AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Today, we are saying goodbye to a technology that produced one of the 2000s' most memorable ringtones.
(SOUNDBITE OF SKYPE RINGTONE)
CHANG: Skype - it shut down today.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
It used to be super popular. In 2009, the app had more than 400 million users and made up 8% of the world's international calling minutes.
CHANG: Skype allowed you to call others over the internet but also to call anyone with a phone number. That was revolutionary back in the mid-2000s, but don't just take my word for it. Here's former ALL THINGS CONSIDERED host Robert Siegel in August 2005.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
ROBERT SIEGEL: It was a delightful experience to - making a call on Skype, wearing headphones, at least to the ears of a radio person. The line is very high quality. It's much better fidelity than an ordinary phone call.
SHAPIRO: Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion. Over time, Skype became less popular as other platforms like Zoom caught on. And now Microsoft says it has shifted focus to its Teams app.
(SOUNDBITE OF PLAYSONGS PEOPLE SONG, "SKYPE PEEKABOO")
CHANG: I guess you could say connection lost, but this time, permanently.
(SOUNDBITE OF PLAYSONGS PEOPLE SONG, "SKYPE PEEKABOO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
