Skype Redesign Ditches Snapchat-Like Highlights Feature to Focus on 'Simplicity'

[coolfactor]

Try FaceTiming someone with a 3-5mbps connection (wifi or cellular), even if just audio, and see how frustrating it can be. Packets of voice stopping and then suddenly reappearing in acceleration, and generally, very very poor quality. Say what you want, but Skype has been my default over FaceTime for all my calls with my family who have Macs or iPhones. At least, if the quality degrades, you still see pixelated images and sounds remain audible, while FaceTime will constantly freeze unless you have perfect gigabyte connections on both ends. And at least with Skype, you can turn video on and off, while FaceTime will not let you remove video once you started it.

Glad that Skype offers simpler, clearer options again for my aging parents.

FaceTime pauses the video, and keeps the audio, if the bandwidth is not sufficient. Are you sure you're talking about FaceTime?
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Skype has been a dumpster fire since eBay purchased it, and it's only gotten worse under Microsoft.

The recent update is a big improvement. Try it.

 

[alphaod]

About time.

FaceTime pauses the video, and keeps the audio, if the bandwidth is not sufficient. Are you sure you're talking about FaceTime?

Yeah I experience the same thing. The FaceTime video will pause, yes, then the audio will turn to poop. At least with Skype even if the video is poop, the audio is still okay.

 

[69Mustang]

There was a news that Apple had to defer its plans for cross-platform Facetime because of patent dispute.
How does Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook get around this and only Apple is targeted with this patent?

Licensing. In the case of Microsoft and Skype, MS settled their lawsuit with VirnetX and agreed to a licensing deal. I think Google and Facebook also license VirnetX IP.

Patents are no obstacle for any 64,000LB Gorilla.

In the case of VirnetX, you're looking at the wrong company as the 64,000 Gorilla. It's VirnetX. Their IP has teeth, which is why they have large corporations as licensees.

Work around whatever it is (if actually anything) or just steamroll & litigate the patent holder to death.

They haven't been able to "work around whatever it is" because a lot of the IP deals with DNS and network communication and their patents have withstood legal scrutiny. Most of the litigation between the companies has gone in favor of VirnetX - Apple was recently denied a new trial against VirnetX. In relation to VirnetX, Apple isn't operating from their normal position of strength. If they lose their cases, they're gonna cough up over $1 billion. Regardless of how much revenue a company generates, a billion dollars is not an insignificant sum.

 

[Textime]

Another all-white design that looks way too overly simplistic and abysmal. Why does all software design today look like it’s gone back 30 years? Simple is good, but I hate this complete-bare-bones-plain-text-on-a-white background crap. All of them take the “simplistic” approach way too literal.

God bless you for those words

 

[69Mustang]

God bless you for those words

But those words don't apply here.

Visually, Microsoft says it has "toned down" the range of the gradients available in the light and dark themes, and it's also reintroducing the simplified Skype "Classic" blue theme, with subtle adjustments for contrast and readability.

The article states it has multiple choices of themes that aren't all white.

 

[CarlJ]

Thank god! Way too many of these companies are trying to be all things to all people and just producing useless facsimiles of other products. Stand out and stand by your unique offering and win. Endlessly walk behind someone else like a puppy and just mimic and you’ll never be more than a commoditized knock-off. Not everything needs a bajillion dumb filters and stickers, dopey feeds and gimmicks to “drive engagement.”

Very much agree. Too many times there's an opinionated product that people like a lot for precisely what it does, and it has a respectable market share, and then some product manager or VP comes along and wants to "increase engagement" by tarting up the product with something that's popular but that doesn't have anything to do with their core product ("You know what our best selling speakers really need? AR and Pumpkin Spice Lattes"). And then the core users, who liked the product because of what it was, revolt, and the product manager / VP is completely mystified ("but Pumpkin Spice is so popular?!?"). (It frequently feels, in these circumstances, like someone in the organization was trying to make a name for themselves, by putting their imprint on the premier product.)

Make a product to accomplish a specific purpose, and make it opinionated, and make it the best you can, and see if it becomes popular. And if it does, find ways to make it accomplish that specific purpose even better, pay attention to customer requests - not something you saw on TV. If AR or Pumpkin Spice Lattes seem really fascinating to you, fine, go make a another different product to address that interest, don't just swerve your good, solid, established, product in that direction.
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At least, if the quality degrades, you still see pixelated images and sounds remain audible, while FaceTime will constantly freeze unless you have perfect gigabyte connections on both ends. And at least with Skype, you can turn video on and off, while FaceTime will not let you remove video once you started it.

Glad that Skype offers simpler, clearer options again for my aging parents.

Weird. I know people who have helped their relatives switch to Mac and/or iOS devices specifically to get to FaceTime, because it works so much better for them than Skype had been doing. And none of them are using gigabit connections, much less "gigabyte" connections (are you really getting 8-gigabits per second into your house?), they're on typical home cablemodem connections.

