Microsoft buys Skype ...

My God, thats epic. I forsee it being straight up bundled/integrated into windows 8.

'Windows 8 connects you to family and friends anywhere in the world'

The one thing i don't understand is why the phone service providers aren't up in arms about Voip. I can talk to my dad in dubai for free on skype, or pay through the nose for inferior sound quality on mobile or landline.... No brainer.

When are all phone communications going to go packet based?
 
Last edited:
Redrum said:
I still think though that they've paid way over the odds. They are paying more than 3 times what eBay paid for it 5 years ago. Has it tripled in value? I don't think so! Despite being a very old service, it has never made serious money.
Click to expand...

i doubt profit is the driving force behind this, the prevention of competitors gaining a foothold is likely to be the favourable option.

Wonder if Ebay will want them to pay via paypal!
 
BunnyKillBot said:
The one thing i don't understand is why the phone service providers aren't up in arms about Voip. I can talk to my dad in dubai for free on skype, or pay through the nose for inferior sound quality on mobile or landline.... No brainer.

When are all phone communications going to go packet based?
Click to expand...

Thats a question thats intrigued me as well! Skype has been available on mobiles for a long time, only the providers block it, screams of old hat business men refusing to welcome new technology (Record company's I'm looking at you!) or there to scared of loosing there grip on the market.
 
They want an international head-start above Google Voice, and they got it.

Over time we will see control over services taken away from mobile operators who will simply become data carriers over time. Skype, Google Voice (etc) will be the new services operators on top of these carriers.

The value of this for Microsoft isn't that unobvious.
 
LeJosh said:
In the mad world of super-corps, it isn't that much money. I know, it sounds crazy but the money isn't that large. :(
Click to expand...

They made $62.5B in revenue last year so $8.5B is still a pretty vig purchase on their part, i think its the largest so far.

The userbase is very impressive though, skype is probably going to become nr 1 communicator integrated with every new technology that microsoft implements, possibly even in their new os by default. Im sure they have a way to cash in, microsoft isnt a non-profit organisations and is run by a number of people and investors.
 
BunnyKillBot said:
The one thing i don't understand is why the phone service providers aren't up in arms about Voip. I can talk to my dad in dubai for free on skype, or pay through the nose for inferior sound quality on mobile or landline.... No brainer.

When are all phone communications going to go packet based?
Click to expand...

No idea why the don't allow the traffic yet, too large a bandwidth? You would need to use a PBX though I believe for such large bandwidth.

And using VoIP over 3G is awful so you would need a Wi-Fi connection near by but that's growing too at least.
 
Mr Krugga said:
They made $62.5B in revenue last year so $8.5B is still a pretty vig purchase on their part, i think its the largest so far.

The userbase is very impressive though, skype is probably going to become nr 1 communicator integrated with every new technology that microsoft implements, possibly even in their new os by default. Im sure they have a way to cash in, microsoft isnt a non-profit organisations and is run by a number of people and investors.
Click to expand...

Indeed, they know what they're doing. ;)
 
Skype can be integrated into iptv side of things, google, microsoft, apple are all getting into that. Skype will mean they can integrate things into complete solutuions that are easy to use.
 
asim18 said:
Yes but then they would have 0 users from the beginning. Skybe already has a MASSIVE user base and already a HUGE amount of revenue coming in.

This isn't just buying any old company. They've bought THE biggest internet telephony company. It's also about competition. Now they don't have any serious competition.
Click to expand...

Not to mention the technology behind it, and probably more importantly, the patents and brand name.

I suspect the patents/name thing is the main reason, and iirc unlike the other companies that have owned skype in the past, MS not only have a product that will seriously be complimented by Skype (the Windows Phone/os*), but I suspect a reasonable plan to go along with it.
IIRC Ebay bought it but didn't have a clue what to do with it beyond a general wishy washy thought that it would be good to go with ebay accounts and paypal.



*And aren't the likes of Jobs going to love that, an app on their hardware/os competing with their own big profit making items.
 
yvtdc.png


Be afraid, be very afraid... :eek:
 
Werewolf said:
Not to mention the technology behind it, and probably more importantly, the patents and brand name.

I suspect the patents/name thing is the main reason, and iirc unlike the other companies that have owned skype in the past, MS not only have a product that will seriously be complimented by Skype (the Windows Phone/os*), but I suspect a reasonable plan to go along with it.
IIRC Ebay bought it but didn't have a clue what to do with it beyond a general wishy washy thought that it would be good to go with ebay accounts and paypal.



*And aren't the likes of Jobs going to love that, an app on their hardware/os competing with their own big profit making items.
Click to expand...

I agree. I can see a lot of the Skype tech finding it's way into Windows Phone. A rival to Facetime for iOS for one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom