Microsoft recently decided to buy the company Skype, the transaction amount — $ 8.5 billion purchase is approved by the board of directors of both companies. This is the biggest deal, which committed the company Steve Ballmer in the history of Microsoft. It could be a second, if Microsoft did not give up a failed venture to buy search engine Yahoo for $ 47.5 billion

In the deal Google and Facebook have probably lost: a month ago the two giants were negotiating on a large-scale cooperation with Skype. But shareholders of Skype, by contrast, skazachno lucky. If it were not for the battle for online traffic, started the world’s IT-corporations, the shareholders would not get Skype and a half of the amount that gave Microsoft. In winning Microsoft, not least because it would not allow the purchase of Skype competitors. Site traffic so traffic behind Facebook and Google, but could and did, hopelessly behind.

But hardly Ballmer would give $ 8.5 billion just for the sake of Eric Schmidt (Google) is far from gone. Another little to be believed that he regarded the deal as an investment project — the company supplies services to every tenth person on earth, but for many years can not go into profit. Who would develop such a company? Probably, Microsoft tries to integrate in some way in its line of Skype software. However, exactly how.

The most likely way to attach Skype — to integrate it with Windows or an office suite Microsoft Office. Make it easy, and in general it is reasonable at first glance, to use the acquisition to grow their most profitable and popular products, although it is not obvious whether this venture will result. Skype installed on virtually all operating systems, and all who wished it already installed. In the end, the number of Skype users in more than twice the number of users of Windows 7.

Microsoft could also make an attempt to integrate Skype with their online businesses and sell advertising there. But this idea is hardly become a reality: Microsoft unit connected to the Internet and so suffer a loss greater than $ 2 billion a year. Buying a company on the verge of total loss situation hardly correct. The more Skype has all the income solely from paid services. Skype has already nachalb experiment with advertising, but they do it very carefully. Microsoft Trying to enter mass advertising may discourage users, and the main asset of Skype. Microsoft so many years in a row can not pull out of search engine Bing infinite loss. In this case, talk about the chances to make a program about which the user does not know what they are buying what they sell than interested, just do not have to.

Finally, Microsoft can link Skype with their mobile gadgets. For example, as suggested by some experts, unite with Skype’s mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7. In principle, it is logical and very easy: after all, the phone should ring and users love Skype, but the device WP7 now sold very poorly — to the point! On the other hand, Skype is on mobile devices and competitors, and Microsoft would not dare to withdraw them — instantly rise the wave of popular anger.

However, some fusion oc WP7 and Skype is simply obliged to appear. Microsoft is counting on the success of the mobile system, putting into it a lot of resources, and agreed to part with $ 1 billion for the transfer to the OS of mobile device with Nokia, and of course will not deny myself to try to come up with at least a small competitive advantage in the eyes of the audience Skype, but it’s a lot of — 663 million people.

But the most successful idea of ??integrating Skype with mobile devices is buried in the Gaza Games and Entertainment, namely in the gaming console Xbox. Thanks to the controller Kinekt 10 million of them are already equipped with a camera, and thus ideally suited for communication via Skype. The direction of the game in Microsoft profit as opposed to the Internet and mobile devices is developing rapidly in contrast to Microsoft Office and able to sell their services to end users, unlike Skype. Do Xbox users willing to pay almost three times greater than that of Skype. Microsoft has a better chance of success if they come up with how to combine Skype with your same game consoles. One can only imagine how many users will think to buy a game console (about 663 million), and 25 million subscribers for a small fee Xbox will use paid services of Skype. The opposite effect, the growth of the gaming console sales will stimulate the growth of Skype, and Skype users will increase to increase sales of Xbox, which are already considerable.

In addition to financial advantages alliance Kinect and Skype still good for another reason: it is really something new. Now, several people in the video chat will not just talk, but to play football or tennis, for example.