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Multitasking is good for all sorts of apps that you’d like to keep “awake” but not to the exclusion of all others, like mail — a core app that already runs in the background. But there are plenty of others that needn’t be immersive and yet must be, like instant messaging, and social media apps like Twitter.
One ramification of OS 4 leapt out at us immediately: Skype’s app could now run in the background, waiting for incoming calls while you do other things.
And it should be possible to continue to use the iPhone app to leverage whatever Skype options you have, like online numbers (real phone numbers, not just your account name) that can be called from any telephone and the ability to call any phone using Skype, not just other Skype users.
Without being able to run in the background Skype’s is largely limited to outgoing calls, unless you make an appointment on some other medium to arrange a Skype call (or just run it all the time). At present Skype is a convenient extra on the iPhone, and a significant tool for making calls — especially during those hours when you’d otherwise be using the minutes on your calling plan — but not something one could ever rely on for day-to-day communication.
That could change dramatically this summer, when OS 4 is available to the public. Maybe even better: The same OS powers the iPod Touch, which has no phone but could become a Skype phone by default. It will also be available for the phoneless iPad in the autumn.
It was really simple to implement — “just a dozen lines of code,” said Skype’s David Ponsford, head of product development, during the iPhone OS 4 press conference in Cupertino, California.
Ultimately though, without being able to use AT&T’s 3G connection, which AT&T told the FCC and Apple was fine six months ago, Skype calls are still limited to Wi-Fi. And that’s a big limitation. On Tuesday, Skype released a new version of its iPhone app that many suspected would add 3G calling (because AT&T approved the idea six months ago and Skype said in February that 3G calling would be added “real soon now”).
The delay is mysterious, and could speak to something deeper at work here. Adding to the intrigue is a post on Skype’s forum by Dragev, who claimed on March 22 that he’d run into “Peter” (likely Parkes, Skype’s blogger and Twitterer in chief) who said Skype has scrapped 3G on the iPhone because it signed an exclusive deal to offer 3G service on Verizon or because AT&T’s network can’t handle it.
“He told me that the deal with Verizon included exclusivity, so Skype is not going to issue an update for the iPhone that will allow it to work over 3G,” claims Dragev, a regular poster on the Skype forum. “Apparently, they had some questions whether the AT&T network would even be able to provide a decent experience, as well, so [Skype iPhone team leader] David Ponsford decided to scrap it. There will be an update supporting push in the fall, however.”
Even without 3G, multitasking makes Skype a powerhouse on Wi-Fi, and while you’re away from that, you can route calls to voicemail or another phone, using the free Google Voice service. The Skype app will accept calls even if you’re using your phone for something else, which makes it a somewhat viable alternative to paying for voice service — 911 calls excepted.
If you only need phone service when you’re around Wi-Fi (or, even better, if you carry your own 4G Wi-Fi with you), an iPod Touch running the Skype app means you don’t have to pay AT&T $100/month or so for wireless service, and you can still make and take calls to and from normal phones.
If you pay for iPhone service, you could downgrade to the cheapest voice plan ($40 for 450 minutes per month), conserving your minutes by switching to Skype when you’re around Wi-Fi, once it accepts incoming calls. Heck, you could even route all your numbers — cellphone, incoming Skype number, home phone, office phone, batphone, etc. — through Google Voice and answer your calls on phone-Skype, computer-Skype, AT&T, your home phone or your office phone, depending on where you are, and whether you have Wi-Fi.
The only missing piece of the puzzle is Skype-over-3G, so if you want to make wireless 3G calls over Skype, you’ll still need to jailbreak your iPhone.
This is heady stuff, but you won’t be able to try Skype’s incoming-calls feature until the summer, when Apple rolls out the iPhone 4 OS to iPhones and iPod Touches. The iPad version is set for a fall release, and the new version of Skype will work with that, too. Now, all the iPad needs is a camera for video Skype calls and that ever-elusive 3G support.
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