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Microsoft to Acquire Skype for $8.5 Billion
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Skype has been a fantastic multi-platform video conferencing application.
Hopefully microsoft will improve Skype, instead of degrading user experience. They claim they'll keep investing in the current supported platforms. We'll see.
Could have been worse, Oracle could have bought Skype. Microsoft's first priority should be to fix the crap GUI that Skype 5 has.
Hopefully microsoft will improve Skype, instead of degrading user experience. They claim they'll keep investing in the current supported platforms. We'll see.
Could have been worse, Oracle could have bought Skype. Microsoft's first priority should be to fix the crap GUI that Skype 5 has.
IMO, this is the best move I've seen MS make in years and years. This is a good technology and a good platform. I have no idea on the justified price. Maybe they overpaid. I dunno, but the move is a good one.
The only issue, of course, is that MS will screw it up. But as a move, it's not that bad.
It does mean, though, that Skype for Mac will degrade further.
The only issue, of course, is that MS will screw it up. But as a move, it's not that bad.
It does mean, though, that Skype for Mac will degrade further.
What a shame.
Microsoft just wants the 450 Million users to market to. Hopefully they'll leave it independent instead of screwing with it in that special Microsoft way.
Microsoft just wants the 450 Million users to market to. Hopefully they'll leave it independent instead of screwing with it in that special Microsoft way.
Well, Skype it was fun while it lasted.
My guess is now we'll just wait for Skype to die off, while Facebook will probably come out with their own video chat implementation. (Think about AOL Instant Messenger, which basically died off in light of Facebook Chat.)
My guess is now we'll just wait for Skype to die off, while Facebook will probably come out with their own video chat implementation. (Think about AOL Instant Messenger, which basically died off in light of Facebook Chat.)
8.5 Billion is a lot to pay especially when you have a Video service already. But Skype is the biggest Video chat service. The two services will now merge more than likely and and be THE video chat service to beat. That 8.5 Billion misght turn out to be a smart move in the end. Right off the bat, they will have millions of users.
My question is now that Microsoft has skype, what does Facebook now do? They obviously wanted Skype for their facebook chat service. Do they build their own video chat platform or do they partner with Microsoft. Id love for facebook and Apple to partner up and make facetime something more than just a iOS service. Steve did say facetime woould be open.
My question is now that Microsoft has skype, what does Facebook now do? They obviously wanted Skype for their facebook chat service. Do they build their own video chat platform or do they partner with Microsoft. Id love for facebook and Apple to partner up and make facetime something more than just a iOS service. Steve did say facetime woould be open.
why is this a bad thing? sure, the cash is probably waaaay too much, but i'm guessing the live video/audio tech will go into all of their stuff, much like facetime works now. will they get rid of skype or do anything to damage it? hell no. what i think we'll see is more cross live video/audio/etc to xboxes/win 7 phones/pcs and keep skype as it is for the time being, for the people who call mobiles/landlines via their skype service. maybe long long down the road they'll incorporate that into msn/live whatever they call it one day.
i really wonder if apple are thinking of a windows client for facetime. cause after this, they'd want to seriously at least think about it...
i really wonder if apple are thinking of a windows client for facetime. cause after this, they'd want to seriously at least think about it...
ooVoo for multiple people and AIM(iChat) for one on one.
The app for ooVoo is pretty awful though, it's supposed to receive an update soon on the Mac side though.
after the psn fiasco, i think microsoft don't have to worry about xbox looking bad for quite some time
The software will get bloated, but I doubt it will become so awful people will stop using it. MSN messenger - now Windows Live Messenger - has become bloated and has lots of tacky features, but its core features remain and its UI isn't that far from its roots.
I think Facetime would have to become open now. I'm guessing at the WWDC we'll hear about expanding Facetime to other platforms.
Agreed, although Skype began to deteriorate a while back. I don't understand the reason for this purchase... Microsoft has MSN which (last time I used it) did pretty much the same as Skype.
I dont see skype getting worse. Yes its Microsft and we all have a distatse for them, but they do well with software and this aquisition will only bolster their efforts in the smartphone war. They now own arguably THE BEST video chat client in the world and it will be on every Windows Phone. I can see the NOKIA commercials now.
I realize these announcements are all about happy talk, but man, couldn't he think of something nice to say about Microsoft that won't have the world rolling in laughter? This very deal is about buying innovation instead of inventing something.
So, less than two years after the market valued Skype at $2.75B, this same Silver Lake investment firm turns around and sells it to Microsoft for $8B. Good job, Silver Lake! During a recession you got quite a return! Uh, Steve Ballmer . . .
+1
Much prefer to be clicking on words that don't work than clicking on buttons that neither work NOR make any sense.
Really, somebody at Skype needs their head read.
Because Apple doesn't have Microsoft's history of non-innovation and ruining the value of their acquisitions. The Sidekick acquisition resulted in the Kin phones...
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)
8.5 billion!?
Just shows how much the US dollar really has tanked!
8.5 billion!?
Just shows how much the US dollar really has tanked!