Group video calling coming to the Mac later this year
As you’ve no doubt seen on the Big Blog, we’ve launched a beta version of Skype for Windows which includes group video calling for up to 5 people.
I’d like to reassure you that we haven’t forgotten about the Mac. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Our Mac team has been working harder than ever on a very exciting new version of Skype for Mac, which we expect to arrive later this year. It’ll include group video calling, as well as one or two other surprises. Stay tuned!
Great!!! ;o)
Hopefully the UPnP port forwarding issue will be fixed. Both the Mac and iPhone clients do not close port forwards created by UPnP when the program has been quit.
Waiting for the new Mac version, that’s great news.
if you guys can include also group screen sharing, I won’t need Citrix GoToMeeting anymore, it has so many issues, skype audio/video quality is far much better
Good – please fix the 2 missing features in the mac version of skype that are driving me crazy – number
1) “join a call”, this button in the windows version to join an ongoing call is missing in skype critical.
2) chat history management – incoming chats are lost on the mac version because the chats are sorted in the order they started, not the order of the last message, so sometimes a new message is at the bottom of the list, hidden below the bottom of the screen and you have to scroll to find it.
Just make the UI like the windows version. Please remember that Mac is a growth market among early adopters and used increasingly for business as well. My company recently switched everyone over to Macbooks and imac – but we use skype extensively for calls. “Think different” is no excuse for poor usability.
I am very excited about the multi party video chat. With my other friends on mac we always had iChat and it has been great for having large video conferences, alas I cannot share this experience with my windows using friends. It would be really awesome if you guys could get the beta to us quickly, that way we can have a truly cross platform system for video chat between more than just two people. While I appreciate you guys go through extensive efforts to make the UI as native as possible on all the platforms you port skype to, I would appreciate it, that while maintaining a native UI, you guys make an effort to make the UI experience consistent between operating systems. At least enough to still be able to figure out where everything is if your coming from any other desktop skype client. Please dont forget about our Linux using friends either.
I think skype is great and I look forward to a skype future. But I am a Mac lover at heart and the skype app on the Mac is just clunky. If you do nothing else please surprise me with a facelift. Thanks.
Can’t wait!
I certainly hope that skype for mac will soon use the dynamic switch of graphics card on the MBPro i5 and i7. It’s quite useless to activate the nVidia card over text chats, while I understand why it should be active during videocalls
To be honest, I dont see why the intel cards cant handle everything skype does. Unless the video chat starts going high def anyways.
Recently I cross teams to Mac after 20 years of being with Windows. And using skype on Windows for very long time, so naturally I installed it on my new MBP , big disappointment, NOT the same product, why? (your programmers are not good? or they prioritize Microsoft?) And again I download beta version on my windows machine and is great , will future Mac version be the same (cut down crap) as previous version or it will be same quality as windows version?
Will you be adding address book integration by chance?
snapshots for video calls! it works so easily for pc’s. and apple’s screen capture takes way too long and doesn’t work the way the easy snapshot does.
You need a “Report Bugs to Skype” button/menu item because there’s no simply way to submit bug reports, nevermind feature requests.
Skype doesn’t remember it’s position when placed on the desktop area of the second monitor. It defaults to the upper or lower right hand corners and no amount of re-installing or other trickery, including reinstalling the OS will change that.
I have two requests
1) Use conventional mac keyboard shortcuts, don’t port over you windows stuff. ie: command + shift + left should select all text in the line, not switch chats, drives me nuts. Switch chats should be command + [ and command + ].
2) Drawers are miserable, just have a dual pane like iChat
Skype ftw!
@ben.shoemate: “Just make the UI like the windows version.”
No, make the UI like Mac apps, iChat, Adium, Address Book, etc.
The Big Blog
Everything new at Skype’s HQ has had occasional comments from Peter Parkes. This is nice inasmuch as it at least lets us know that he is reading our comments. Is there someone on the Mac side doing this? Maybe just a teensy weensy hint of what’s going on in Skype for Mac development?
I’m looking forward to getting an update, especially considering that Skype 5.0 for Windows is already in beta and we Mac users are still stuck at 2.8. This has been a sore spot for me for some time.
You know what would be absolutely awesome?
Provide an option to “UNMIRROR” the preview picture! I can’t tell you how incredibly frustrating it is to be unable to do this (I use a built-in iSight camera). First, I’m taking music lessons via skype (very cool) but I can’t review myself afterward because I look like I’m playing left-handed (I’m right-handed). Second, the “people are used to seeing mirror images of themselves” idea doesn’t hold water so much any more because people see themselves much more often now in videos so it’s not jarring to see yourself “unmirrored”. Additionally, your brain isn’t that easily fooled; it can tell the difference between a mirror image and a manipulated mirrored image, as on Skype.
