New face of Skype for Mac

By Priidu on July 25, 2006 in Skype for Mac.

The long wait is over and Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta is finally here. We've put a lot of effort into it, so get it and give it a try. But before you do that, let me give you a quick overview of how (and why) Skype for Mac has evolved and changed.

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Priidu and my area of responsibility is the visual design of Skype software clients for different platforms. There is a hard-working team of designers and programmers here at Skype, who have spent a lot of time and energy in order to bring you the new version, so I am speaking on behalf of them as well.

Sitting down to design Skype for Mac 1.5 we had a long list of features, bugs and suggestions - many of them sent in by you. We wanted to make a new version of Skype that would bring you more features familiar from Skype for Windows version, improve the software's usability, enhance its stability and reliability and bring a more Mac-like experience to our users. Compared to previous versions, Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta is more powerful and capable, but sports a simpler, easier and friendlier user interface.

There are several improvements to existing features in Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta, but right now I will focus on the 3 most important re-designed areas of the new user interface. So, what have we re-done?

Skype main window

The first thing you’ll notice about the new Skype for Mac is the new main window. It has received a proper overhaul - as requested, we made it sleeker, lighter and more compact. This is how it looks.

Our task was to end up with a window that would take less screen estate, feature more familiar Mac-like elements and be more effective at managing its contents.

We shuffled different parts of the main window around and removed the tabs and the drawer. Universal search field was moved to the toolbar and the Events/Services panels were replaced by a sleek new Myself panel (might look familiar to some of you from the Windows version). This saves a lot of real estate for the most important thing - your contacts.

Re-designing how the Contacts look, we took the main action icons for calling and chatting and placed them on the contact cards. This way they are closer to the presence and other info you want to see about the selected contact.

To make it easier to call to ordinary phones, we added a button at the bottom of the window that opens the SkypeOut Easy dialer. And there are also familiar Mac-like buttons at the bottom of the main window for adding new contacts and customizing how your Contact List looks.

With these design changes, the user experience of the re-designed main window for browsing and managing contacts has improved a lot. In the same breath we have also managed to give you what was requested - a simpler and sleeker main window.

Skype chat window

For chat window, we faced similar complaints - it looks too bulky, takes too much screen-estate and does not allow proper management of several chats. Here is the new chat window for Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta.

As you can see, the re-designed chat window now has much simpler and lighter content and input areas. The new chat window drawer allows different Contact views and drag-and-drop functionality allows chats to be managed effectively. Also, if you open Skype's Chat Preferences, you can turn on Skype Modern chatstyle that is more compact and legible than the one we had in Skype for Mac 1.4.

Besides holding a lot of calls, we here at Skype spend a lot of time using the text chatting feature (there are many group chats with 50 participants or so), so the request for a feature-wise more powerful, yet more simply designed chat window was a real challenge to us. We hope you like it too and I am confident we can keep improving it in the future.

Skype call windows

Many of you suggested we take calls out of the main window drawer. This issue is now addressed in Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta.

Skype calls now open in a separate windows and this allows the call window to be easily adjusted to the size of your liking - compact for 1:1 call, larger for conference or video calling. Or vice versa.

In addition, the call window now feature simple controls for holding/muting calls and displaying the dial pad. And you can also very simply drag-and-drop Contacts to your call windows to create conferences.

While we have many tips and tricks about the new beta for you (check back here, we'll have more blog posts coming!), the three screenshots above illustrate the most visible changes to the user interface of Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta.

Hopefully this brief intro was useful and helps you get started with the new version of Skype for Mac. Try it out and don't hesitate to let us know what you think of it through our survey or in the comments to this blogpost.

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Comments

french article about Skype for Mac 1.5.0.48 :

http://telecharger-skype-fr.com/telephone-gratuit/modules/news/article.php?storyid=196

w00t. Thanks a lot.

Nice update, but I would really like to see a way to categorize contacts (Friends, Family, or even VOIP) like most IM clients. As my Skype contacts grow, this limitation is becoming more annoying.

I am also not sure if I like how the new UI uses the same window for login and contacts (at least if the UI has to resize each time I login to fit my contact window preference).

