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Skype Confirmed for Windows Phone

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Microsoft: Skype for Windows Phone is coming soon

Yesterday, Hillel Fuld wrote an interesting article on Business Insider titled, Here’s Why Robert Scoble And The Rest Of The Pundits Are Wrong: Windows Phone Will Be A Success. This article stems from all the negative vibes that Scoble has been putting out about Windows Phone. Hillel goes over the reasons he thinks Scoble and others are dead wrong about Windows Phone. Personally, I agree with both sides equally on the points, especially app support. My drawback on Windows Phone is app support. I do realize that Windows Phone is beyond where Android and iOS were at the same point in their history, but there are many niche apps that are left to be developed for Windows Phone. Unlike Scoble, I have hope. I don’t expect Microsoft to grab 10% market share in 2012, but I do expect Windows Phone to grow enough to consider it a successful start. The 1st year of Windows Phone did not seem like a success in my eyes, but I do think 2012 will be, especially with Nokia’s help.

Robert Scoble replied to Hillel’s article predicting that Windows Phone will be a success on Google Plus with a piece title, What +Hillel Fuld doesn’t know about Windows Phone and its chances in the market. In this article, Scoble talks about what journalists and CEOs have told him in meetings and dinners in regards to Windows Phone. He mentions Pandora not planning a Windows Phone app and that the Skype CEO telling him that they won’t be supporting the current version of Windows Phone.

“First, I had dinner with Skype’s CEO on Thursday night. He told me that Skype won’t support the current version of Windows Phone.”

Now there are reports coming out that Skype will be coming to the current release of Windows Phone from The Verge’s Tom Warren.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Skype app appears to be nearing release. Skype’s VP of products, Rick Osterloh, revealed that Microsoft’s Skype division is “working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon,” during an interview at CES 2012. Microsoft has typically refused to comment in detail on its Skype plans, after the company acquired the voice and video calling service in October.

I read the Scoble piece yesterday and woke up this morning to a link to the article on The Verge in my inbox this morning. When I finally got around announcing the good news about Skype here on GBM, I noticed that Scoble updated his Google Plus posting with the following:

UPDATE: Skype’s CEO, Tony Bates, just called me and clarified what he told me. I misquoted him or didn’t understand what he was saying, he told me. He said Skype will do an app on Mango but will further integrate into future Windows Phone OS’s. This made me update my post here.

This video with Skype’s VP of Products Rick Osterloh shares info that Skype is coming with a product for Windows Phone that will be coming out soon.

https://youtu.be/2ldGb11XVG8

I really like Scoble and I value most of his opinions and information, but his reply to Hillel’s article seems almost as if he just wants Microsoft and Windows Phone to go away. That’s a far departure from the Robert Scoble I knew back in the day. People and opinions change, that’s life.

Either way, this is great news for Microsoft and Windows Phone users! Having an official Skype client for Windows Phone narrows the list of missing apps from the Marketplace. As for Pandora, I actually love and still use Pandora, so I still want to see it come to Windows Phone.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    01/16/2012 at 12:11 am

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  2. Windows Tablet

    01/16/2012 at 6:58 am

    Well after Microsoft bought Skype it was kinda obvious that they will make a client for WP7

  3. Ike Pigott

    01/16/2012 at 7:22 am

    What this tells me is that Robert is “listening” to a lot of people, but only processing snippets and phrases that match his preconceived notions.

    I was dragged into a Google+ thread with Robert and with Shel Holtz, and I asked this very important question (with no answer.)

    “How many apps can you have on a phone?”

    You certainly can’t fit 500,000 — so at what point do the excess apps not matter?

    Yes, Android leads WP7 by a 500k to 50k margin, but by the time you subtract all of the 2009 college football schedules, the apps for non-existing web services, the duplicates, and the glorified links to mobile sites, how many ARE there, really that you would want?

    In other words, which apps are SO essential that you can’t get the functionality from a Windows Phone?

    Pandora.
    Skype.

    What else?

    And in Robert’s world, maybe eve

    • Ike Pigott

      01/16/2012 at 11:16 am

      …And in Robert’s world, maybe everyone does walk around saying “I can’t LIVE without Pandora on my phone!”  But in the real world, the global world, people just want a phone that works and doesn’t get in the way.

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