- To use Skype, you must be connected to a wi-fi hotspot. It will not work over AT&T’s data network. That limits its usefulness, and limits your mobility. People want the calling feature on their phone to just work, 100% of the time. That’s not this.
- You can’t receive calls to your main number via Skype. Sure, you could potentially do a trick with Google Voice, where you get people to call a different number that rings both places. But that’s another Internet service to rely on, another potential point of failure, and more inconvenience.
- You can’t receive calls on Skype unless the Skype app is open. That’s because iPhone apps do not run in the background — they’re only useful when they’re open. That means you have to message or talk with someone before they call you, and open your Skype app. Hardly as convenient as using a phone. You also can’t pop open another app, like the address book or calendar, to check on something — it’ll disconnect your Skype call.
- You still have to pay your phone bill! For the iPhone, that’s a minimum $70 per month. ($40 for voice minutes and $30 for data.) Even if you cut back to the $70 plan from a more expensive plan, that’s still 40% more than the average AT&T subscriber spends on wireless service per month. Factor in $5 to $15 per month on text messaging, and you’re 50% to 60% above the average. And if you don’t use the minutes you pay for, that’s more profit for AT&T.