Skype for iPhone 2.0 released with 3G calls supported!!

[ReallyOldGuy]

I retract all statements i have made here i think All the free users should boycott this damn Skype Company and teach them a lesson... psst...HLdan, you and i can have a lot more band width available for our dollars.

 

[Tronic]

The fee forces us to jailbreak anyway.

 

[DaveGee]

We can't really complain about a "small fee". Free has been great, but it's been a privilege, not a right.

My real beef with Skype has been that they let the Mac client fall 2 versions behind the Windows client. They were originally matched, but after eBay took over, things fell apart. I sure hope that they get their ducks back in a row. Macs are not second-class citizens.

GREAT NEWS...

The way everyone here seems to be defending Skype they'll be ecstatic to hear that iPhone users are the ONLY ones the Monthly fee will be charged to.

How is THIS sitting with the defenders?!?!

Introducing Skype mobile™
Go mobile on Verizon Wireless’ network and talk as long as you want. Free has never been so easy.
Free Skype-to-Skype calls and IM with Verizon Wireless
Skype is ‘always on’ to receive calls anytime
Skype-to-Skype, IM and global calls from Skype mobile™ don’t use your wireless plan minutes.

Spoiled rich iPhone owning JAGOFFS... Yea MAKE THEM PAY!

HEY WAIT it ONLY GETS BETTER... It seems like ANDROID and BLACKBERRY users 3G data calls will ALSO be funded by you SPOILD RICH iPhone users.

http://www.examiner.com/x-38819-Dal...10m5d30-Skype-for-Android-and-3G-iPhone-calls

I think that would end up costing the Skype users more if they paid for the services they "consumed". It's better to pay a monthly fee for unlimited use. Just look at some of the iPad threads from people that say the use up the 250MB limit in less than a week.

Read my post above .... YOU should be VERY VERY PLEASED that ONLY the iPhone users are going to need to pay for Skype over their cellular data service.

NICE RIGHT?!

 

[shandyman]

great, so android users get video calling, for free, via skype and us iPhone users get taxed for it? thats bollox.

skype already charges if you wanna call a mobile, why then stick an added fee for iphone users using skype via 3G. thats irked me even more! if it was all mobile users via 3G, i'd be less miffed.

oh well, bye bye skype, there's other alternatives out there, wonder if fring will bypass it.

 

[Full of Win]

I have no problem with that business model none what so ever. My question to you is are you paying that Chinese restaurant a monthly fee for that cup of soda?

Now if your argument is that Skype is a service and it cost MONEY then YES I agree 100000%.

They have EVERY right in the WORLD to charge their users ALL OF THEM to use their service. If they have the testicular fortitude to pull such a stunt then I'd back them all the way or if they charge on a per call basis only then that too is fine but anyone trying to explain to me that Skype is doing this to fund its operations is just full of crap. Would any service really be able to fund itself by only charging .001% of their total user base?

I don't get the question of the 'monthly rent' for the cup of water, as food it typically not rented or leased. My original analogy was the Chinese restaurant gives away the water, even thought they have a cost to provide it, but gives the option of purchasing an upgraded beverage for a cost in excess of the amount it cost them to provide it. Likewise, Skype gives away the Wi-Fi access, even thought they have a cost to provide it, but gives the option of purchasing an upgraded 3G access for a cost in excess of the amount it cost them to provide it.

In the example, both the chinese restaurant and Skype are taking a loss of the free service in the hopes that enough will buy into the upgrades to make it worth the effort.

Are they doing this to 'fund their operations'? No exactly, they are doing it to make a profit for their investors as well as to fund their operations and expansions though advertising, M&A and R&D. I'm sure it is costing them very little extra to provide the 3G access, but likewise, the restaurant that sells the soda for 1.29 is only spending pennines, if that, on the mix used to make the soda they sell. The rest of the money, 1.28$, is going in their pocket.

 

[SimonMW]

Yes. I absolutely agree. Especially about the tomatoes.

 

[Plutonius]

Actually, in the future, everything on the internet will be free - Google.

You are pretty naive if you think Google is going to remain free .

Anything that people rely / depend on eventually cost money. Goggle will start by offering some pay premium services and then will start moving their other services into the pay realm. I expect Google's search engine to remain free but Google map, Gmail, etc to be a part of the payed services).

Note: I think that Google will end up bundling their future premium pay service with the purchase of an Android phone (i.e. you get an Android phone, you get a ? year free Google premium subscription).

 

[Plutonius]

Yes with Ads.

One word Television....

Television was always going to be free with advertising to support it.

Present day - Most people can not get any over the air free TV and those that can are lucky if they get more than 3 channels.

