Skype 5 Beta Download Now Available For Mac OS X
Written by John Thompson on November 4, 2010 · Filed under Software
Well, it’s been a long time to wait for Mac users as we’ve recently seen the Skype Android app released, Windows users have been enjoying the latest and greatest that Skype has to offer for a good few months now, but the beta version of Skype 5 is now available for the Mac OS X.
There are a number of new features available, and some other tweaks as well, including updated contact list views and a new control bar.
The biggest new feature here though is, without a doubt, group video calling (cue cheesy family group video chat screenshot). Users on Skype 5 can now initiate group video calls, so you are no longer limited to the one to one video calls in previous versions. This is a feature that definitely matters not only to the average consumer, but also small businesses looking to cut costs wherever possible.
When viewing your contacts, you can now view them in a cover flow style, with each contact given a thumbnail for their image, and a label underneath the thumbnail showing you their name.
It’s certainly nice to have the choice to view contacts this way, so hopefully more people will use higher resolution display images in the future! There is also a new control bar, which has been streamlined and given a more modern, refreshed look.
If you want to grab the beta for yourself, head over to the Skype download page and download it; as always it’s free to download and the beta is available to everyone.
