Why hasn’t Skype really taken off in the US?
Let me get a few things straight first. I do not work for and am in no way affiliated with Skype. But, Skype is great. It’s free, it’s easy to use, and it’s clear as a bell when talking on it. Conference calls are easy to setup and run. Video calls are clear, not perfect, but clear and sound and look good. Also, it’s becoming more and more available. There is a Skype app for the iPhone as well as other mobile phones and it’s even on the PSP. In addition, they have very inexpensive rates for having your own phone number and making calls to regular phones. Like I said, Skype is great.
So what is the deal? Why isn’t 100% of the US on Skype? What are we waiting for? I’ve read that about 70% of the US is already on broadband. And that number is on the rise. Last time I checked, we are in a recession and money is tight. Skype is free for Skype-to-Skype calls. And Skype is cheap, cheap, cheap for Skype calls to regular phones and cell phones. So what is holding us back?
One thing could be availability. Skype is mostly limited to the home PC. Yes, there is an iPhone app in addition to applications for other mobile phones. The problem with the iPhone app is that it cannot run in the background. You have to open it to use it. You almost have to purposely coordinate with someone to make a free Skype call. Kinda defeats the purpose, right?
Also related to availability is the fact that most people’s home PC is not in a place where they hang out the most. Say you’re chillin with your significant other or your family. You’d have to excuse yourself from the room to go have a Skype call. It’s a bit of a pain in the ass.
Another thing holding people back is that unless you have a microphone on your laptop, you have to purchase another piece of equipment. Purchasing a headset or webcam with a microphone is not expensive, but it is a purchase that most people will probably put very low on their budget totem poll.
But I really don’t think availability or equipment is the real issue. In fact, I’m not sure what the real issue is. I love Skype but I don’t use it as much as I should. I’ve got it on my home PC, my personal laptop, and on my iPhone. Yet, I almost never use it. I keep telling myself that the reason I never use it is because none of my friends are on it. How weak is that excuse? Perhaps if I was on it and always encouraged everyone I know to get on it, they would.
The number of Skype users has grown every year. The number of Skype calls have grown every year. Skype is being used all over the place… and yes, including on Oprah. Europe has taken to Skype and been using it extensively for years. Now it’s our time. If you start using Skype, I will too. Let’s get this thing going and start saving our cellular minutes. Let’s cancel our home phones and just use Skype. It’s just takes a few people to encourage a few more people then next thing you know, we’re all talking for free. I want to talk for free… don’t you?
The reason Skype hasn’t taken off is very simple: the exact demographic that would use Skype (young, middle-class, etc) simply uses their cell phones for everything. It’s just more convenient to have one number as the place to be reached at all times. Plus, while Skype may be “free”, it’s not like people are going to cancel their cell phone for it… so it’s really not saving them much money. The only people I’ve known who use Skype are people that need to make a lot of international calls to family members, but for everyday use, it just can’t compete with the little device people already have in their pockets.
It’s the age of Aquarius! Finally VoIP/SIP enabled mobile handsets, with data plans getting cheaper, 4G/LTE on the horizon.
Once the iPhone 3.0 update comes out, I will using an online VoIP provider instead of my local carriers. Maybe Skype, if they ever get any Canadian DID’s.
Yah – pretty much what he said. Everyone in the US who otherwise would use Skype already has a cell phone. With free nationwide long distance plans on pretty much every phone out there, the only reason to use skype is either international calls, or deliberate sit down long conversations with someone.
The only people I have long conversations with on the phone are my parents and my girlfriend and they’re all on AT&T so it doesn’t cost me minutes anyways. I’ve used skype a couple times when I traveled, but that’s about it.
I was watching a little Headline News today and they had the phrase “Oprah’s Skypefest” in the bottom ticker. Maybe she’s trying to popularize skype?
Um, you need to look again. Only skype on a computer is free. Want to call a phone/cell, there’s a charge.
Skype on a computer is no different than any other voice chat program. Most people don’t use those outside of gaming, so why would they use Skype?
Well.. after all, Skype is not really free.. (as in speech).
They provide no source for their software after all.
Thanks, I’d rather use Google applications then.
btw: posting comments only works with Javascript enabled (too bad if you’re using NoScript, which is recommended).
I only use Skype international. I would use it more if I had more friends on it though. The cell phone thing definitely holds people back but there have been times when I’ve wanted to use Skype to call some company to dispute a bill or some such thing, but couldn’t because you need a touch tone phone to navigate. I wish Skype could find a way around that.
I canceled my cell phone and pay 3.95/month for a permanent skype number and unlimited US/Canada. I now give out my skype number. If I’m not home they can leave a message. I haven’t felt this free in a long time. The only downside I can see with it is it cannot receive text messages from cell phones.
I use it at times but the connection is not always that great. It can also be a pain in the ass…
Heck, I use skype every day for every call I make – because I work from home and I make a lot of internactional calls.
All my colleagues use skype too so its a no-brainer.
Skype saves me a load of money, its reliable and offers advanced PBX like features. Plugins like Pamela allow me to record conversations, play recorded messages etc etc.
Couldnt live without it.. but badly want iphone v3.0 push for skype chat!
…and I forgot to say.
skype to skype calls are free
skype to other calls are insanely cheap
its a win win 🙂
no I dont work for skype, but I should buy shares or something 😉