Re:A Technophobe Adopts the iPad 2
by hyperbovine on Sunday May 22, 2011 @04:46PM
(#2574184)
> But what can they do?
Make FaceTime talk to Skype?
I wouldn't be so sure about FaceTime having no chance. Skype has enough weak spots to begin with.
At least in Europe, Skype is the only recognized brand in VoIP. Even my grandfather knows what it means to call someone on Skype.
How will FaceTime catch up? Should Apple offer a Windows version, like they did with iTunes and Safari?
Probably starts after (or when) Lion is available.
Re:A Technophobe Adopts the iPad 2
by kenjackson on Sunday May 22, 2011 @11:38PM
(#2574899)
Lion is a niche product. Anything Apple wants to do to make an impact starts after/when iOS, not Lion.
Maybe Apple could make FaceTime an open standard, like Steve stated they would when it was first introduced.
This is interesting because Skype, effectively the global VoIP standard, is now owned by Microsoft.
In light of what happened with Office and Mac in the '90s, Apple is probably doing their best to avoid a situation where a Microsoft product becomes perceived as a crucial part of their platform's value proposition... IOW, Apple certainly doesn't want people to actively think of iPad + Skype as a killer combo because they don't control the other half.
But what can they do? FaceTime has no chance of catching up with Skype in global adoption. And considering the iPhone/Android squabbles, it's unlikely that Apple would turn to Google for help against Skype. Hmm.