The Microsoft conference to announce the acquisition of internet calling giant Skype wasn’t exactly packed with surprises. Both Steve Ballmer and Skype boss Tony Bates towed the line, declaring themselves to be “excited” really quite a lot, and promising not to do away with the Skype iPhone and Android apps.
But Microsoft CEO Ballmer did drop one interesting thought: mentioning a recent incident in which he drove an hour to his son’s school for a meeting with his teacher, he asked why parent-teacher meetings couldn’t be conducted over video conferencing.
“I think there’s just a better way to do these things…whether they’re school meetings, PTA meetings, Skype and Microsoft will drive them,” he said.
An hour of Ballmer’s time is probably worth an awful lot of money, but whether you work shifts or command a multi-national empire, we see where he’s coming from. Have we reached a point where Skype calls could be used to see teachers, lawyers, even doctors? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
