Eric Slivka
Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of MacRumors and has been writing for the site since 2008.
An avid swimmer and former biophysicist, Eric has been using Apple products for over 35 years and has been interviewed for pieces by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, BBC, CNBC, and other publications.
Eric's current primary role involves day-to-day oversight of the editorial operations at MacRumors, but he also contributes occasional news and review articles while handling various other duties related to the site's operation.
An avid swimmer and former biophysicist, Eric has been using Apple products for over 35 years and has been interviewed for pieces by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, BBC, CNBC, and other publications.
Eric's current primary role involves day-to-day oversight of the editorial operations at MacRumors, but he also contributes occasional news and review articles while handling various other duties related to the site's operation.
Eric Slivka's Articles
New iPod Touch and iPod Nano Begin Shipping, Photos and Benchmarks Posted
Numerous MacRumors readers have reported that their orders for Apple's new fifth-generation iPod touch and seventh-generation iPod nano have shipped, with delivery due for late this week or early next week. The news is in line with last week's reports that orders were being prepared for shipment and claims of an official October 9 launch date.
Stores have also begun stocking the new devices,...
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Lodsys Offers Update on In App Purchase Patent Dispute, Claims Licensing Momentum
Nearly a year and a half ago, patent holding firm Lodsys threatened to file suit against App Store developers making use of Apple's In App Purchase mechanism, claiming that they were infringing upon patents held by Lodsys.
Apple stepped in to protect developers, ultimately filing a motion to intervene in the lawsuits being pursued by Lodsys against developers who were unwilling to license the...
An Inside Look at Apple's Role in the Patent Industry
In the seventh installment of its "iEconomy" series focused on Apple, The New York Times takes a look at patents, examining how and why Apple has wielded them in what seems to be a never-ending series of lawsuits between the company and its competitors.
The seven-page article offers an interesting glimpse into the patent process and traces Apple's aggressive efforts to a $100 million settlement...
Average Wait Time for Mac App Store App Reviews Rising Significantly
iOS developer training firm Shiny Development has been tracking review times for iOS and Mac App Store submissions for some time, crowdsourcing data from developers disclosing their waits in Tweets. The tools provide an interesting look at how review times have varied over time, and they reveal that there has been a substantial increase in those times for Mac App Store submissions over the past...
Component Suppliers Say Apple Has Ordered Parts for 10 Million 'iPad Minis' in 4Q 2012
While some sources have indicated that production challenges with components for Apple's forthcoming "iPad mini" will limit launch supplies of the device, The Wall Street Journal now reports that many component suppliers are moving ahead to meet Apple's plans to build more than 10 million units of the device during the fourth quarter.Some component suppliers to Apple in Asia say they have...
Apple's Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter Begins Shipping
Apple has just begun notifying the first wave of customers who ordered the company's new Lightning to 30-pin Adapter that their orders are now shipping. MacRumors has received word from several readers located in Australia that their orders are now in transit, with one reader's shipping notification indicating that his shipment is due to be delivered on October 9.
Apple is offering two...
Apple Publicly Responds to Complaints of Purple Lens Flare on iPhone 5 Photos
Soon after the release of the iPhone 5, some users began noticing a purple flare or halo showing up in photos taken with the device's camera pointed at or near bright light sources. The issue is certainly not unique to the iPhone 5, but it has caused concern for some users.
Photos with purple flare taken by iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 (Source: The Next Web)
Last week, Gizmodo reported that...
'Apple Store' App Updated for iPhone 5
Apple today updated its Apple Store app for iOS [App Store], adding support for the larger screen of the iPhone 5.
Compatibility with the larger 4-inch screen of the iPhone 5 also means that the app will be optimized for the fifth-generation iPod touch when it becomes available. Apple is preparing to ship the first orders of the device, with the actual availability date being rumored for...
New iPad Shows Up in App Analytics Running A6-Based Chip
MacRumors has received word from a developer who has seen evidence of a previously unknown "iPad3,6" device showing up in his app analytics. Most interestingly, the device's processor targets the new ARMv7s architecture that supports the custom A6 system-on-a-chip found in the iPhone 5. This new iPad thus appears to be running either an A6 chip itself or a variation on Apple's custom A6 design.
...
