Skype 5.3 for Mac brings HD video calling and OS X Lion support

While video calls made on Skype for the Mac have always been somewhat decent (although quality is also largely dependent on your webcam and internet connection), it appears that with the latest version of Skype for Mac, users will be able to make HD quality video calls to their friends.

The update will also bring support to the latest version of Mac OS X Lion along with several bug fixes and UI enhancements. According to the official Skype blog:

With Skype 5.3 for Mac OS X, you’ll also be able to send and receive HD quality video when talking to your friends and family. You’ll need to use the Mac’s built-in webcam or choose from a variety of webcams from our Skype Shop, such as the Logitech C910, to make video calls in crystal clear HD quality. To receive clear HD video calls on your Mac, we recommend an upload/download speed of 1.5Mbps.

As much as we’d like to view our friends, families and loved ones in HD, the 1.5Mbps speeds may not be possible to achieve for everyone, despite what your ISP claims, and I guess we don’t really need to see each other’s pores, do we? Anyway updates that fix bugs and enhances the UI is always a good thing to have even if you don’t need to the HD video calling feature.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Computers
Tags: os x lion, Update, voip