 

[MacSince1985]

I loved Skype when it first came out. Nice and easy to use. Now I dread whenever I have to use it and struggle to do even the simplest tasks. I haven't tested the new version, but welcome any simplification.

 

[groovyd]

Have they fixed it yet where you couldn't change the ringer sound or volume or output device on the mac yet? I have been holding on to the last honest version of Skype since they made a mess of it. As long as they fix the audio and ringer issues (lack of features) I'd probably be fine with the rest of it though.
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Very much agree. Too many times there's an opinionated product that people like a lot for precisely what it does, and it has a respectable market share, and then some product manager or VP comes along and wants to "increase engagement" by tarting up the product with something that's popular but that doesn't have anything to do with their core product ("You know what our best selling speakers really need? AR and Pumpkin Spice Lattes"). And then the core users, who liked the product because of what it was, revolt, and the product manager / VP is completely mystified ("but Pumpkin Spice is so popular?!?"). (It frequently feels, in these circumstances, like someone in the organization was trying to make a name for themselves, by putting their imprint on the premier product.)

Make a product to accomplish a specific purpose, and make it opinionated, and make it the best you can, and see if it becomes popular. And if it does, find ways to make it accomplish that specific purpose even better, pay attention to customer requests - not something you saw on TV. If AR or Pumpkin Spice Lattes seem really fascinating to you, fine, go make a another different product to address that interest, don't just swerve your good, solid, established, product in that direction.
[doublepost=1536019893][/doublepost]Weird. I know people who have helped their relatives switch to Mac and/or iOS devices specifically to get to FaceTime, because it works so much better for them than Skype had been doing. And none of them are using gigabit connections, much less "gigabyte" connections (are you really getting 8-gigabits per second into your house?), they're on typical home cablemodem connections.

I just can't wait till they add crypto currency to their subscription and billing services

 

[ChrisMoBro]

But the low contrast is a pain in the behind for 50+ old people.
I didn't really like the those things you mentioned but what I did like is the 3D Icons, brings a lot more "life" into the desktop on macOS and on the springboard in iOS.

The 3D icons are examples of skeuomorphism. Instead of having pointless things like reflections and unnecessary detail, the focus is on simple, clear design that creates a better user experience. If anything, gradients and 3D graphics have less contrast than clear, sharp, flat graphics.

 

[justperry]

The 3D icons are examples of skeuomorphism. Instead of having pointless things like reflections and unnecessary detail, the focus is on simple, clear design that creates a better user experience. If anything, gradients and 3D graphics have less contrast than clear, sharp, flat graphics.

Yet they are instantly recognisable, less so for the flat ones.

 

[040]

Instead of having pointless things like reflections and unnecessary detail...

See folks, this right here is the anti-ornamentalist mentality that causes us to stay in the terribly boring flat-design era since Apple popularized it in 2013.

 

[OlliFlamme]

I wish WhatsApp would do the same thing! I miss having a dedicated favorites tab and contacts tab. I do not have a single friend who posts a “story” on WhatsApp so a whole section dedicated to this feature is a waste for me.

Agreed!
But... whatsapp is working wonders for me, even if my corporate policy seems to ‘favor’ Skype for business. The latter is just pushed as an internal standard, because they pay for it.

I am part of a company that looks with dismay at Apple, but me and my regional colleague do all with Apple.

The 365 bunch of ‘apps’ is the deal in our company (they pay for the package). They mainly have it to have Yammer, Outlook and Onedrive + Remote Desktop. Oh, and they had Skype before, so they moved on to that Skype for business.

Skype for business is a nightmare on Apple platforms, it is plainly BS.

I will also add a little side note rant about the three screen login for browser experience: how about logging in by first filling in your account login, move to the next screen - fill in your password, move to a individual coporate look and do that again? Okay, one page only, I give them that.

The whole suite is about supplying a complicated set of apps in one experience and showing you how complicated this must be by: not working seamlessly, not finished individually, and just bwek in looks.

Back to the core topic at hand:

Skype was thé standard like 10 years ago.
It moved to the mobile platform and simply hijacked your battery life.
Then it got a redesigned UI to make you puke.
Then Microsoft took over and made it schizophrenic (skype and skype for business are not compatible!?!?)
Skype seemingly got a Y-generation lift, while they are not populating the platform.

And now they go back to common sense?

What a freak show!!

 

[ChrisMoBro]

See folks, this right here is the anti-ornamentalist mentality that causes us to stay in the terribly boring flat-design era since Apple popularized it in 2013.

I don't want a bloody drop shadow or 3D looking apps just for the sake of it. Yes, flat design has become popular again but minimalistic design goes all the way back to the 1950s where they focused on clean, clear communication.