Tony Bates, president of the Skype division at Microsoft, outlining the company's vision for the future of communications said that Microsoft aims to "rehumanise communciations from the living room to the boardroom". Lync and Skype play a central role in this vision, for the enterprise and consumer segments respectively.
Here's how the vision is explained in the Microsoft blog:
People are at the center of this vision. All day, every day, we are all simultaneously consumers and professionals, friends, family and colleagues – and our communications technologies need to move between these dimensions as seamlessly as we do.
Today people adapt to the requirements of technology. Multiple devices, applications and networks each have their own rules and identities and require that we conform to them. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Our vision puts people first by focusing on these core fundamentals:
- People-centric design. Creating a common user experience that’s simple, convenient and natural.
- Access and reach. Breaking down the barriers that separate one channel from another to allow people to communicate how and when they want.
- Endpoint device choice. Designing services that fit the devices people choose and how they use them.
- Security, reliability, services. Taking care of reliability and security so people can focus on conversations and content.
It's interesting to see the common themes between this communication vision and the way that Microsoft talks about Windows Phone, with the people-centric approach and emphasis on ease of use, security and reliability.
Screenshots from the current Lync 20120 app