What doesn't help is that the desktop application is terrible.
Our senior editor Zac Bowden recapped Microsoft's efforts in a more extensive piece on how Microsoft mishandled Skype: In an attempt to improve the service, Microsoft remakes the app once every year or so.
It feels as if some people at Microsoft know there's something wrong with Skype but don't know how to fix it. Those steps occurred seemingly at random as well, rather than trending in the right direction. Microsoft has taken several steps forward and backward when it comes to the quality of Skype. Sorry, Barney Stinson, new isn't always better.
