The European Commission has approved Microsoft’s $8.5 billion attainment of Skype. The integration of Skype is an important tactic in Microsoft’s strategy towards competing with the smartphone giants. Although Microsoft already has Windows Live, which is similar to Skype, the Skype service is more accessible. Skype enables communications between various phone and computer types. What this merger allows Microsoft to do is possibly “sell more digital advertising and offer more popular business conferencing tools” (4).
In order to compete with Google’s Android and the Apple iPhone, Microsoft would be wise to capitalize on Skype’s popularity to improve its brand image. By changing how it is perceived, Microsoft should be able to position itself closer to its rivals