Microsoft Scoops Up Skype for $8.5 Billion, Coming to Windows Phone, Outlook, and Kinect
The most popular Internet calling service in the world now belongs to Steve Ballmer. Microsoft has announced that it has acquired Skype for $8.5 billion. You could look at this deal as a defensive move against Apple’s FaceTime and Google Voice and video chat for Android, but this is about a lot more than making Windows Phone more competitive. Microsoft says it will also integrate Skype with Kinect for Xbox, Windows for PCs, Lync, and Outlook. Microsoft also promises to continue to support non-Microsoft platforms, but we have to believe that Microsoft will get first dibs on new innovations.
With 170 million connected users and over 207 billion minutes of voice and video conversations in 2010, Skype has serious scale, and it will be interesting to see how Microsoft leverages the brand. CEO Steve Ballmer says that together Microsoft and Skype “will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world.”
Stay tuned for more details. Microsoft has scheduled a webcast conference for 11 AM EDT.
via Wall Street Journal
This story was provided by Laptopmag.
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