TV is considered a necessity by most so we are willing to pay for it. The internet services are also a necessity and we will eventually pay for them.

 

[jlc1978]

Can Skype detect a jailbroken phone?

I notice on install it says it is intended only for non-jailbroken phones (actually words to that effect). It would follow, if they can detect such phones, they could block them from using Skype.

 

[ChrisGonzales90]

Actually, in the future, everything on the internet will be free - Google.

Somebody has to pay for the servers, the lights and the IT's morning cup of starbucks NOTHING IN LIFE is or will be free.

Get a job like the rest of us.

 

[3282868]

Somebody has to pay for the servers, the lights and the IT's morning cup of starbucks NOTHING IN LIFE is or will be free.

Get a job like the rest of us.

Nice. Polite... and full of assumption...

So by your logic, I'll be expecting a bill from a company, let's say "Oxygenus", for breathing air, right?

 

[Rocketman]

When you make a VoIP call you know where it is originating and you are paying for a data plan in some way to facilitate it. The receiver may be a cell phone on a voice plan, a telephone on a land line, a computer on broadband, a handtop computer on a data plan, or a variety of other things.

Most of those endpoints are paying at some point and to some degree for access.

Skype or some other service offers a software application and a means to detect and/or switch your call origination or receipt over whatever middleware might be required to attach the endpoints.

Sometimes those endpoints can talk to each other over accessable IP systems. But sometimes one has to access a cellular voice service, or a telephony land line, or a variety of other options.

It "can be seamless", but it is "not seamless" yet. Until everyone everywhere has IP access, VoIP will still be voice at some times to some degree on analog or subscriber systems.

When an end user "feels" like it is free, it is because an advertiser has funded the network, whether it be TV, Cable, Search, or even ad based ISP's and other software services. But it is not free. If not enough people respond to those ads, the service fails and goes away.

The internet is dispersed. The internet has a lossy connection between users, payers and motivated eyeball and click buyers.

The internet is not free. It is expensive. As our bandwidth and time online continues to increase the cost per user increases. As the number of folks who are online at all increases, the system cost increases.

The fact very large firms such as Apple and AT&T struggle to keep up, and intentionally cripple services and features to delay the over-run of their systems, should tell you something. The internet is not only not free and also experiencing difficult to manage uptake in user and bandwidth count, but is over-running the backbones.

One has difficulty making voice calls in NYC and Frisco. It's time for VoIP to overcome that. Will data connections also become excessively congested?

We will soon see. Mark my words. We are about to have access to portable videoconferencing for the masses. If that does not clog the network with useless non-critical usage, I don't know what will.

If they charge for that, it will not be because they need the money. It will be the only way they can slightly moderate who will initially use it as further bandwidth is built-out.

Rocketman

 

[anjinha]

When I was reading this thread I decided to take a look at Skype's subscription prices. I plan to move to London soon and I want a cheap way to call my parents back in Portugal. And guess what, they're a lot more expensive than they were last Summer. Stupid eBay.

 

[MatLu]

One word Television....

Television was always going to be free with advertising to support it.

Present day - Most people can not get any over the air free TV and those that can are lucky if they get more than 3 channels.

TV is considered a necessity by most so we are willing to pay for it. The internet services are also a necessity and we will eventually pay for them.

Huh? Eventually? What are you talking about? We do pay for internet service. I mean, I don't know about you, but I pay for it. Maybe you use your neighbor's unprotected wireless network to get on the internet or something, but I actually pay for my internet access. And I have my Cox Communications bill to prove it, lol.

 

[DaveGee]

Are they doing this to 'fund their operations'? No exactly, they are doing it to make a profit for their investors as well as to fund their operations and expansions though advertising, M&A and R&D. I'm sure it is costing them very little extra to provide the 3G access, but likewise, the restaurant that sells the soda for 1.29 is only spending pennines, if that, on the mix used to make the soda they sell. The rest of the money, 1.28$, is going in their pocket.

The great news is they are only charging the monthly fee to the fools who will be using iPhones... I guess they figure why NOT charge those people, they're all swimming in cash anyway. Oh and just to let you know... SKYPE DOESN'T OFFER 3G DATA SERVICE TO ANYONE ... they just write software that uses the 3G DATA plan YOU are already paying for..

So before you just paid AT&T to use the 3G data service on your phone NOW you get to ALSO pay Skype (why? well just because)!

Just one more push for me to drop the iPhone and go Android where Skype isn't charging users for cellular based data Skype calls. My guess is Android users would see thru their slimy move immediately while the iPhone users are just SO accustom to being told to put up with it because Steve says and they'd give it a shot... and wouldn't you know it... they were RIGHT!

