Daily Tech Briefing: June 25, 2014

Just one month after Microsoft made the surprising announcement of its Surface Pro 3, users all over the world can now look forward to the release of Intel Core i3 and Core i7 versions in August, according to the Head of Microsoft Surface Panos Panay.

So far, only the mid-range Core i5 has been available for purchase. By the end of August, all three versions of the Surface Pro will be available and shipped to 26 other markets, including China, the U.K. and others.

Skype users should strongly think about upgrading their client software since Microsoft has revealed an aggressive retirement cut-off for older editions. Skype Manager Tom Huang said in a company blog post that they are looking to the future and putting their focus and efforts on recent versions of the software.

Skype for Windows desktop versions 6.13 and below and Mac versions 6.14 and below are among the Skype client versions that will be retired in the coming months.

Partner companies Verizon and VMWare have announced their relationship is expanding to include mobile security and enterprise mobility management solutions. This means Verizon will now offer the AirWatch by VMWare to its enterprise customers as part of its mobile device management solutions.

The goal? To enable employees to securely access any personal or professional information they need anytime, anyplace and across any device.

For Apple, what was initially a welcome idea among developers is now raising some concerns, as they begin to question the security of the greater accessibility that will be available in iOS 8. Symantec Threat researcher Candid Wueest told eWEEK there could be significant unforeseen risks in Apple’s decision to open up their gated software ecosystem.

App extensions and the ability for apps to communicate through messaging “brokers” could weaken Apple’s security model and increase the attack surface, said Wueest.