Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is set to release Skype for Windows 8 on October 26. This new version will be available on the same day Windows 8 and Windows RT become available. It’s rumored that Skype will be preinstalled with Windows 8 on the top 12 Windows OEM machines, however it won’t come preinstalled on Windows RT devices. It will be available for download at the Windows store.
As part of Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype, the whole application was redesigned from the bottom up. The whole application was rebuilt from a peer-to-peer program to a hybrid version. They’ve been merging the program with Windows Messenger, which now enables users to access their photos, videos, and files from Skype on Windows Azure.
Last summer, Mark Gillett (corporate VP for Skype) said, “As part of our ongoing commitment to continually improve the Skype user experience, we developed supernodes which can be located on dedicated servers within secure data centers. This has not changed the underlying nature of Skype’s peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture, in which supernodes simply allow users to find one another (calls do not pass through supernodes). We believe this approach has immediate performance, scalability, and availability benefits for the hundreds of millions of users that make up the Skype community.”
Skype’s transformation is ongoing, here is what we can expect from them in the near future. They will enhance their multiplatform experience for Windows 8 and Windows 8 Phone. They also plan to integrate with Lync for an improved mobile experience. For users who are new to the whole Skype experience, or just want to learn how to use it for Windows, they will offer a large selection of how-to content and tips for users. At the end of this fall, they also want to offer a video-messaging capability that lets users leave brief video messages for their friends.
The new Skype application for Windows 8 could really improve the overall user experience.
