The buy of WhatsApp by Facebook, in Facebook's mobile strategy despite some questions.

Two years after its buy of $1 billion for Instagram, Facebook bought WhatsApp in February 2014 for $19 billion.

The barriers to entry in the market of new technologies are more and more narrow. To avoid the threat of new entrants, the biggest digital companies such as Facebook, Yahoo, Apple or Google don’t hesitate to put huge sum of money to buy starts-up which have a great potential. With more 450 millions of active users per month and an expectation of 1 billion users according to M. Zuckerberg, WhatsApp had a better potential than Facebook messenger and so it was a big competitor, that’s why Facebook wanted to buy WhatsApp.  This buy is in the strategy of a social operating system, to have more and more users and to gather two tools which are Facebook and WhatsApp the best ways to communicate and share. That reinforce Facebook’s business model and strategy which are turn to mobile.  

  

But this buy is not an entry in the Asian or African market, because there are already the same services such as Line, Wechat in Asia and Mxit in Africa. In addition, this huge quantity of money could lead to an internet bubble, because WhatsApp has only 20 million of turnover according to Forbes and this buy dropped of about 4% the Facebook stock price.

With Instagram and WhatsApp, Facebook has now two out of services the more popular on smartphone and monetize and collect the data of both apps could be a great opportunity.


References:
www.bourse.lefigaro.fr, Indices-actions, <http://bourse.lefigaro.fr/indices-actions/actu-conseils/a-wall-street-l-acquisition-de-whatsapp-fait-chuter-l-action-facebook-988890>, consulted on 18/03/2014.
www.forbes.com, Home Page, <http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/02/19/exclusive-inside-story-how-jan-koum-built-whatsapp-into-facebooks-new-19-billion-baby/2/>, consulted on 18/03/2014.

Skype, an easy and appealing way for private individuals and companies to communicate all around the world.

In 10 years, Skype has reached 300 million users  when it took 25 years to the mobile phone, and Skype represented one third of international communications in 2013.  

The globalization increases the trend to work and travel in foreign countries. Ended the time of postcard or extra-charge of cellphone, henceforth with the multiplication of Wi-Fi hotspots you can communicate easier. Everybody can keep in touch anywhere, Skype gathers people and allows to call by VoIP and video to any user of Skype for free and call directly the fix line and cellphone with an extra. The convergence between communication and Internet allows to create a new way to communicate and make easier the communication and exchange of information.

Then, the job interview are more and more done by Skype to facilitate the appointment, particularly when you apply for a foreign job. Reduction of infrastructure costs are realized thanks to this technology for individuals and companies who can do meeting easily and quickly. The only invest to do is to buy a webcam with a microphone. The strengths of Skype are its ease, rapidity, free and usable everywhere with any devices such as laptop, cellphone or tablets.

In addition, Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 particularly to develop itself in the communication in adding Skype to Outlook, Xbox, Windows Phone and to have a huge data base allowing to have an added value in front of its competitor in laptop, game console and mobile, and then to target Skype users. 

References: www.linformaticien.com, Actualites, <http://www.linformaticien.com/actualites/id/30051/skype-fete-ses-10-ans-300-millions-d-utilisateurs.aspx>, consulted on 12/03/2014.