NEW YORK -- Microsoft has agreed to buy the popular Internet telephone service Skype for $8.5 billion in the biggest deal in the software maker's 36-year history.
微软宣布以85亿美元收购互联网语音通话服务提供商Skype,这一并购是微软36年的历史上最大数额的单笔并购交易。
Buying Skype would give Microsoft a potentially valuable communications tool as it tries to make a bigger splash on the Internet and become a bigger force in the increasingly important smartphone market.
微软试图在互联网界引起轰动,并意欲成为日益重要的智能手机市场的巨头,而这次的收购带给了微软这个潜在的高价值通讯工具。
The sellers include eBay and private equity firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.
此次,微软是从易趣、美国美国私募股权公司银湖(Silver Lake Partners)和安德森-霍洛维茨基金会(Andreessen Horowitz)手中购得的Skype。
Skype boasts about 663 million users worldwide. According to regulatory documents, Skype users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls last year.
据称,Skype在全球拥有6.63亿的用户,去年Skype用户的在线语音和视频通话时间高达2070亿分钟。
Most people use Skype's free calling services, which has made it difficult for the service to make money since entrepreneurs Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis started the company in 2003.
自2003年Niklas Zennstrom和Janus Friis创办公司以来,大部分的用户使用的都是Skype的免费呼叫服务,这也是其难以盈利的原因所在。
背景知识:Skype作为一款免费的网上聊天工具,虽用户众多,但却因其的“免费”而处于亏损状态。早在2005年,eBay公司就以41亿美元收购Skype,但其却未给公司带来太大的帮助,2009年eBay又将Skype的大部分股权出售给了美国美国私募股权公司银湖和安德森-霍洛维茨基金会。早前,谷歌与facebook都是Skype的几大热选之一,但最后却是被软件巨头微软砸重金购得。微软表示,他们会将Skype的技术与Xbox游戏机、Windows Phone软件和lync等微软产品进行整个,给微软带来新的机遇。的确,微软可以将这个用户众多的服务整合Windows Phone中,在智能手机领域与苹果的IOS以及谷歌的Android展开竞争,但是否会成功,这就有待我们去静观其变了。
新人教版英语九年《Unit 1 How do you study for a test》word学案
新人教版英语七下《Unit 3 Why do you like koalas》word单元教案
新人教版英语八下《Unit 7 Would you mind turning down the music》word学案
新人教版英语九年《Unit 14 Have you packed yet》word教案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 3 Teenagers should be allowed to choose their own clothes学案》word教案
新人教版英语八下《Unit 7 Would you mind turning down the music》word教案
新人教版英语八下《Unit 9 Have you ever been to an amusement park》word教案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 7 Where would you like to visit》word学案(4课时)
新人教版英语九年《Unit 2 I used to be afraid of the dark》word复习学案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 2 I used to be afraid of the dark》word教案
新人教版英语九年《Unit 10 By the time I got outside, the bus had already left》word学案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 4 What would you do》word复习学案
新人教版英语九年《Unit 13 Rainy days make me sad》word教案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 4 What would you do》word说课教案
新人教版英语七下《Unit 2 Where’s the post office》word单元教案
新人教版英语七下《Unit 12 Don’t eat in class》word学案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 9 When was it invented》word教案
新人教版英语九年《Unit 12 You’re supposed to shake hands》word教案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 6 I like music that I can dance to》word教案
新人教版英语九年《Unit 10 By the time I got outside, the bus had already left》word教案
新人教版英语九年《Unit 1 How do you study for a test》word复习学案
新目标(Go for it)版初中英语九年级(全一册)全册教案
新目标(Go for it)版初中英语九年级(全一册)全册教案-Unit1-9
新人教版英语七下《Unit 5 I’m watching TV》word学案
新人教版英语九年《Unit 1 How do you study for a test》word教案
新人教版英语九年《Review of Units 11-15》word学案
新人教版英语七下《Unit 1 Where’s your pen pal from》word学案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 7 Where would you like to visit》word教案
新人教版英语七下《Unit 6 It’s raining》word单元教案
人教新目标版九年级《Unit 3 Teenagers should be allowed to choose their own clothes》word教案2篇