Microsoft's $7.9bn Skype deal 'a headscratcher

Microsoft's $7.9bn Skype deal 'a headscratcher

www.smh.com.au

Microsoft's whopping $US8.5 billion ($7.9bn) acquisition of Skype may have pipped Google and Facebook but critics and investors have lashed the company, questioning the logic of the deal and saying Microsoft paid too much.

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Well this is interesting as they want to put it into there xbox 360s and most likely there new operating systems but what has got me wondering will they put a price on it as skype is free on phones and computers now? if Microsoft dose make this deal will it be automatic install on its windows based phones? or windows 8 even in service patch up date on the previous operating systems and will they continue to make it compatible with googles android phone and mac users or are they going to phase them out.

www.smh.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Skype is pretty revolutionary. 7-point-whatever billion seems like a pretty standard deal to me considering the overall computer/software/gaming/phone market share of Microsoft.

they just really really like to see into your house (kinect)

Microsoft isn't nearly as dumb as teams of narrow-minded accountants?

Skype is absolutely massive. Just as the cellular phone industry mopped the floor with the land-line phone providers (who really pays to have one of those these days?) - Skype stands poised to leap over the cellular phone providers.

How often do you talk on your phone while doing work on the computer? How many companies use Skype for their call and customer support lines?

How many people make calls using the data-plan with Skype on their phone?

It's only going to get more common from here. Incorporating Skype into Microsoft systems by default gives Skype a leg-up on any competition out there.

I think we miss the other angle, here - Zune.

Microsoft is equipping themselves to enter the mobile telecom market with a similar amount of epic that lead up Microsoft's entry into the videogame console market. And they can finally dangle something over Apple's head (as Apple has done to Microsoft with Quick Time).

Skype has 170 million paying customers.

Makes sense for the long-term.

I am one of 17.5 million people on skype at this moment. I don't think it is a bad move to make.

Very smart.

I liked Skype for it's independence from major corporations.

It seems like anything good can't last forever. Just when Skype was getting really good and integrating all sorts of technologies, a giant gobbles it up.

Think about it.

Android and iOS are a huge consumer market for Skype. What happens now when MS is trying REALLY hard to get on top of the game in the smartphone platform?

Uh oh, now they control Skype, where do you think all those Android and iPhone users are going to be left?

reply to post by eLPresidente

I liked Skype for it's independence from major corporations.

It seems like anything good can't last forever. Just when Skype was getting really good and integrating all sorts of technologies, a giant gobbles it up.

Skype has always been a stock-market ... opportunist. They've been sold on E-bay two or three times since they started.

They were -looking- to sell. Originally they were toying around with Google and FaceBook as potential buyers. Google doesn't really need Skype - though Face Book would have done pretty well to pick them up.

Here is a link that explains why Microsoft would benefit very well form its purchase.