There are several issues that I think some people are missing regarding Microsoft’s buy of Skype.
Skype is fully IP based. It relies only on a data connection and its biggest user base is OUTSIDE the US. I use it almost exclusively in place of a land line. I use it on my Android phone, my desktop PC, my Laptop and even have Skype phones that replace normal house phones.
Skype is by far the cheapest of the services available at the moment. for me. Even above my local traditional carriers. It doesn’t require I have a contract with a phone company… Just a data connection from anywhere.
Microsoft hates Android with a passion. Microsoft hates any company that competes with them fairly. Microsoft has a history of discontinuing products on platforms it doesn’t like or that it perceives as being a threat to their traditional monopoly. Microsoft is also desperate to get Windows Phone 7 a market share above its worth. The multi-billion dollar deal with Nokia shows just how desperate they are.
So far I have seen a lot of comments about Google’s services being an alternative to Skype for those of us worried about how MS will deal with their new acquisition. Google Talk is nice, and combined with Google Voice and Gmail Chat it is really nice. But only if you’re in the US, and even then it still relies on phone minutes from your carrier.
Outside of the US, Google Voice is not an option at all. It does not allow me to get a New Zealand based land line phone number to receive calls. It does not allow me to make Google Voice calls from my cellphone across a data connection. If I want to make outbound calls at all, I have to use Gmail Chat to access Google Voice, and even then I pay a per minute fee rather than a per call-connection fee. In fact, Google’s Voice service is only useful to me if I’m sitting at my desk or with my laptop and phoning someone in the US/Canada. Outside of that, price-wise, it doesn’t even come close competitive to Skype.
Android is massive for Skype. Especially with their recent purchase of Qik. It was one of the reasons I found switching to Android from my beloved Symbian so much less painful. The fact I could still use Skype for receiving and making calls.
Android is also the biggest thorn in Microsoft’s side at the moment. It is putting some serious hurt on their plans for the Windows Phone 7 platform. Microsoft is struggling to get any traction in that market at all, and I do not believe even their exclusivity deal with Nokia will help that much.
But what if Skype were suddenly only available on Windows Phone 7 and no other mobile platform? Neither Android, nor iPhone.
Skype is such a major part of my communications that switching to any other platform, regardless of whether its a finally competitive Google Voice or something else, is going to hurt a lot. In a major way. Quite aside from the costs of replacing equipment, transferring numbers and getting new software across all my devices on all platforms. Then there is the time to get used to the new platform, learn the quirks of the software. Set up the permissions and groups the way I want it. Find other 3rd party software to replace certain call monitoring/tracking/voicemail-to-email software I use at the moment. Its a big deal for me.
Yes, I know there are a few others out there, like Fring, that offer similar sorts of features. But again, they focus on internet only based calls and have absolutely no inbound calling service. Skype-In functionality is absolutely essential for me.
So am I concerned about Microsoft buying Skype? You bet I am. When I learned of it last night, it sent a massive shiver down my spine. For guys like me, in New Zealand, there is absolutely no alternative available. And unless Google finally pulls their finger out and starts truly competing with Skype internationally, nor will there ever likely be. Unfortunately, they’re so busy sucking up to Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in the US that the rest of the world will be waiting a long time for Google to make any efforts beyond the US border.
What about you guys? Will this buyout by Microsoft affect you? Do you have any contingency plans in place? What other services have you found that work for you as well as Skype does?
What Microsoft’s buy of Skype means to me
There are several issues that I think some people are missing regarding Microsoft’s buy of Skype.
Skype is fully IP based. It relies only on a data connection and its biggest user base is OUTSIDE the US. I use it almost exclusively in place of a land line. I use it on my Android phone, my desktop PC, my Laptop and even have Skype phones that replace normal house phones.
Skype is by far the cheapest of the services available at the moment. for me. Even above my local traditional carriers. It doesn’t require I have a contract with a phone company… Just a data connection from anywhere.
Microsoft hates Android with a passion. Microsoft hates any company that competes with them fairly. Microsoft has a history of discontinuing products on platforms it doesn’t like or that it perceives as being a threat to their traditional monopoly. Microsoft is also desperate to get Windows Phone 7 a market share above its worth. The multi-billion dollar deal with Nokia shows just how desperate they are.
So far I have seen a lot of comments about Google’s services being an alternative to Skype for those of us worried about how MS will deal with their new acquisition. Google Talk is nice, and combined with Google Voice and Gmail Chat it is really nice. But only if you’re in the US, and even then it still relies on phone minutes from your carrier.
Outside of the US, Google Voice is not an option at all. It does not allow me to get a New Zealand based land line phone number to receive calls. It does not allow me to make Google Voice calls from my cellphone across a data connection. If I want to make outbound calls at all, I have to use Gmail Chat to access Google Voice, and even then I pay a per minute fee rather than a per call-connection fee. In fact, Google’s Voice service is only useful to me if I’m sitting at my desk or with my laptop and phoning someone in the US/Canada. Outside of that, price-wise, it doesn’t even come close competitive to Skype.
Android is massive for Skype. Especially with their recent purchase of Qik. It was one of the reasons I found switching to Android from my beloved Symbian so much less painful. The fact I could still use Skype for receiving and making calls.
Android is also the biggest thorn in Microsoft’s side at the moment. It is putting some serious hurt on their plans for the Windows Phone 7 platform. Microsoft is struggling to get any traction in that market at all, and I do not believe even their exclusivity deal with Nokia will help that much.
But what if Skype were suddenly only available on Windows Phone 7 and no other mobile platform? Neither Android, nor iPhone.
Skype is such a major part of my communications that switching to any other platform, regardless of whether its a finally competitive Google Voice or something else, is going to hurt a lot. In a major way. Quite aside from the costs of replacing equipment, transferring numbers and getting new software across all my devices on all platforms. Then there is the time to get used to the new platform, learn the quirks of the software. Set up the permissions and groups the way I want it. Find other 3rd party software to replace certain call monitoring/tracking/voicemail-to-email software I use at the moment. Its a big deal for me.
Yes, I know there are a few others out there, like Fring, that offer similar sorts of features. But again, they focus on internet only based calls and have absolutely no inbound calling service. Skype-In functionality is absolutely essential for me.
So am I concerned about Microsoft buying Skype? You bet I am. When I learned of it last night, it sent a massive shiver down my spine. For guys like me, in New Zealand, there is absolutely no alternative available. And unless Google finally pulls their finger out and starts truly competing with Skype internationally, nor will there ever likely be. Unfortunately, they’re so busy sucking up to Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in the US that the rest of the world will be waiting a long time for Google to make any efforts beyond the US border.
What about you guys? Will this buyout by Microsoft affect you? Do you have any contingency plans in place? What other services have you found that work for you as well as Skype does?