Popular Voice over IP program and service Skype will soon arrive officially for Apple iPad. Rick Osterloh, senior VP of Consumer and Product Design told The Unofficial Apple Weblog that the new Skype for iPad App is expected to be approved soon and be released for general public. With the Skype for iPad App, the iPad 2 owners might be able to make video calls over Wi-Fi network if not 3G due to cellular operator restrictions/objections.
The Skype for iPad app will have same functions as the existing Skype for iPhone App — Chat, Audio calls and Video calls. Unfortunately neither iPhone nor iPad will get the file sharing feature.
Yes, the video chat feature dubbed as FaceTime does exists for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac products. But according to Osterloh, Apple has been “super supportive” with the Skype’s feature.
Following the Skype for iPad release, several Google Android 3.x Honeycomb based tablet owners too would be looking forward to endure — video calling, audio calls and chat via dedicated Skype App for the Android tablets. However that might just take a while.
That’s because after Microsoft’s clean acquisition of Skype, the company would be more focused on deeper integration of the service in Windows Phone platform and upcoming Windows 8 based tablets. Real questions is whether the telecom operators agree to offer the video calling feature without premium data plans pricing or at the affordable and inexpensive than existing rates.