In what appears to be a stealthy maneuver, Skype has pushed the date for charging a monthly subscription fee on Skype-to-Skype voice calls over iPhone 3G until 2011. The free calling trial for 3G was originally set for the end of August 2010.
The move comes a few days after Skype finally delivered iPhone users the ability to move past Wi-Fi only calling limitations using their wildly popular application with the 2.0 update.
It's uncertain if public outcry from longtime mobile Skype users prompted the company to wobble on its monthly fees game plan, but the end result is still being cheered by iPhone faithful none the less.
After downloading update 2.0, our team reported noticeably improved quality on Skype-to-Skype calls. The Skype meisters promised near CD-quality sound when making Skype-to-Skype calls with 2.0, which utilizes a wideband audio (SILK codec) on iPhone 3GS and on 2nd generation iPod touch devices.
[via TUAW]
It seems an inspiring move, I will wait and see.
Posted by: VoIP software | July 27, 2010 at 08:47 PM
To change was actually a decision made between the time they submitted the app to Apple for approval and when it was released. Changing the opening splash screen would have delayed its release further.
It's also interesting how this case demonstrates that Apple totally has final control over the release of an app (in this case, late on a Saturday afternoon) and caught Skype PR by surprise a bit. Skype finally caught up with a blog post and news release later on Sunday.
Posted by: Jim Courtney | May 31, 2010 at 03:30 PM