[supermarketer]

Hi I know its a bit off topic. But since this place is filled with microsoft enthusiasts, I wanted to know what exactly could be microsoft's intentions for the new skype. They totally ruined it while making it to compete with giants like whatsapp.
What are your views?

[supermarketer]

Here's some blog/media releases for reference

on Skype.com
on some internet marketing website

[stateofrouge]

It is useless, forget it. Microsoft cheats itself.

[supermarketer]

Why?

[Bobvfr]

I like Skype (I only use the new app version) but I do feel that I am fighting against the tide in continuing to use it. I have a Skype number, subscriptions and credits so I pay for some of the services I use.

However......

I think MS never really took any control of the firm when they bought it and Skype (The people running it) got so wrapped up in their "Way of doing things" that they missed the mobile and app revolution creeping up on it (Hang on that sounds like MS anyway).

Skype has a high probability of ending up like "Hoover", we all still buy hoovers but they are made by Dyson, Samsung etc.

I may be wrong but I do think last year when the app came out there had been a lot of internal tension and MS developers were sent it to make the new app to show the Skype people what could be done in just a few months rather than the years Skype staff had spent going nowhere.

MS made a big announcement a couple of years ago that you would be able to send and receive SMS on your PC using your mobile they also talked about being able to make and receive calls on your PC using your phone allowances.

But this as far as I can see, got high-jacked as it could have easily killed off the relevance of Skype (At least the perception of it).

So we have ended up with the worst of both worlds, the only way we can use SMS on our PC is through Skype (OK you can use Cortana), and as far as I can see it's made Skype a mess and killed off what would be a fantastic way of helping PC's stay relevant in the modern world.

Personally they should let Skype be what it is, a great communication tool for PC's (And mobiles) and then let the messaging app have its way to deal with SMS and the phone app for calls and give us the choice what way we use them and what was already developed and working until someone at Skype panicked and ruined two sets of tools in one go.

As to what MS currently plan for Skype, I just hope it concentrates on the good bits and worries a lot less about Emojis.

[Michael Bromley]

Excellent assessment Bobvfr. Whatever is causing Microsoft to delay integration of desktop and SMS ( and on demand voice to text as I'm using now to write this....) can only be explained by internal politics and/or cross purposes between divisions. As for telefony, I imagine that skype for business is another barrier to complete phone integration into the OS. That said, I'm very happy with Skype for business, although SMS integration would be incredibly useful.

[Daniel Stevenson Sutton]

I don't think Skype loss of footing came necessarily from them missing the boat, I would say the issue is more related to the issue of contact discovery. WhatsApp uses your telephone contacts, Facebook your facebook friends (and later contacts). As a result people were able to very quickly build huge chat networks on those platforms. Although I actually approve of SMS relay it feels too little too late for skype as a platform. I am also miffed that they have removed useful functions such as translations in place of tools like money sending. I don't think its the right path for them

Skype for business is another story. Its very useful and a great place for the translation features.

[Rahsna Asurac]

I use Skype almost daily. However, most of my friends have moved on to Discord or Telegram Messenger (The former being the most popular) My main gripe about Skype, is that they do a lot of work, asks us to test it, and then reboots the whole thing - Or at least that is what it appears to and feels like.

Microsoft should either do what they are doing with Wunderlist (drop the service, but copy it over into its own solution before taking it over) OR force the hippie Skype time to go with a direction and STICK with it for at least 5 years (even that is asking quite a lot) :P

[Richard Toft]

I use skype daily and tbh have no real issues, it works in and out of the business environment and I'll be looking to get a skype number especially if Ms don't get another telephone enabled device out there before the end of 2018.

[ScubaDog]

I don't think we have any way of knowing what Microsoft plans for Skype. They seem to say certain things at one point, and then do NOTHING to actually see them through. They began telling us to switch to Skype as our default messaging app (instead of their very good Messaging app), but almost none of Messaging app's functionality is actually in Skype. It's extremely painful to use as a replacement for SMS. Cortana pretty much ignores Skype, not recognizing anything that's in messages. As for Skype's "traditional" usage, I know absolutely nobody who uses it. Most of my friends use iPhones (yuck!), so if they do any video chatting it's guaranteed to be FaceTime. Most of my non-voice communication with friends is regular texting first (overwhelmingly) and a distant second is Facebook's messenger. If Microsoft wants Skype to do well, and insists on it being THE way to communicate, then they need to have EVERY SINGLE BIT of Messaging app's functionality and Cortana integration quickly. Unfortunately, Microsoft seems to think adding in more idiotic emoji garbage is more important.

[Wayne Luke]

They appear to be systematically destroying Skype with their changes. Used to be a good tool for working with colleagues. Now it doesn't even work half the time.

[Vincent McLaughlin]

I would actually like to see them make it a full-service messaging app. Currently, you can choose to use it as your default messaging app, but you can make cellular calls, only Skype calls. This is pointless, unless you can do both from within the app. I like the messaging aspects of Skype, but not being able to make cellular calls keeps me from using it as my default messaging app.

[Withheld]

We use Skype both at home with our family, at work daily and personally, I love the direction they've headed in. We used it while my wife was working in extremely remote areas in the North where even phones weren't reliable and . It simply worked, all the time and we were able to let the kids make voice calls and the nearest mobile services are hundreds of miles away. It also allowed them to text 24/7.

[jgschwandtner]

I had been using it every day and it provided better phone call quality than Whatsapp to international land lines and mobile phones (most likely particularly when the wifi on the other side was weak). Interestingly, it appeared to be done through some company in Luxemburg. Then, they killed the Windows Phone 8.1 app without any urgency, just because they wanted to put an end to WP 8.1. So now I use Whatsapp instead and am about to cancel my monthly worldwide calling subscription.

