Is Skype too geeky?

I was interested to read in a couple of blogs (Jeff Clavier & Tim Bray) that Google is going to try to give Skype a run for its money in the instant-messaging and VOIP-telephony markets.

I use Skype, and I don't mind the service (although I'm disappointed there aren't any videocall Skype plugins for Linux yet), so I wondered whether Google's move would impact Skype, or whether Skype's early lead in the area would win out.

What answered that for me was a BBC TV news report. Google's entry into the VOIP market was considered sufficiently mainstream it to appear in the evening news. However, Google's competitors were said to be a couple of other big players (I think it was Yahoo and Microsoft). Skype didn't get a mention.

This is a battle that will be won on public perceptions as much as on technical merit (VHS versus Betamax again, as they say). Right now, Skype has a lot of geek chic, but does it have a public perception? I think it is going to need one, if it doesn't want Google to overtake it.

Note: I don't give investment advice. This is just a personal comment, and should not be interpreted as investment advice.