Foxconn Workers Reportedly Strike over iPhone 5 Quality Control Demands
China Labor Watch reports (via Gizmodo) that thousands of Foxconn workers responsible for assembly of the iPhone 5 have gone on strike today, objecting to strict enforcement of increased quality control standards.China Labor Watch (CLW) announced that at 1:00PM on October 5 (Beijing time), a strike occurred at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory that, according to workers, involved three to four...
Apple's 3D Maps and Imagery See Incremental Improvements
Following last week's open letter from Tim Cook in which he promised that Apple "will keep working non-stop" until the iOS 6 Maps app meets customers' standards for quality, Apple has indeed been making improvements to the service. While there is certainly a ways to go, it is clear that the company is indeed moving quickly to address issues and improve coverage for the flagship 3D mapping and...
Apple Preparing to Begin Shipping Fifth-Generation iPod Touch to Customers
At last month's media event, Apple introduced the fifth-generation iPod touch, a revamped version of the device offering the same 4-inch display found in the iPhone 5 and a number of different color options. While Apple immediately began taking pre-orders for the device, availability was set for a rather vague "October" timeframe.
As of earlier today, some of those early pre-order customers...
Apple Marks One-Year Anniversary of Steve Jobs' Death
On the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs' death, Apple has posted a new remembrance on its website. Visitors to apple.com are presented with a nearly two-minute photo slideshow of Jobs paired with some of his famous audio clips. Once the slideshow is completed, the website transitions to a simple letter of remembrance from Tim Cook below the standard site navigation bar.A message from Tim...
Apple Releases OS X 10.8.2 Supplemental Update with Japanese Character, Safari and Other Bug Fixes
Apple today released OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update 1.0, a minor software update bringing a handful of fixes to the latest version of OS X Mountain Lion.The OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users running OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2 and includes the following fixes:
- Resolves an issue that may cause certain Japanese characters to appear incorrectly in Mail
- Allows...
'iPad Mini' Launch Supplies Reportedly Challenged by Component Yield Issues
In the lead-up to major Apple product launches, there are almost inevitably reports of production problems that result in the company having lower stocks on hand than it initially hoped for, sometimes leading to extended shortages as the company's supply chain works to catch up to demand. The iPhone 5 was no different, with yield issues on the new in-cell displays used in the device reportedly...
Google Adds Street View to Web-Based Google Maps for Mobile Devices
As noted by iPhoneinCanada.ca, Google today added its Street View functionality to the web-based version of its Google Maps product available to iOS and other mobile device users. With Apple's transition to its own Maps app in iOS 6, users still wishing to use Google Maps have been able to do so through the maps.google.com web app, but the web version has been missing some features compared to...
Third-Party Thunderbolt Docking Stations Remain Vaporware as Shipping Dates Pushed Back
More than a year after the debut of the Apple Thunderbolt Display, which incorporates a docking station function offering three USB ports, one Firewire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port, and a second Thunderbolt port to enable daisy chaining, consumers are still looking for a similar product in a cheaper, standalone format that forgoes the expensive display included in the Apple product....
Insiders Detail Steve Jobs' Role in Apple's Mapping Effort, Desire to Replace Google as iOS Search Engine
Bloomberg Businessweek's profile of Apple one year after the death of Steve Jobs includes an interesting glimpse of Steve Jobs' role in Apple's mapping effort, a project that has been a number of years in the making but which only now has made its way into the public's hands. Unsurprisingly, the report notes that Apple's mapping effort was Jobs' idea, stemming from his concern over Google's...
Tim Cook Faced an 'Insurrection' Following Announcement of Bob Mansfield's Retirement
Earlier this year, Apple announced that hardware chief Bob Mansfield would be retiring, staying on for several months as iPad hardware engineering chief Dan Riccio transitioned into the broader role overseeing the company's entire hardware effort. But just two months later, Apple announced that Mansfield would be staying on, retaining his senior vice president title but without a specific role...
Apple Keeping Tight Control Over Lightning Connector, Requiring Approval of Third-Party Factories
iLounge reports that Apple is continuing to keep strict control over its new Lightning connector found on the iPhone 5, moving to tighten its Made For iPad/iPhone/iPod (MFi) program policies for accessory manufacturers relative to the previous 30-pin dock connector design. According to the report, Apple is demanding that all MFi vendors seeking to launch Lightning-related accessories manufacture ...