Please make this “unmirroring” feature a priority! Thank you.
1) Skype Prime for sellers. There is a huge market for Mac users to sell their services. This is a must-have feature.
2) As a host in a voice chat conference, my participants (on Windows) can’t text chat with others since I “have an older version of Skype”. Please fix this problem or upgrade the Mac version for Skype.
Join call is a crucial function, just get it working. It’s bloody annoying to not being able to join a ongoing call.
Guys at Skype…….. Can anyone confirm when the newer version of Skype will be out for the Mac to support multiway video?? I am desperate for this!!
One suggestion (pretty please): make the app a single window app more like Windows (while keeping mac looks/UI of course).
This would be a big help with moving the app between Spaces for ex. Currently I have to drag several separate windows around. It’s very hard to keep track of the many windows Skype uses.
Also on chats, the drawer is a bit annoying – I need to see the list of chats always, so there’s no point putting it in a drawer. Hopefully the new UI will clean this and other issues and hopefully go to a single window model!
Thanks!
One other thing I forgot – phone numbers (mobile, home, etc) I add in Windows Skype *do not* show in the Mac Skype. User’s profiles show no phone numbers. This would be a great addition – please fix it so that the same numbers and other profile info info appears the same in all Skype clients (Windows, Mac, iPhone etc).
Thanks!
I can’t wait!!
I think if you could, please make it for G4 PPC Macs as well, not just intel Macs. Also, please make it so you can play games on Skype for Mac, with friends on Windows Skype or Linux Skype. Thank you for all your hard work!
Please make it as Skype on Windows but even better. Mac users usually are professionals. I tried Skype 5 Beta on Windows and the group video calling feature is amazing. One thing I would like you to include in the new version is to be able to have multiple telephone numbers (Skype – Home – Mobile) on a single contact. In windows version you already have this feature. Unfortunately this feature does not exist in Mac version and you need to add a new contact or call a new number. I hope you take into consideration our feedback and requests. Thank you and I cannot wait trying the new version of Skype for MAC.
Something I see others comment on, and that I’ve seen first hand evidence of, is a huge lack of features in the Mac version of Skype vs. the Windows client. Why is this? Can someone from Skype clue us into why Skype seems to prioritize development for Windows?
You guys do realize that Apple has been creeping up on Microsoft for market share for some time right? You guys should also realize that Apple recently surpassed Microsoft …. Get with the program please?
let us take pics on macs!!!!
RE: edrozenberg comment on Monday, May 31
Yes, I totally agree – additional contact telephone numbers entered in Windows also need to be seen in Mac. It’s hard to believe this has not been remedied.
And games!!!
Thank you very much for working so hard on getting us the next beta asap!
THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. WHY US MAC USERS HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL END OF THE YEAR? I mean we use the best hardware ever and for something as popular as skype you didnt think of devoloping the windows and the mac application parallel? why does windows always get the first option? are you lacking engineers?
+1 for Join Call – absolutely critical. Beta with that feature ASAP. Thanks.
All I want is skype to work properly on OSX10.6. Calls are always (yes always) dropped after a few minutes. skype drops offline when other apps still have internet access. The only workaround I’ve found is to create a second login and use that to call from. I’ve been reporting this along with many others for many months now and still no result so I’ll cheer for new features when the current ones work.
Hear, hear to a video screenshot button and games!
Skype is absolutely atrocious on OSX10.6.4 when video chatting cpu usage steadily climbs along with memory usage until almost ALL CPU TAKEN BY SKYPE. This is accompanied by the highly satisfying feeling of my macbook turning my thighs into a portable hibachi due to massive heat because Skype has MAJOR PROBLEMS ON OSX. How about fixing the CPU usage? or memory leaks? FORGET THE NEW FEATURES FIX YOUR BROKEN PROGRAM FIRST.
I would love to recommend Skype for mac but it is absolutely awful, the impression you are giving to mac users when they fire up your program is that you don’t care about them because your program is so OBVIOUSLY BUG RIDDEN and you have no plans to ACKNOWLEDGE OR FIX THE PROBLEMS.
