Skype Now Optimized for your iPad
Since the introduction of Skype for iPhone with video calling on New Year's Eve 2010, we've seen growing demand for a Skype app for the iPad. — The wait is over, as today we launched Skype for iPad now available for download in the iTunes App Store.
Context & Ripple Effects
The launch follows the arc set when Skype brought video calling to the iPhone on New Year's Eve 2010 — demand for a larger-screen version built from that point, and June reports had already flagged an official iPad app in preparation. What makes this more than a routine port is timing: Skype confirmed the release weeks after firing three executives ahead of its expected $8.5 billion acquisition by Microsoft, so the company is shipping new product while its ownership and leadership are in flux.
First-order effects
- iPad owners gain a native Skype client optimized for the tablet's screen rather than a scaled-up iPhone app, extending Skype's installed base onto Apple's fastest-growing device category via the iTunes App Store.
Second-order effects
- With the Microsoft deal expected to close imminently, a functioning iPad client hands the acquirer an immediate presence on Apple tablets — and puts pressure on any competing tablet communication apps to match full-featured voice and video on day one.
Third-order effects
- If tablets keep absorbing use cases first proven on phones, video calling becomes a multi-device expectation rather than a phone feature, making cross-platform reach — not any single app — the asset a buyer like Microsoft is actually purchasing.
The trend: Consumer video calling is migrating from the phone screen to whatever screen users have at hand, pushing platform owners like Skype to ship native clients across every major device class ahead of industry consolidation.