Skype targets mid-year release for its dedicated iPad app and hints that the new client will also support video calling on the next-gen ‘iPhone 4G’ or iPhone HD.
Skype is gearing up for a mid-year release of a new iPhone OS app to run on both the iPad and the fourth-gen iPhone HD.
“We are working on an iPad app and we are working towards a launch in (northern) summer” said Dan Neary, Asia Pacific Vice-President for Skype, during a press briefing in Sydney today.
Neary also hinted that the same app would support video calls on the soon-to-be-released iPhone HD or iPhone 4G, which according to leaked pre-production models will sport a front-facing video camera.
“We believe that video is part of the Skype experience, and we believe that video is moving aggressively into the mobile environment, so stay tuned on an announcement on that.”
But whether or not there’s a camera embedded in the new iPhone, the big enhancement with the new OS is multitasking. We’re working on that as well, and the ability to multitak is a major improvement for the Skype experience.”
However, Neary still expects bigger and better things from future editions of the iPad, and a front-facing video camera could sit high on his wish list.
“I think the iPad is an incredibly exciting product but it is clearly not the same communications device in its current form that the iPhone is. So we’re looking forward to further advancements in the iPad and where that can go in the future.”