Skype's arrival on iPhone
What making Skype's Internet phone service available on iPhones means for users, and for Skype
If you’re the “proud owner” of an iPhone or a Blackberry, said Stan Schroeder in Mashable, “rejoice.” A Skype application for the iPhone will finally be available in the Apple App Store starting now, and a similar option will be available for Blackberry users in May. “Everyone has been waiting” for this day—which will make it easier to get cheap VoIP phone service over Wi-Fi.
This is a big day for iPhone users, said Olga Kharif in BusinessWeek. But it’s a bigger one for eBay, which owns Skype. The Internet calling service has been trying for years to “land its popular software where its customers are yakking most: on their mobile phones.” Now that it’s finally happening, eBay’s slumping stock could be headed for a rebound.
“Skype is obviously very happy to be on the iPhone,” said Rory Cellan-Jones in BBC News. “But unless Apple takes a radically different approach to integrating the free calls service into its phone, it's unlikley to make a huge impact.” Thanks to Apple's restrictions, your Skype buddies will only be able to reach you if you happen to be on a Wi-Fi network—so I’m skeptical.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Rikers Island will no longer be under New York City's control
The Explainer A 'remediation manager' has been appointed to run the infamous jail
-
California mulls pulling health care from eligible undocumented migrants
IN THE SPOTLIGHT After pushing for universal health care for all Californians regardless of their immigration status, Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget proposal backs away from a key campaign promise
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?
Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.