Skype for Business Mac: Screenshots, 3 Preview Drops 6 Weeks Apart, GA Q3

In another interesting Skype Broadcast, we got further insight into the Skype for Business Mac Preview Program.

You can sign up now for the Preview at the Skype Preview Portal, https://www.skypepreview.com/ where all the Skype for Business preview programs are run from. It’s being run on a first come first served basis.

We’re getting the client way earlier than I’ve ever seen a public preview before, in fact the client is not even “complete” until the third drop.

The three “drops” or releases you can test will be

• Meeting Join only
• Meeting Join and IM/P
• Meeting Join, IM/P and Voice and Video

The gap between drops will be 4-6 weeks depending on quality gates. The schedule is defined by quality not arbitrary dates, which is good to hear. RTM is still scheduled for calendar Q3, and it’s expected there will then be monthly updates that may at some point include:

• QoS Support
• Remote desktop control

Confusingly it was demo’d via remote desktop on a Windows machine, hence the start bar, but it is a Mac.

Note the full screen video with very little chrome, and black chrome as that scored better in user feedback.

Desktop Sharing

Tom Arbuthnot

Principal Solutions Architect at Modality Systems

Tom Arbuthnot is Principal Solutions Architect at Unified Communications specialist Modality Systems. He is a Microsoft Certified Master and MVP, blogger, regular on The UC Architects Podcast, and speaker at events including Microsoft TechEd and Ignite. He co-runs The Microsoft UC User Group London.