Skype’s iPad application is only a week old but the app is enjoying greater popularity than its iPhone app did. “We’re seeing faster adoption with the iPad,” confirmed Neil Stevens, Skype’s vice president and general manager of products and marketing, in an interview. “It’s an even bigger success than the iPhone app.”
Skype’s iPhone app is currently in use on one in five iPhones. Stevens says the video-enabled version of Skype’s iPhone app has been downloaded more than 50 million times since its late December 2010 release.
Skype’s iPad app, which was officially launched on August 2, is moving even more swiftly so far. It is currently the most-downloaded iPad app in Apple’s App Store in the U.S. and, according to Stevens, a number of European countries.
The reason of high demand of iPad app’s:video calls are nicer on tablets than phones due to the tablets’ larger screens and faster, more capable processors.
The smooth ascent of Skype’s iPad app contrasts with its launch which was somewhat chaotic. The app went live in the App Store on August 1, was quickly pulled and then re-appeared the following day. Stevens says the mix-up was unintentional. “It was a communication and timing thing,” he said. “The app was released before we realized and we had some things we wanted to get right.” After making what Stevens characterizes as “one quick change,” Skype made the app publicly available again.
That quick turnaround is indicative of Skype’s new focus on shipping products as fast as possible. The company used to require up to 18 months to finish products, says Stevens. New software clients which took six to 12 months to develop are now finished in 90 days, he says. Skype would like to compress that period even further, to about 60 days for its Windows, Mac and iPhone software. “I think we’ve shipped more in the last six months than in the previous two years, and across a lot more platforms,” says Stevens.
Next, Skype plans to update the app used on Android tablets.
