it's just not going to look right on mac os x. Plus have you used microsoft products on mac? mine hasn't been the best experience almost as if microsoft made the program as an after thought or didn't put any thought in it.
 
I thought it was supposed to be May 21, 2011

millerb7 said:
Thank god the world ends in 2012.... doesn't leave Microsoft enough time to screw this up!
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I saw some crazy bible-thumpers a few weeks ago, driving around in a bus painted with warnings to get religion because the world will end on May 21, 2011. Maybe Adam forgot about leap years.

Update: it's only Judgement Day on May 21. The real End of World happens on October 21st. Thank the gods!

http://www.may-212011.com/ (Note that the site is best viewed with Internet Exploder.)
 
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MH01 said:
Dude, you are right, they are out to get you.... trust noone! My thought is why would anyone want to record where you have been using a phones GPS and store that data???
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No reason, unless one day you are the subject of a lawsuit, or a divorce, or a deranged vendetta, and then suddenly you will be very sorry.
 
Kavok said:
Looks to me that this is Microsoft's answer to Apple's FaceTime. Obviously they couldn't come up with something on their own. Probably would run into patent infringement somewhere too. The only thing that Microsoft bought that has done any good is Bungee, still a sore spot for me. LOL.:rolleyes:
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Of course! "If you can't beat them, copy them" is the Microsoft way. For example, where did MS get the idea for a PC with "no tower anymore" as mentioned in the latest "I'm a PC" ad ? And lets not forget those beautiful MS stores they conjured up in their R&D room. LOL

Microsoft Debuts New 'I'm a PC Ad (with video)
http://macdailynews.com/2011/05/10/..._campaign=Feed:+wordpress/xhfA+(MacDailyNews)
 
talkingfuture said:
Be interesting to see what they do with it. You would think MS are able to develop all this stuff themselves so they must be mainly buying the brand and the existing customers. In which case it is a lot to pay. Could work well if integrated with XBox Live etc though.
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well they sort of already did this themselves with Kinect.
 
ten-oak-druid said:
That's a shame. Skype was a good piece of software.
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Amazingly enough I opened skype this morning and it still works. Even AFTER Microsoft bought it!!!

You people are making it seem that because MS bought the company your installed copy of skype will automatically stop working. Get real.
 
At least Ebay had the good sense to do nothing with Skype. MS is almost certainly going to try to "improve" it, decide that nothing it does is profitable enough, start slashing support for features that "simply aren't popular enough", rebrand it, then rebrand it again, then rebrand it a third time-- and by then none of us will remember what they called it and it will fade away like the disturbing end to a pleasant dream.

So. What are the alternatives? My family does a ton of international calling, so I need to be proactive on this one.
 
Analog Kid said:
At least Ebay had the good sense to do nothing with Skype. MS is almost certainly going to try to "improve" it, decide that nothing it does is profitable enough, start slashing support for features that "simply aren't popular enough", rebrand it, then rebrand it again, then rebrand it a third time-- and by then none of us will remember what they called it and it will fade away like the disturbing end to a pleasant dream.
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They already said more ads are coming to Skype users. Joy.
 
fagosu said:
Amazingly enough I opened skype this morning and it still works. Even AFTER Microsoft bought it!!!

You people are making it seem that because MS bought the company your installed copy of skype will automatically stop working. Get real.
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um.... as you say, Microsoft only just bought it. They probably haven't even touched it. But when they do start "updating" and "improving" and trying to put a Microsoft touch to it, then that's when problems are to be expected :D
 
Good grief. It just keeps getting better and better.....

According to a source who claims knowledge of talks held between all parties, Google came in second at a price of $4B, while Microsoft will be paying $8.5B. This suggests that Redmond is paying significantly over the odds for Skype, although only time will tell if it turns out to be a smart deal. What is known is that had Microsoft been aware of the price that Google was willing to pay it almost certainly would have come in lower.

"Did Microsoft overpay for Skype? Hell yes — by $4.5 billion" at TechCrunch.

I would not want to be Ballmer at the next shareholder meeting.
 
MacNewsFix said:
Good grief. It just keeps getting better and better.....

According to a source who claims knowledge of talks held between all parties, Google came in second at a price of $4B, while Microsoft will be paying $8.5B. This suggests that Redmond is paying significantly over the odds for Skype, although only time will tell if it turns out to be a smart deal. What is known is that had Microsoft been aware of the price that Google was willing to pay it almost certainly would have come in lower.

"Did Microsoft overpay for Skype? Hell yes — by $4.5 billion" at TechCrunch.

I would not want to be Ballmer at the next shareholder meeting.
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Perhaps Ballmer will stomp his way onto the stage chanting, "Shareholders! Shareholder! Shareholders! Shareholders! Shareholders!" and then sweat on everyone to death. LOL
 
Delusional much in this thread? you guys sound like a bunch of conspiracy theorists and cry babies.

Typed on a Tiny Keyboard
 
skype on my XBOX? Not gunna work

Hi,

If the play for microshaft is to integrate it with their kinnex gizmo, I can see a big problem with that: in order for skype to be an effective communications, it's got to be "always on". Perhaps in some households that is not a problem. But for my, we don't like to a.) Have the 50" plasma running all day long and b.) Have the XBox on any more than absolutely necessary- ours sounds like a bloody hovercraft when it gets hot and/or when it has a disc in it (ie. most of the time).

Voice communications is, granted, pretty much a MUST in this day and age. But Video communications is, as far as I'm concerned, still a bit of a novelty gag. Therefor, 8.5 Billion is indeed a LOT of cash for "S_its and Grins".

-Iamthinking
 
DopeyFish said:
It won't be a pay service you sillies (except for their current premium services)

It's better than google (competition crush) or Facebook buying them... Out of the 3 companies in the running, Microsoft was the preferable option of the 3
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You know, I don't use Skype, but I have to agree, of the options, Microsoft is best between those three (especially Facebook *shudder*).
 
Steve121178 said:
A lot of people who had problems pre-SP2 were not using things like Firewalls & AV software. SP2 came with a Firewall and prompted users to install AV software. Virus's are as much a fault of the user as the OS so it's no surprise a lot of people had problems when they had no protection at all! Even routers & wireless routers back then had no firewall built-in, people were such easy targets!
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Yeah well, you'd still get your computer totally rooted just by surfing the web in IE and there was really nothing you could do about it. It wasn't just firewalls. XP was the most infected pile of crap in history.

Everything had to run as Administrator, and even legit third party utilities were often compromised with some kind of adware that turned out to root your box and leave you completely vulnerable.

There were so many ways to get compromised, even systems that seemed to be walled up like Fort Knox would inevitably disappoint you, in my experience at least.

It was a dark time.
 
goodness

$8.5 billion could buy you some fancy things. Important things. Things that will mean more in the World of Tomorrow.

Nuance, say.

Skype is old, and they lost the will to innovate a long time back. If VOIP and video calling were so hard, they'd be the only kid on the block: They're not.

Microsoft really needs to replace Ballmer - he's unimaginative, short-sighted and very bad for business.


And I don't understand why so many people praise Skype, on any platform. A chat program that needs 20 minutes to "get" ongoing conversations when you switch to a different computer, is a pretty crap chat program.
 
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