DooKey
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2001
- Messages
- 13,552
Skype was once one of the most popular if not the most popular calling service on the internet. Things changed when Microsoft acquired them for $8.5B in 2011 and then proceeded to make Skype a business product that they now bundle with Office 365 and try to steal customers from Cisco. Many former users of Skype just don't like how it works, looks, or performs. So now that's it's all said and done Skype just isn't that attractive to the masses anymore and once loyal users are finding better options. This is just one more case of Microsoft grabbing up a good product and then putting the Microsoft stink all over it. Maybe it will regain acceptance or maybe it won't, however, only time will tell if this once ubiquitous product makes a big comeback.
But Microsoft has paid a price for prioritizing corporations over consumers. The former seek robust security, search and the ability to host town halls; the latter ease-of-use and decent call quality. Inevitably, the complexity of the corporate software crowds out the simplicity consumers prefer. While the company maintains two separate apps, the underlying technology is the same and it's built with workers in mind.
But Microsoft has paid a price for prioritizing corporations over consumers. The former seek robust security, search and the ability to host town halls; the latter ease-of-use and decent call quality. Inevitably, the complexity of the corporate software crowds out the simplicity consumers prefer. While the company maintains two separate apps, the underlying technology is the same and it's built with workers in mind.