Thank you for the beta, but in regards to your post, the long wait is NOT over at all, as this is only a beta. Now we do all appreciate this I am sure, but call a spade a spade.

what about support for powerbook internal microphone? i keep hearing echos because the mic is very close to the speaker.

The Beta version looks really good - thanks! Only slight strangeness is that the call windows pop up in a very jagged way - they kind of blip and jolt their way onto the screen!

By the way - what on earth was that comment about from Ben_klinger?! OBVIOUSLY, you're going to hear echos if the microphone is near the speakers!! Skype can't do anything about that! Just plug in some headphones!! Deary me...

Love the new UI! The simplicity is really something Mac users would've expected

http://bergie.iki.fi/blog/gizmo-and-the-new-skype-ui.html

Love it.

In the chat, how did "Jason Wilson wants to go for a swim" appear? Some kind of emote?

When I click on the userid of a missed call event, I expect the counter to decrement. It used to in previous versions. If there is another way to reset this counter, it is not obvious to me (and it should be)

The filtering and sorting in the history window is wonderful. As good as iTunes. Give a fat raise to whomever did this.

So far, this beta seems more stable than the previous release version. I think I will have my wife install it too. Many thanks for your product, and espesially for your multi-platform support.

Oh, about Ben's comment above concerning microphones, speakers and echo: iChat, on Macs that have the microphone right beside the left speaker (like TiBooks), mute the offending speaker. It's not as good a cure as earphones, but it does help and is a nice touch. Of course one can do this manually in the Sound system preference panel, but then you need to undo it to listen to a tune.

The emote works in a chat when you type:
/me wants to go for a swim

Then it outputs:
Jason Wilson wants to go for a swim

For more chat commands, type /help. We will blog this soon too, so that people will know about the chat commands.

Aha. Double click decrements the missed calls event counter.
There needs to be another way to do this.
Right clicking on the event does not produce a contextual menu.
Nothing for Command click, Option click either.

Even clicking on the missed event in the History window does not clear the count for the missed event being clicked on! Surely this should decrement the counter since the missed event has obviously seen.

Just a suggestion. It's not quite right the way it is. The product is getting very polished.

You are right, it need some improvement. We'll address this in the future releases, I am sure.

I've just noticed that the 'Skype me buttons' here on the web still don't work with Skype on the Mac... I still get instructed to download Skype!

Concerning the way the call windows pop up (blip, jolt etc)- is that an intended 'style effect'?! The chat windows are a bit slower to pop up, but they do so smoothly as you'd expect... Or is it only me experiencing this difference?! I don't want to go on about this - after all, it's only the BETA version, so many things will probably get ironed out...

The new look is very pleasing - you have done a great job! My congratulations, and sincere thanks for this lovely application.

Instant fan of the improvements. Very glad for the Compact Contact View option - as I hate shifting UIs. Double click still calls. Smashing. Video - wow. Not yet used in anger - but seems good so far - instantly recognised the cheapo USB cam I was given a couple of weeks ago. Great stuff. Thanks.

Me parecio realmente estraordinrio el cambio en el look de la aplicacion ademas de la rapidez. Lo instalé apenas recibi la noticia en alguna de mis supcriociones RSS y de inmediato llame a casa... ahora ya me pudieron ver de traje y corbata....

Great job!! Keep it up. One bug, my wife is using Skype 2.x for windows at work and she says that I keep dropping off as though I signed off. If I type in a chat window, she can see me available again. Just thought I would pass it along.

Its good although I think a feature that should be added is skype SMS before the final release

Hello there. I've just installed the new beta version and started using SkypeIn. It's just perfect, except for one thing. When I wake up my Mac after it has slept for a while, SkypeIn does not work – when people call they hear a message that says I'm not available. I have to quit and start skype again, and then it works.

Any suggestions about that?

fantastic upgrade although I seem unable to to save a telephone number as a contact for use in SkypeOut... the "add contact" click box remains greyed out and I cannot select it after entering all relevant info

GREAT job guys! I love the new UI, and it works really well. I was one of the ones that was hanging out for this release, and you've done an amazing job of it. Well done!

There are a couple of little buggy things happening, but as has been said, this is still a beta release so I'm sure they'll get worked out.

