An interesting viewpoint, now that the deal has received FTC approval. Microsoft, of course, could still horribly bungle the whole thing, but if it were to evolve as posited below, then it really could be that "this deal may represent yet another nail in the coffin of traditional land lines, another step down the path toward purely IP-based communications."

Amplify’d from www.windowsitpro.com

What Skype Really Means to Microsoft

But this deal is not just about adding Skype to Microsoft's secret sauce. For this to really make sense, Microsoft will need to deeply integrate these technologies across products. That is, if you're a Skype user and you're logged on to the service from any of these products or services, you should be able to reach any of your contacts, regardless of how they're connected, and vice versa. For example, there's no reason you couldn't get an IP-based call while playing games on the Xbox 360, while the person calling is utilizing a PC laptop and headset while on a Wi-Fi enabled flight.

Perhaps this pervasiveness is the real secret behind Microsoft's desire for Skype. And while it may take a while for the software giant to integrate this technology into its various products, one might further conjecture that by providing both client/server and peer-to-peer alternatives for online communications, Microsoft will arrive at an overall infrastructure that is more reliable than anything the competition could muster. In fact, this deal may represent yet another nail in the coffin of traditional land lines, another step down the path toward purely IP-based communications.

And that's why I think Microsoft's deal for Skype, finally, does in fact make sense. When the company announced this deal, I didn't get it. But if you accept that the future of what we now think of phone calls—essentially audio communications, but also video and video conferencing—is going entirely IP, with the Skype deal, Microsoft is right in the center of things. And regardless of the details of how the company intends to implement this technology, that nicely positions Microsoft for the next big wave of technology adoption as we collectively, as a planet, move to mobile devices as our primary form of computing. And if successful, it will provide Microsoft with yet another chance to position itself in users' minds as the company that is making it all happen. Read more at www.windowsitpro.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a15ncf