Skype turns 10, confirms it’s working on 3D video calls

Microsoft-owned video calling service Skype has just turned 10 years old. Naturally, the company is already looking ahead to what’s next, and that might 3D video calling.

In fact, Microsoft corporate VP for Skype Mark Gillett confirmed in a BBC interview that the company is working on making 3D video calls a reality.

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“We’ve seen a lot of progress in screens and a lot of people now buy TVs and computer monitors that are capable of delivering a 3D image,” Gillett told the BBC. “But the capture devices are not yet there. As we work with that kind of technology, you have to add multiple cameras to your computer, precisely calibrate them, and point them at the right angle.”

Skype’s 3D push is a bit curious considering 3D technologies have not caught on with consumer electronics buyers, with lagging interest in 3D TVs and smartphones. ESPN also recently said it would drop its 3D channel.

The only area where 3D hasn’t been a flop is at the movies, where 3D-enabled films have continued to attract moviegoers. (I’d argue people mostly go for the movie, not for the 3D.)

For its tenth anniversary, Skype said it now has more than 300 million users around the world and that 2.6 million years’ worth of conversations have been made since the service started in 2003. To “celebrate,” Skype is giving every user 30 free minutes of Skype WiFi, which lets you get online at more than a million public Wi-Fi hotspots.