So an update to Skype appeared in the App Store today apparently increasing the range of devices that iPhone (and iPod touch) users can carry on video conversations with. The big thing seems to be the ability to chat with folks on Skype for TV. As an added bonus, Skype 3.0.1 no longer simply crashes-on-launch with iOS 4.3.

I saw Skype for TV being demoed by companies such as Panasonic while I was at CES, and while it’s an interesting concept, I’m wondering if it’s one of these things that will ever see any meaningful mass-market adoption, or if it will simply fall into the category of yet-another-thing-that-nobody-needs-built-into-their-TV.

Apple’s FaceTime still provides superior video quality and has the advantage of being built into every current iPhone, iPod touch and likely soon, every iPad, as well as being available for every Mac. The downside is that it still works only over Wi-Fi, and only works between Apple-made devices. Skype currently has an advantage here, but also remains mostly a solution for tech-savvy users.

By bringing video conferencing into the living room, Skype for TV has the right idea to solve this, but in my opinion it’s the wrong implementation. By trying to partner with hardware vendors, the options become inherently more limited, not less so. TV manufacturers will charge a premium for TVs with the Skype feature built-in, and it will continue to only be available on certain models. Instead of being something anybody can just plug-in, it becomes something that people have to factor into buying decisions for new TVs.

To me, this is the same reason that I can’t see Apple ever trying to enter the TV set market. Buying a TV these days is an inherently complex decision for most people, and it makes little sense for Apple to be a competitor in the landscape of Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony et al when they could instead add value to all of them equally.

I would like to think that somewhere deep in the skunkworks at 1 Infinite Loop, Apple is trying to take a similar but far better approach to implementing a FaceTime solution for the Apple TV. I’ve been messing with trying to get video conferencing working with my parents for some time now so that they can see their granddaughter, and suggestions that they simply “Get a Mac” to replace their Windows PC are impractical for those on a fixed income. On the other hand, I would love the idea of a $99 box that I could just drop into their living room that would “just work.”