MacVoices MacVoices #25095: Live! - Skype Shuts Down, Dedicated LLM Apps
The MacVoices Live! panel discusses Microsoft’s shutdown of Skype and the transition to Teams, reflecting on Skype’s decline from a once-reliable communication tool to an obsolete platform. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Jeff Gamet and Jim Rea highlight challenges for non-tech users, alternatives like Zoom and FaceTime, and share personal anecdotes. The conversation also touches on the rise of AI apps, including Microsoft Copilot and Meta’s upcoming competitor, and whether they represent the next step in wide-spread adoption of LLMs.
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Show Notes:Chapters:
00:10 Introduction to Mac Voices 04:01 The End of Skype 05:36 Transitioning to Teams 09:27 The Challenges Ahead 11:34 AI and New Apps 14:09 Closing Thoughts and Connections
Links:
Skype is shutting down soon, Microsoft pushing users to Teams https://9to5mac.com/2025/02/28/skype-is-shutting-down-soon-microsoft-pushing-users-to-teams/
Microsoft Launches Copilot App for Mac https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/27/microsoft-launches-copilot-app-for-mac/
Meta to Release Standalone AI App to Compete With ChatGPT https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/27/meta-standalone-ai-app/
Guests:
Jeff Gamet is a technology blogger, podcaster, author, and public speaker. Previously, he was The Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and the TextExpander Evangelist for Smile. He has presented at Macworld Expo, RSA Conference, several WordCamp events, along with many other conferences. You can find him on several podcasts such as The Mac Show, The Big Show, MacVoices, Mac OS Ken, This Week in iOS, and more. Jeff is easy to find on social media as @jgamet on Twitter and Instagram, jeffgamet on LinkedIn., @jgamet@mastodon.social on Mastodon, and on his YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/jgamet.
David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud.
Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession ‘firsts,’ including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC).
Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He’s been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon.
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