Skype: AMD Users Need Not Apply

Well, it’s not that bad. But (via Slashdot) it does appear that Skype will be crippling its software on non-Intel systems:

The latest version of Skype’s Internet-calling software can host up to 10 users on a conference call, but only if your PC has a dual-core processor from Intel, Skype and Intel announced Wednesday.

There’s nothing technical about the restriction. There’s nothing Intel’s dual-core chips can do that AMD’s can’t; in fact, AMD has been rated as slightly faster than Intel. This is purely a marketing agreement.

I wonder, though, if this won’t backfire on Skype. Gizmo advertises free conference calling that can handle more than ten callers, and they don’t care who makes the chips that run your computer. People who buy AMD computers because of the lower cost and better performance might be persuaded to give an alternative service a try.