What do You Think About M$Skype?

As you all know of the Phone/Video Instant Messaging program known as Skype. Within the last year Skype had started to lose money. Unfortunately it hasn’t regained profit since. Skype tried to turn its luck around with the launch of group video chat (Two+ people) and its business side of the service. These tactics have helped, but not enough to go green.

You have also heard of Facebook and that many users would like Facebook to have integrated video chat. Facebook was thinking of buying and there have been rumors for months. It was until March where Google decided they needed a better VOIP service (which is Skype).

Skype was looking for profit and may have seen Google as a better owner than Facebook. It was yesterday when rumors surfaced that Microsoft were to buy Skype. The price was then known to be $7 billion dollars in which is to much to pay for Skype. Skype is only worth about $4 billion at the most.

Today Microsoft announced that it will buy Skype for $8.5 billion. The press conference that confirmed the deal this morning was interesting enough for its users.

“We want to extend the reach of Skype,” Ballmer said (Credit to Jay Greene of CNET Picture & Quote)

This is into reference that Skype will most likely be able to chat with Windows Live Messenger (WLIM), work with Lync, video chat with Video Kinect, and even the possibility of being incorporated into the next version of Office. These are things that would add more meaning to those products and would want to use Skype/WLIM over others.

For investors (as far as I can see) the benefit of buying Skype for MSFT will to be able to broaden their Online and Mobile field. According to one blog MSFT will continue support of Skype on its multi-platforms. Making sense considering that Skype is already losing money and will be better to leave it on its various devices.

In my personal opinion I find this deal to be helpful to all of Microsoft’s customers that use Office (And Office 365), WLIM, Xbox, possibly Zune, and various other places that video chat or IM could go.