[pallentx]

Is it really still popular? I quit using it when literally everyone I knew were no longer there. I still have an account and log in every now and then to see what it looks like this month, but I don't use it anymore. It should have been Windows Universal Messaging with SMS support around the time Windows 8 came out. IMO, they've squandered the opportunity they had when they bought the service and its massive user base.

[tgp]

Interestingly, it appeared to be done through some company in Luxemburg.

Skype's origin is in Luxembourg. It was founded in 2003, and Microsoft bought it in 2011. From what I understand, it has largely remained as a separate company, operationally speaking.

According to Skype's website, it is still headquartered in Luxembourg.

[anon(9023697)]

Hi I know its a bit off topic. But since this place is filled with microsoft enthusiasts, I wanted to know what exactly could be microsoft's intentions for the new skype. They totally ruined it while making it to compete with giants like whatsapp.
What are your views?

The silence is deafening from Microsoft. Seems like they have no idea of what to do with Skype... worst of all they add features that people don't want... One example - Messaging everywhere should have stayed with the Messaging app.

[jasqid]

Skype is pretty useless to me. None of my friends/family use it. If they were serious they would set it up to replace default messaging on phones. I would use skype over imessage and enjoy the sync to my PC.

[John Loo]

I see Skype as a successor to the great MSN Messenger. Not really a worthy successor, but still miles ahead of WhatsApp. I don't understand why so many people use WhatsApp? Encryption? Skype already had that. Voice calls on WhatsApp are still so miserable compared to Skype. Skype has those animated emojis which reminds me of when you could send your own GIFs on MSN Messenger.

But the last few versions of Skype crashes a lot on me. I think around the time it was turned into UWP? Skype used to be a lot more stable. My Lumia 650 could easily handle video calls and messaging on Skype back then. Now just having a video call heats up my Lumia 650 like a barbeque. Skype will freeze if I try to send a text message while having a video call.

On my laptop, I usually have to startup Skype twice because it usually crashes on the 1st try. After that it randomly crashes from time to time.

Microsoft.. what are you doing?

[vEEP pEEP]

Skype ...
Nokia ...
LinkedIn....

Skype had a huge user base! MS could have capitalized on it AND mobile. They could have been WhatsApp but blew it.

I can't send locations and sharing multiple phones is not as good Whatsapp.

I use Skype for long distance rarely - most phone plans have long distance built in. And only for people who don't have smart phones - (parents).

Otherwise I use Whatsapp much more!

Skype for business - is OK, but is is not WebEx.

I see MS letting Skype become less relevant...

[Jazmac]

This is the NEW Microsoft. And this Microsoft will buy stuff just to own its patients. That's about it. Its a trend of how they have operated post Bill Gates. They buy it and simply fold it into its enterprise offerings, which btw is where Skype lives now. Skype has effectively replaced text messaging in my office. It has no major feature-set that make it a must have but Skype the name is what they are selling. The NEW Microsoft builds things just to say they built one too, remember Microsoft Band? Where is it now? Nothing on that but its the New Microsoft, especially where Windows is concerned, its focus is all about business. How about Linked In? Nothing. It just has a new owner but what is the future hold for Linked In except for maybe selling it off to Amazon, Samsung or Google for that matter some day. Its like Microsoft has become a band of Cutter ants roaming the countryside grabbing stuff and returning it to the hive.




Look at what they did with HoloLens. We got all wide eyed at what whey were showing but it will never reach the masses because the masses are not their focus. Medicine, military, aeronautics and other deep pocket entities is where stuff like this HoloLens stuff show up. It is always where HoloLens is demonstrated to the rest of us but beyond blogs like this one, its never showing up in BestBuy, Amazon or your big box store at a price you can afford. It won't happen. No hate, well maybe a little. But if you think this platform is building for things you want to see, bring a sandwich. Its gonna be a long wait

[Stephen Pedersen1]

Why in the world, when I AM CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, and I send something, it just says "sending..."? I literally browse the internet until it sends, I've waited until the next day a couple times. What am I doing wrong? Or is it just Skype?

[allanwith]

There are some good points here! One thing we also have to remember is that Skype has gotten a lot of flag over time for its video conferencing bit, even if it was the default that most people used, and Skype wasn't really considered to be a true alternative to the other chat clients out there. So something had to be done.

A couple of years ago they started the process of moving away on the backend from the old peer-2-peer foundation and to a more modern centralized model. This is probably part of what gives them the new capabilities such as being able to "like" a single message. However, I am not sure whether video conferencing has gotten better than before, perhaps someone can tell me? Anyway, the backend changes is presumably a big part of the shift to the new clients, which unfortunately doesn't get the attention it deserves.

Personally I think they should have kept the new clients in beta for much longer and let it be optional, but I am guessing they wanted to kill all of the old clients, so that everyone could get moved to the new backend as soon as possible. Most likely they had some proxies between the old and the new that were going to be over flooded if too many stayed on the old backend.

[AccentAE86]

I use Skype to make phone calls out from my desktop without picking up the phone. It's nice. It sends my mobile number to the receiver's caller ID so they don't see a strange number calling them.

BUT... it's horribly unreliable for RECEIVING calls. When someone tries to call me on skype, it probably only rings my phone 10% of the time. It's brutal. But it's great for making calls from a desktop. Or for a planned video chat/conference. But in terms of dynamic usage on the fly? A JOKE!

I want to give MS a kick in the balls, except they've dropped the ball so many times there are no balls left to kick.

[Great deal]

Never thought id say this...Satya Nadella needs to go, so many opportunities missed under his watch..