When will SkypeTV be available to video Skype MAC???? I have a Samsung C7000. I can video skype on my TV to my wife’s skype for window V4.2, but can only audio skype to my son’s Mac book
Ah. FInally, a new version in the works. I’ve always wanted the feature to join with people when you already have a conference going, without having to call it through the API by putting something together in Python, for example, then having to launch it just to do something this simple. That’s really the only feature I’m really desperate to have. Also, at least on my Macbook, I seem to have conference problems for the most part where I am not able to hold more than three participants or so. This is mostly the case for me, also, the menu buttons next to a contact name within a conference do not always seem to be visible and sometimes seem unable to be brought up. I never had issues with conferences on the Windows-side, but I was hoping it was just an issue on both sides for me. Thanks.
I use Skype to keep up with my son long distance. I formerly had a windows machine and he does. We were able to play Chess in the Extras. There are no Extras in the Mac version. I no longer have the Windows machine and my son asks every week if we can play chess. It looks like a Flash app.. so I’m not sure what would prevent the release of the Extras games on Skype for Mac OSX.
When is Skype going to make an app for Mac Mail…
I use Skype everyday and I use Mac Mail as my main portal with emails…Problem is that when I get an email I can’t just right click on it and have it auto dial. I actually have to copy the phone number and then scroll over to the Skype dialer and then paste.
Sounds like that only takes a few seconds and I shouldn’t complain…true…however I respond to close to 300 emails a DAY! Each time I stop to copy and paste I lose “x” amount of productivity.
Does Skype have anything for mail programs to Skypeout immediately?
Thanks,
Andrew
LiveChatAgent
When exactly is the new skype coming out
two months later…..now what?
Is one of the surprises a working piece of software?
I too have been troubled by Skype’s fixation on the dying Microsoft/PC standard. It is NOT all right to tell us a new Mac version will be ready in X months. That’s useless, especially since each release for Mac is usually substandard compared with the earlier-released Microsoft/PC version in one way or another. There’s no way to plan for its integrated use. Just make the new version available and start working on the next one already.
Skype on the Mac is terrible. Outdated interface, video calling uses waaay too much CPU and resources, the chat drawers are awful, really. Get rid of them. Kill them with fire NOW!
Give us a new app, this is starting to look outdated. I just used Skype on my sister’s PC and it looks great, what a nice app. I want that for the Mac.
I want to be able to play games with friends on Skype like the Windows people are able to do. And I want to be able to make things come across my screen like Windows, Ex. Flying bird, kisses, drawing on your face. These all appear across your picture when talking with someone else. Windows people can do this and play games. I want to be able to do these too.
I can’t believe what I just saw. Having had a great experience using Skype on my PC, I eagerly downloaded it to my new Mac (which I LOVE). (I use my Mac to run my business, by the way.) What I now have looks like something from the dark ages. I could not be more disappointed. I was so sure that I would have the same experience I had with the PC version (why would I assume otherwise?!), I had just paid for a one-year subscription and added another 3 months to my phone number subscription. Now I’m rethinking those decisions. Although I could switch over to my Parallels program to run Skype under Windows, that is such a hassle. I’m trying to move as far away from the MS slow and crash-prone OS as fast as I can.
And then I find this kind of lack of responsiveness to Mac users on your blog. It looks like you guys are out of touch with reality in being stingy with your Mac development resources. I don’t get it. You are running this business to be profitable, right?
Its not apples vs apples. Skype for windows is far more advanced and actually works well in a production environment. Skype for Mac just sucks. How many windows do you need to run Skype on Mac….Can you not consolidate the interface design? 4 floating windows… are you kidding? Its a nightmare. I am now working with teams developing iPhone apps so I have to use a Mac and deal with many different programmers. Skype for Mac is a nightmare. Need help with interface design or logic I would be happy to help. OR go to your nearest PC and download and use Skype for ideas.
We need a Mac Business Version for our Company. The actual version for mac is not state of the art.
I have to disagree with the previous comments. When my Macbook broke and I had to use a PC Skype for a few days, I hated it and couldn’t wait to return to the Mac Skype.
Mac Skype is clean, straightforward, and is perfect at letting you do what it should do: chatting and calling. No Extras. No Games. No Ads. No additional functions. No everything-in-one-window. Honestly – it is a bliss (well maybe the icons could be redrawn, they’re clunky). Please keep the clean version!
hi tnx for that update
there is a problem with skype on mac
i have MBP 2010 with i7 and graphic changing
skype force the mac to use nvidia graphic card witch is power hungry
please i love skype alot but with in this situation i rather close my skype than losing my battrey
thanks