It is worth noting, Microsoft initially announced Skype availability on Echo devices back in September. This week’s roll out is the finalization of those earlier plans. One of the benefits of Skype hooking up with Alexa is the service now becomes available on the market-leading smart speaker service. While Microsoft’s own Cortana has supported Skype for a long time, the assistant is on a limited amount of devices. By allowing support on Alexa, Microsoft is putting Skype in the homes of millions of users and within a growing market. Using the SkypeOut feature, Echo users can make mobile and landline cals by using the command “Alexa, call Markus on Skype”.
Cortana Implications
Indeed, Microsoft has been increasingly shifting focus of Cortana away from cosnumers and towards productivity and enterprise.
