Eric Slivka
Eric is Editor in Chief of MacRumors, swimmer, and former biophysicist. Enjoys reading and chasing after two rambunctious boys when he's not playing with the latest gadgets.
Eric Slivka's Articles
Optical Thunderbolt 3 Cables Begin Rolling Out in Lengths Up to 50 Meters
The Thunderbolt 3 standard has been available for roughly four years now, but cable lengths have so far generally been limited to a couple of meters due to signal degradation over long distances of copper wiring. While the use of copper Thunderbolt 3 cables limits their length, it does allow for additional features like the ability to carry power and fallback use of USB modes at slower speeds.
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Review: 2020 Hyundai Sonata Offers CarPlay, a Revamped Infotainment System, and Tons of Safety Features
Hyundai was one of the first brands officially announced as a CarPlay partner back in 2014, and the feature is now available across pretty much all of the carmaker's lineup. I recently spent some time with CarPlay and Hyundai's native infotainment system in the redesigned 2020 Hyundai Sonata, and I've been impressed with not only Hyundai's CarPlay implementation but also just how much technology...
Popular Mobile Game Plague Inc. Removed From App Stores in China
Ndemic Creations today released a statement acknowledging that its popular mobile game Plague Inc. has been removed from App Stores in China.
The company says it received a notice saying that Plague Inc. "includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China," but no further information on regulators' objections to the game have been shared....
Altice USA Brings its Cable TV Experience to Apple TV
Cable company Altice USA today announced that it has launched its Altice One experience on Apple TV, offering access to the company's streaming live TV service, on-demand video, and cloud DVR recordings.
Additional features include an interactive program guide, program restart for live shows, and Siri voice search support.
Altice customers have the option of adding an Apple TV 4K to their ...
MacRumors is 20 Years Old Today
It's hard to believe, but today marks the 20th birthday of MacRumors, which was founded on February 24, 2000, with articles starting just a few days later.
While longtime readers may be familiar with the site's origins, there are plenty of others who are unaware that it began as a hobby while our founder Arnold Kim was a medical student, and it remained a side project for over eight years...
U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Apple's Appeal in $440 Million VirnetX Patent Case
The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear Apple's appeal of a $440 million judgment in one of the patent infringement cases brought by VirnetX a decade ago, reports Reuters.
VirnetX was originally awarded $302 million back in October 2016 in the dispute over VPN-related patents, but Apple appealed the ruling multiple times, and with interest and other costs tacked on, the judgment was...
AirTags Said to Be 'Completely Waterproof' and Use Magnetic Charging Like Apple Watch
In a report touching on several topics today, Japanese site Mac Otakara claims that Apple's Tile-like "AirTags" item trackers will be "completely waterproof" and use similar magnetic wireless charging to that seen on the Apple Watch.
AirTag image found in iOS 13 build Evidence of AirTags has been found in builds of iOS 13 since last summer, and it appears the small item trackers will show up...
Apple Says March Quarter Revenue Will Fall Short Due to Coronavirus Impact [Updated]
Apple today issued an update on its financial guidance for the March quarter, announcing that the company will not meet its revenue goals due to the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic in China.Our quarterly guidance issued on January 28, 2020 reflected the best information available at the time as well as our best estimates about the pace of return to work following the end of the...
Apple Media Event Rumored for End of March, 'iPhone SE 2' Launch on April 3
March is the most common month for Apple's spring media events, and the relatively long list of products with rumored imminent updates has pointed toward one of those spring events being held again this year.
A new report [Google Translate] from German site iPhone-ticker.de claims that Apple is planning to hold a media event at the very end of March, with Tuesday, March 31 being the most...
Kuo: iPhone SE 2 Launch Still Planned for First Half of 2020 Despite Coronavirus Outbreak
We've been hearing for some time that Apple is planning to launch a new low-cost iPhone based on the iPhone 8, but with upgraded internals. This device has been referred to in rumors as the "iPhone SE 2" or "iPhone 9," although concerns over the impact of the Wuhan coronavirus on production have raised some questions about timing for the launch.
