Why Microsoft's acquisition of Skype

Mobile Vision - "hard to resist" the term often used to express some things difficult to control or suppress. Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer (Steve Ballmer) is clearly fond of the word. In the May 10 press conference, Microsoft announced the acquisition of 8.5 billion U.S. dollars heavily in Internet telephony and video calling services company Skype. Ballmer several times using the "irresistible" connotes Microsoft still Baodaobulao. However, the company's shareholders may wish to consult with them in Microsoft's Ballmer biggest ever acquisition of a more restrained some of the time.

The deal means that the software giant in the acquisition of Skype is how the issue can not wait. Microsoft is suddenly an olive branch to Skype, Skype is the time for issuing shares. Microsoft eventually pay for the acquisition of Skype enough to convince investors (including private equity fund Silver Lake Partners (Silver Lake Partners) and the venture capital firm Anderson, Horowitz (Andreessen Horowitz)) to give public offering in favor of Microsoft all cash transactions.

However, there is hard to see how Microsoft's operating income last year proved Skype squandered huge amounts of money for the acquisition of 400 times the value for money. Although the skype service famous, so that "Skype" has become a verb, but it also allows users such as "mobile phone call" value-added services like payment on the struggle. So far in December last year, Skype has 663 million registered users, revenue in 2010 was 8.6 million, or flat upon each user and 1.3 U.S. dollars. Amazingly, it has not developed a compelling advertising.

Ballmer announced the deal (left, right is Skype's boss Tony Bates) to the above problems into opportunities . However, no matter how much Microsoft's ingenious marketing sales, people are less likely to use video chat most of the attention on the ads. Also, Microsoft will have to come up with some impressive products, to let those who are accustomed to free access to excellent services to people to dig into their pockets.

The enterprise market may be promising. Benefit from the Windows system and Office software, Microsoft is a large number of shares in the market share. It Lync service different communication tools, such as video chat, instant messaging, Internet telephony integration in a software package, the promotion of the company's internal communications, so popular. The combination with Skype, can make it more effective competitors with Cisco to provide such products under a high.

Similarly, Microsoft has developed a new product possibilities. For example, through the Skype service and its Xbox 360 game console or Kinect combination of motion sensing devices, making the players the first N sub-network of people shoot them, you can see friends, angry face. By integrating Skype into its Windows 7 operating system, the phone can be better with rivals in the video services competition. The system also may be used in alliance with Microsoft, Nokia mobile phone.

But why should the acquisition of Skype to do that? After all, if Skype started listing, then it is no doubt eager to cooperate with Microsoft, or even to develop other products for revenue. The answer may be that Microsoft desperately wants to be "cool technology" of the home, and hope "in the bag directly to Skype" to its "avant-garde innovations of the" worthy of the name. The difficulty is that in the consumer field, behind Microsoft, Google and Apple as a company so far, this altar of the situation is likely irreversible.