Here’s something to send a chill down Microsoft’s spine…

Skype, the world’s largest VoIP provider, has revealed a hugely cautious attitude to developing a mobile version of its software for Windows Phone 7. Speaking at an event in Sydney, the company’s VP for Asia Pacific Dan Neary was quoted as saying: “[it is] not developing software for the new Windows Mobile software due later this year.”

Since this comment there have been a raft of qualifications, but Skype’s attitude remains cagey at best clarifying: “We try and focus not only where the need is but where the best experience is, and we feel that the best areas for us to develop are on the operating systems that we currently support – iPhone, Symbian, BlackBerry and now Android. A Skype app for Windows Phone 7 is on the roadmap, the question is how quickly we’re going to get to it. We feel that we are best deployed on other operating systems and we’ll see how the space evolves.”

Skype has made similar follow-up comments to other publications each time saying it would evaluate Windows Phone 7, but either a) refusing to discuss future plans or b) suggesting it is in no rush back it.

Skype’s hesitant position comes just weeks after it scrapped the Windows Mobile app citing the OS as providing a substandard experience and no longer wanting its app associated with it. This certainly sends out an ominous message to other third party developers, let alone Microsoft which will be desperate to attract these app makers – despite potential shortcomings – as it looks to start from scratch on a whole new platform. As for Skype, clearly it’s a case of once burned…

In related news Skype has released the first public beta for Skype 5.0. Currently Windows only (yes, I see the irony), the beta’s big news is five… yes five way video calling and if you can find a use for that then your mind is obviously more creative/warped than mine. Download it from the link below.

Links:
Via MobileTechWorld
Via APC Mag
Skype 5.0 Beta