Suckers... :lol:

 

[batchtaster]

BTW, their version of

Improved start-up time.

is to show the main UI before you've logged in, before any aspect of it is of any use, then make you sit there and wait and wait while an iSync-like "chasing arrows" indicator spins. It doesn't actually log in any faster.

Imaginary progress like this is one reason Skype will become irrelevant.

 

[AmpSkillz]

Man, listen to yourself. You entitled little brat. You are complaining that this FREE Skype app and its FREE ongoing service should have more updates, more often and of higher quality. Stop to consider, for a moment, that Skype is 'justifying' the fee to offset costs and perhaps earn some money for its efforts - not to mention, give you exactly what you want with more updates more often and of higher quality. Damn people like you and your narrow minded selfishness! Get over yourself!

LOL yeah i'm the one who is narrow minded and needs to get over myself....

I was not complaining because i have to pay something but simply pointing out something i find illogical

I pay for Skype, i have a plan and i have no problem paying for a service (i have every right to expect updates)

Skype offers free skype to skype calls over the internet and charges for calling other phones and other features (This is their business plan)

3G is basically internet service that I pay AT&T for

Why is skype planning to charge me more for using 3G when it has nothing to do with them, it is not even a new feature which a few other people here have claimed, because VOIP over 3G was always possible but AT&T/Apple did not allow it

Skype saying to us that they will charge for 3G usage is like my cable company charging me more for using a particular power company to power my TV and watch cable (My TV & my power are not provided by the cable company) = (My iPhone & my 3G internet are not provided by skype) both are ridiculous

if they suddenly said tomorrow hey we have to start charging a small fee for skype calls all together thats fine its their business

From Skype: We grew tired of free-loaders on our network sucking resources and demanding free upgrades. We decided we would rather have 1 million users paying a small fee for the service than 10 million using it for free. This 3G announcement was a nice way of saying it.

seriously... you think people using a free service are free-loaders

and your insinuating that somehow the 3G users are the bigger free-loaders

if everyone using Skype is a free-loader then charge all "10 million" a smaller fee for skype but don't charge for 3G

it's obvious that your logic is completely broken here

 

[Troy2000]

Great to hear 3G calling is available at last. Although it hasn't really been an issue for those with jailbroken iPhones (many of us). I'd imagine 3G Unrestrictor would get around the monthly charge also.

 

[AmpSkillz]

Great to hear 3G calling is available at last. Although it hasn't really been an issue for those with jailbroken iPhones (many of us). I'd imagine 3G Unrestrictor would get around the monthly charge also.

3G Unrestrictor will circumvent the monthly charges since it simply makes Skype (or any other app) think its on WiFi at all times

unfortunately i don't care to JB my iPhone

but its great for those who do

 

[sushi]

Just tried a Skype 3G call. Worked fine.

I notice that the charge issue has been moved from August to the end of 2010. So who knows when it will take effect, and if it does, how much will be charged.

 

[alstalent]

Come On, be reasonable!

because they're a business, and by definition, businesses exist to make money. they've offered free services for years -- and they still do. now they've identified a new feature that users want, but they've decided to charge for it.

that's business. why is that bad?

This feature was just brought on by AT&T doing. They are the ones that will be impacted by this, not Skype. Unless AT&T is incurring a price to Skype, it shouldn't be a price change because this feature is already free using WIFI. Last time I checked 3G is still just a data connection like WIFI (simply put). This is just a change in the App code to allow 3G connection instead of WIFI only.

 

[Plutonius]

This feature was just brought on by AT&T doing. They are the ones that will be impacted by this, not Skype. Unless AT&T is incurring a price to Skype, it shouldn't be a price change because this feature is already free using WIFI. Last time I checked 3G is still just a data connection like WIFI (simply put). This is just a change in the App code to allow 3G connection instead of WIFI only.

Or could it be as simple as Skype wanting to start charging for it's services ?

 

[Glumpfner]

Cool. Soon I won't need to Jailbreak my iPhone anymore since all the features I want, come out of the box.

Wish list:
Skype over 3G - Done
Skype always on/Incoming call notification - OS 4.0 (currently using Jailbreak->Backgrounder)

 

[Sandbag1]

Android should get a free pass.... YEA!! SURE!!, why not? iPhone users SHOULD PAY for their 3G Skype calls with a small monthly fee cause its a known fact THOSE JERKS ARE RICH... Android users are poor college kids and they shouldn't be charged a 3G monthly fee... HEY! We'll just increase that small monthly fee to those rich iPhone jagoffs.

Sounds like the way the income tax system is set up.

 

[angevil]

I already pay for my 3G data, I have 512MB/month and I certainly won′t pay skype. Skype-to-skype calls were supposed to always remain FREE!