What does the Skype sale mean for Apple customers?

After hearing the news on the Skype purchase, it has become apparent to me what Microsoft should do. If I was Steve Ballmer and the board of directors, I would strongly consider the following. This will sound crazy at first. Skype signed agreements earlier in the year to start showing up on tv's, blu-ray players. I would stop the Xbox production line for good after this generation. (I know, Xbox line has become profitable for MS) IF, MS could convince Nintendo and Sony to use the Kinect 2 as a third party device. Let it become the premier motion control system across all platforms as well as sell it as the camera for the tv's and blu-ray players for skype. I would saturate the market with Kinect attached to TV's, PC's, Blu-ray players, Mac's, and videogame consoles. I would also approach Nintendo and Sony as the internet service provider for the PS4 and Wii2. (Your thinking I am crazy. But consider recent events, and allowing a third party to run the internet might not be a bad idea for Sony or Nintendo.) By doing this, Xbox Live (it would be renamed MS Live) would become a true competitor to Steam and potentially the Apple App store. Let MS Game studios make games for Kinect across all platforms. Attempt to turn the Halo brand into the next Call of Duty. Annual releases with different genres of games selling millions and millions of units. This would reduce MS cost of operation while creating a market that would be endless. You would have Skype on every major platform in the world, and you would have Xbox Live as the gaming platform and store for PC, Nintendo, and Sony.

I hope Skype's quality doesn't drop with Microsoft in it and only becomes more effective. Systems like skype are quite sensitive. Skype really deserves something because it makes the communication so easier. There is no match for skype at the moment in the electronic communications industry.

The price is low though I think. As compared to facebook which they price at $25 Billions, skype has more utility but it's price is low!

Eagle
http://eseaf.com

The point people are missing is that MS can't really make Skype any worse.

Release 5 of Skype with it's reduced features, unmanageable single screen was a monstrosity.

As I pointed out on twitter, this is probably what appealed to MS :-)

Facetime

One reason for sticking with Skype has been encryption built-in - well enough that it pisses off governments around the world. I don't hear [m]any Skype competitors featuring that aspect of their VOIP.

Just use something else - that probably works better.
See http://tinyurl.com/3g47j9x for possible alternatives.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll be removing Skype from my Mac now.....

This is probably going to be a complete non-issue. We have to remember that microsoft has had a vested interest in Mac.

Also to comment on the Office products being behind in the features are for Mac, just because it has more features, doesn't make it better. I use the newest Windows based Office at work and the Mac version at home and it is always a relief when I get home and there is less studi junk cluttering up my screen on my Mac version.

Skype for mac's best functionality is cross platform usability. i can call my sister on her windows computer from my Mac. I don't use it a lot so its UI doesnt matter to me.

Re facetime not on 3G, Tango and Skype over 3G are really poor, as I beleive all video calling over 3G is. The mobile speeds just aren't there yet and I think Apple knows that and instead of putting out a poor product they are limiting its use to where it is acceptable - wifi.

To be honest, I think video calling is over-rated. It was novel the first few times you do it but then it's just pointless.

It means that someday we'll be pining for the superior UI of Skype for Mac 5.