Chasread, I noticed the same problem too... try manually typing in the country code instead, that worked for me. I assumed that the list would add it for me, but it doesn't seem to. Probably a bug, it's no big deal...

Chris

The new version looks (and seems so far to work) great. The only complaint I have is that it still seems to lack DTMF tone sending support - something that has been missing from the Mac version from the start. This makes it impossible to use SkypeOut in a number of situations - such as calling into conferencing systems or checking international voice mail. Am I missing something? If not, any chance this feature could be added soon?

Thanks to the team for all the hard work involved here--definitely like the improvements! A few issues I've noticed:
--upon waking my mac from sleep--not visible to others, even though I am online. [I can receive chats however]
--I think there used to be a option to call the person you are chatting with via the IM window. It's not an option from the pop-down menu--would be great to add it there at least.

Garycook,

you can use right-click or CTRL-click on the contact name in the chat drawer to initiate a call. Also, a toolbar 'Call' icon starts a call with your chat contact.

The 'waking from sleep' issue is known, we are working on fixing it. To override the presence problem, just chat your contact or try giving them a call - this will refresh their status and you will see if they are online or not.

Am I the only one more interested in sending SMS than using video chat? All improvements to Skype for Mac are welcome of course but as an SMS addict, I'd LOVE to see the option available for MAC - at the moment I use it from my b/f's Windows PC any opportunity I get.

How can I change the message near my name??? I inserted one, but cannot find the button to change it ...

You simply erase it or re-write it. The change is instant, there is no button to 'set' the mood message.

I'll reiterate the need for SMS support. I don't use Skype much, but with SMS functinality I'd probably keep it running… it'd be an invaluable addition.

Good day!

I the current full version (not this beta), I am able to use the dial pad to make calls but the tone generator doesn't appear to allow me to activate picking up my voicemails using the "#" and my password. Any suggestions, folks, as to what I need to do? Thanks!

Thanks, too, SKYPE team for the great looking UI for the Beta 1.5 version!

SDW

I, too, would really use the SMS function if it were available for the Mac. I don't have a camera, so the added video function doesn't do much for me. I've been playing around with MacSMS, but it would be more convenient to have it all in one tool like Skype.

Why wasn't the sms put in...all I know is that I need it. It's a great app. I'm using it as I type this but I would like to have the sms. Thanks for the update though.

Please add SMS function to the Mac version. Really, really miss that. Thanks.

I have just started using Skype (1.5.0.79) on my MacBook Pro (OS X 10.4.6) and I like it very much. I also purchased a Keyspan VP-24A cordless phone to go with it. Skype works fine, but I can't get the phone to function. The computer does not recognize the USB receiver when I plug it in, although I followed all the instructions re. installation religiously and, indeed, installed the software twice, the second time with help from Keyspan tech support. The same problem occurs on my wife's MacBook. The Keyspan instructions say that I should select "Tools" from the drop-down menu, then go to "Options," then "Privacy," then click on"Manage other programs' access to Skype," select "Name: WirelesUSBPhon.Exe" and click "Change," then select the radio button entitled "Allow this program to use Skype" and click "OK," "O.K. again," then "Save." The problem is that I don't have a drop-down "Tools" menu (I assume these instructions are for Windows) and can find no way to get Skype to recognize the USB phone. I wonder if you could shed light on this issue? Many thanks!

Hi,

I'm one of the developers of Adium. It seems that Skype used to use a message format similar to the one Adium uses -- however that compatability has been broken. Any chance of that being restored?

Thanks,
-Colin

Hi! Skype is very nice, just every time starting a chat the drawer opens automatically. It takes a place, I never used it and dont need it and cant change that in prefs. Thanks!

Hi all, I just downloaded the new skype for Mac and I still can't "add contact." Is this ever going to be addressed????

One thing that I wish would change it the ability to eliminate one chat....not ALL of them. IF I'm talking to someone on a personal basis and I don't want that saved....I have to delete everything..... any suggestions?!

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» New Skype Preview for Mac out, with video from Voipally
Skype has released a new version for the Mac, this time including video. Skype for Mac with Video is currently a preview version. ‘Preview’ means that we’re still working on it and have only tested it under specific conditions, therefore we can... [Read More]

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