Microsoft to Acquire Skype

[Sam_Reynolds]

Microsoft has announced today that it plans to acquire the ever popular VoIP application Skype. This is Microsoft's priciest acquisition to date, and Skype has yet to turn a profit. What is their play here? Integration into Xbox Live, or perhaps a re-brand as the Windows 7 phone? Edmond, Washington and Luxemborg ? May 10, 2011 ? Microsoft Corp. an... [ Read full article ]

[MacJunky]

[Polygon]

ugh, well on the bright side maybe they can fix skype's shitty UI. Every time they update their POS software there is a worse UI than the last time.

[enaberif]

I wonder what this will do for Apple and Skype?

Google has Gtalk for Android phones.

[martin_metal_88]

As long as they keep the skype team since they are doing decent job I agree.

[muse108dc]

Skype has been notoriously bad at making a profit, I'm wondering how Microsoft is going to change that, I hope in a way that doesnt result in everything coming with a charge. I think microsoft is well suited to it though, with kinect and windows phone on top of the obvious windows uses. The good news also being that other platforms will still be supported

This is for the best however, in my opnion, the alternatives of Google or Facebook did not appeal to me.

[Andy]

I hope they screw it up ... I hope everyone stops using it. I can't stand Skype. It has been going downhill for a long time now. Call quality is crap, file transfers are incredibly slow, ads pop up in the UI even with the promotions and tips function turned off ... etc. They keep integrating more crap into it ... adding tons of bloat. ARGH! It makes me so angry. I hate myself every time I pay for minutes. If it wasn't necessary for work it wouldn't even be installed.

Oh and the mobile version on both Android and iOS is garbage. It rarely works properly when you are logged in on a computer and your mobile device. It has so many issues.

Google voice's call quality is a million times better than Skype ... and since everything I have is synced via gmail, android phone etc, it's much easier to use.

[muse108dc]

skype has worked quite well for me in the past and seeing how google voice is still US only, just like most things google, I dont see me changing services. And skype on webos works quite well, integrated right into the phone app, sadly only on verizon for now.

[Jaydu]

From my perspective, this is a way Microripoff can use the skype team in adding a future technology for them. It looks like they can use this technology on Microsoft live, or there cell phones. Voip is really the future of the telecom technologies, no more cables all done with wifi or the 3/4g network. So this take over gives them a head start and developing Microsoft skype that they will charge a signal charge per month to talk to anyone in the world using a mobile/video game system device and they do not have to do the r and d themselves right from the start they can take over where the skype team left off. Smart move on Mircosoft.

remember just my opinion