In a new research note seen by MacRumors,...
iPad Pro Update Expected 'Around March,' but Production Slow to Ramp Up
Rumors have been pointing toward a significant iPad Pro update in the first half of this year, including a new triple-lens rear camera system supporting 3D sensing for immersive augmented reality experiences.
MacRumors concept of iPad Pro with triple-lens rear camera system In a new paywalled blurb published today, DigiTimes claims that production on the device has already begun with a...
'AirPods Pro Lite' Production Reportedly Pushed Back From Planned Q2 Start
Last week, Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes made a passing reference to upcoming "AirPod Pro Lite" earphones without offering any details on the product, leading to confusion about whether this would be a third-generation version of the regular AirPods or a new member of the AirPods Pro family.
While we still don't have a full picture of what to expect with these upcoming earphones, D...
Review: Infiniti Joins the CarPlay Club With the 2020 QX50
Apple touts that there are now over 500 car models supporting CarPlay, and Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti is one of the most recent (and perhaps the last significant brand in the U.S. other than Tesla) to add the feature with the 2020 Q50 and Q60 sedans, QX50 crossover, and QX80 SUV.
I've had an opportunity to spend some time with a 2020 Infiniti QX50 and check out how the updated InTouch...
Apple Reportedly Working on 'AirPod Pro Lite' Earphones
Apple is said to be working with supply chain partners in Taiwan on several upcoming products, including a so-called "AirPod Pro Lite," according to DigiTimes. Other products mentioned include next-generation iPad, Apple Watch, and iMac models, all of which will be due for updates in the coming months, although some like the iPad and Apple Watch are unlikely to launch before September.
The...
Review: Pioneer's AVIC-W8500NEX System Upgrades Your Car With Wireless CarPlay and More
Pioneer has long been one of the biggest names in aftermarket car audio, and the company's lineup of NEX receivers offers a terrific option for adding CarPlay and other enhanced functionality to older cars or entry-level models that lack some of the latest technology.
Pioneer's 2019 NEX lineup includes models at a range of price points offering varying feature sets. Several months ago, Pioneer ...
Fantastical Unifies Its Mac, iOS, and Apple Watch Calendar Experience With Weather, Tasks, Meeting Proposals, and More
Flexibits today is launching version 3.0 of its popular Fantastical calendar app, bringing a host of improvements across all platforms including Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Along with all of the feature updates, Fantastical is transitioning to a premium subscription model that unlocks access across all devices and will provide continued feature additions and improvements on an ongoing...
Apple Reports 1Q 2020 Results: $22.2B Profit on $91.8B Revenue, Best Quarter Ever
Apple today announced financial results for its first fiscal quarter of 2020, which corresponds to the fourth calendar quarter of 2019.
For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $91.8 billion and net quarterly profit of $22.2 billion, or $4.99 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $84.3 billion and net quarterly profit of $20.0 billion, or $4.18 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter....
Two of the iPad's Creators Share Thoughts on Its Development, Evolution, and More
Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of the iPad, and alongside that milestone, Input has published an interview with Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, two of the key Apple employees behind its development.
The interview is an interesting read, with Chaudhri and Bongiorno sharing a few bits about their histories with Apple and the iPad, thoughts on the team's mindset during development...
Fiat Chrysler's Android-Based Uconnect 5 Infotainment System Gains Wireless CarPlay and More
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) today announced the upcoming launch of its next-generation infotainment system, Uconnect 5. The new version of Uconnect has been rebuilt from the ground up on an Android platform with a number of new features including wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, a familiar-yet-revamped user interface, support for up to five user profiles for customization, Alexa support,...
CES 2020: Apple TV App Debuting on 2020 LG OLED TVs, Coming to 2019 and 2018 Models Later This Year
LG today expanded on last week's announcement of new 8K OLED TVs with new details on the full lineup of 13 new OLED models, including a new 48-inch size.
Most notably for Apple fans, LG says the new lineup of OLED TVs will include an Apple TV app, letting users access Apple TV+, Apple TV channels, and iTunes video content. In addition to the new 2020 models, LG says the app will also be...
