Microsoft purchased Skype last year, and recently, they have announced that they're combining the Skype network with Windows Live Messenger. With instant-messenger type programs being less used overall these days, this merger is a positive step for Microsoft.
Just a few short years ago, instant messenger programs offered a popular way for people to communicate with others. In my case, I still have multiple accounts to cover most of my friends. I frequently used Windows Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AOL, Skype, and others to communicate to friends. They were all conveniently brought together in one program for me through using programs like Trillian to organize them into one combined interface.
However, in just the last year or two, I've found I rarely use any of these other messenger programs anymore. In my office, our whole team uses Skype for inner-office communication during the day. Beyond that, almost everyone else I chat with is going through Facebook it seems. My Trillian interface still has all of the same programs connecting through it, but I cannot remember the last time one of them, besides Skype and Facebook, was used. Come to think of it, I bought a new home computer a few months ago, and I've never installed Trillian or any of the other messengers on it. Facebook has become more convenient.
Rob Enderle is the principal analyst at the Enderle Group, and in a recent article with TechNewsWorld, he stated, "For the most part, Instant Messaging is a technology that everybody let languish. You still have your three platforms, but almost no one talks about it anymore because most of its functionality has moved over to social media." So, with Twitter, and Facebook messenger, the other messenger programs have been falling by the wayside. With the added popularity of text messaging, the use of these other platforms is dwindling for sure. In the same article, Directions On Microsoft analyst Rob Sanflippo has also concluded that "Texting has replaced IM in a lot of cases. Even just chatting over social networks has become popular, rather than going to a specific Instant Messaging service.” Microsoft is making a good move, I think, by merging the two platforms.
At this point, Skype is so much more than a typical instant messenger program. It does instant messaging quite well, but for a long time, it's also provided the ability to make Skype-to-Skype free voice calls, Skype to landline calls, video calls, and more. Merging it with Widows Live Messenger will give more features to those customers who still frequently use the messenger program, while in turn consolidating their features and boosting the Skype customer base.
They say the merging of the programs will allow users of both to seamlessly make the transition without having to create new accounts or new log-in credentials. A Washington Post article states that Windows Live Messenger will be discontinued worldwide (except in mainland China) by mid-2013, but with the ease of this merge between programs, it should be pretty painless for all users.
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