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
October 2009 iPhone 4 Prototype Shows Up on eBay [Update: Listing Pulled]
As noted by 9to5Mac, an early iPhone 4 prototype has shown up on eBay running Apple's in-house diagnostics software.A number of high-quality photos are included with the listing, showing a complete lack of Apple branding on the exterior of the device. Most notably, the Apple logo has been replaced with a distinct logo that was previously seen in a Twitpic posting in February 2010. The...
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AT&T Responds to Net Neutrality Concerns Regarding FaceTime Usage Policy
Late last week, AT&T announced that it will be restricting usage of Apple's FaceTime over Cellular feature in iOS 6 to customers on its new Mobile Share plans officially launching tomorrow. Beyond a backlash from consumers who do not wish to change their current service plans, the policy has also raised net neutrality concerns.
AT&T has now issued a lengthy response to those concerns, stating ...
Apple Asking Resellers to Triple iPad Display Space Ahead of Rumored September 12 Media Event
MacRumors has received word from multiple Apple Premium Resellers in Europe that Apple has requested they set aside additional table space for iPad displays over the next few weeks. One of the sources specifically cites September 12 as the Apple-imposed deadline for the adjustments to be made, while another source indicates that their store is already at work on tripling the amount of display...
Fair Labor Association Finds Progress in Follow-Up Status Report on Foxconn's Apple Facilities
The Fair Labor Association (FLA) today announced the release of a status report outlining progress that has made since the group's initial high-profile audits of several Foxconn facilities in China serving as assembly plants for Apple products. In follow-up visits to the plants in late June and early July, the FLA found that Foxconn has made a number of changes to help meet the group's...
Verizon Imposing Vacation Blackouts September 21-30 in Line with iPhone Launch Claims
TechCrunch reports that it has received word from a Verizon employee that the carrier is imposing a company-wide vacation blackout from September 21 through the end of the month, a timeframe in line with the rumored September 21 launch for the next-generation iPhone in the United States. Apple is expected to introduce the new iPhone with a media event on September 12.A trusted Verizon employee...
OS X 10.8.1 May Address Mountain Lion Battery Life Issues
Earlier this month, we pointed to testing by Ars Technica showing that upgrading to OS X Mountain Lion on a test Retina MacBook Pro substantially degraded its battery life. The testing showed a 38% decrease in battery life, moving from eight hours of battery life on a single charge under OS X Lion to just five hours under OS X Mountain Lion.
Softpedia now reports that it has heard from one...
Apple's Former Keynote Address Producer Files Suit Claiming Steve Jobs Promised Lifetime Position
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that a former Apple employee who was fired last December has filed suit against the company, claiming that Steve Jobs had promised him lifetime job security. The employee, Wayne Goodrich, served as the executive producer for Apple's public presentations and says that he was a confidant of Jobs. Goodrich says that he oversaw the production of a number of important...
Apple Preparing to Begin Direct Sales in Russia?
The Moscow News reports (via 9to5Mac) that Apple is apparently making preparations to begin direct sales of its products in Russia, with retail stores perhaps set to follow in the future.Apple has registered a company Apple Rus and assigned Vitaly Morozko, the corporation’s local legal advisor, as its director general, Kommersant reported.
In spring 2011, when Apple top managers travelled to ...
Samsung Investing $4 Billion in Austin, Texas to Boost Smartphone Processor Production
Samsung today announced that it will spend roughly $4 billion to revamp some of its existing facilities in Austin, Texas in order to boost production of its system-on-a-chip platforms that power a number of mobile devices including Apple's iOS products.The funds will be used to renovate its existing fabrication operations to accommodate full System LSI production.
The remodeled fabrication...
Everything Everywhere Authorized to Offer UK's First LTE Service Ahead of Next iPhone
As noted by The Next Web, UK communications regulator Ofcom today announced that it has awarded permission to carrier Everything Everywhere to begin using its existing 1800 MHz spectrum to offer LTE and WiMAX services beginning on September 11.In a statement on its website, Ofcom announced that it had approved Everything Everywhere’s request to rebrand its 1800MHz spectrum to deliver 4G...
Next-Generation iPhone Dock/Headphone Jack Assembly Paired with Rear Shell
Following up on last week's photos of iPad mini and next-generation iPhone parts including Apple's new, smaller dock connector and the bottom-mounted headphone jack, parts and repair firm iResQ has taken the iPhone part and placed it in a rear shell obtained from a separate source.
The two parts fit together extremely well, with screw holes and components lining up perfectly. While the fit...
Apple Geniuses Serving 50,000 Users Per Day as 2012 Store Visits Approach 300 Million
With Apple opening a pair of new Canadian retail stores this past weekend in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Coquitlam, British Columbia, The Loop shares some fresh data on the company's retail chain performance.
Following the two grand openings this weekend, Apple now has 375 stores worldwide, and Apple notes that those stores have seen nearly 300 million visitors so far this year, or roughly 3500...
Apple Pitches Security of iMessage in Response to SMS Spoofing Issue
Late last week, jailbreak hacker pod2g disclosed an issue with the way Apple's iOS handles optional headers in SMS messages, a vulnerability that could allow users to be targeted by SMS spoofing that makes messages appear to originate from people other than the actual senders. While SMS spoofing is certainly not new and can be performed through various services, this specific issue in the...
Apple Becomes Most Valuable Publicly-Traded Stock Ever
Milestones for Apple's stock are falling rapidly in recent days, with another strong performance today pushing Apple past Microsoft for the title of most valuable publicly-trade stock ever, a distinction Microsoft has held since December 1999.
Microsoft's market capitalization peaked on December 30, 1999, reaching an intraday high of $119.94 per share. With Microsoft having documented...
Tim Cook and Samsung CEO to Discuss Patent Dispute One Last Time Today Ahead of Jury Deliberations
With Apple and Samsung having concluded their presentations for the jury in the high-profile U.S. court case over patent and design issues, Bloomberg reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Kwon Oh Hyun will talk one last time in an effort to settle or at least narrow their differences before jury deliberations begin as soon as tomorrow.The companies’ lawyers will report to U.S....
New Photos of Claimed Dock Connector and Headphone Jack for iPad Mini and Next iPhone in Black and White [Updated]
Photos of parts for the next-generation iPhone and the rumored iPad mini continue to leak, with repair firm iResQ posting new photos of what are said to be the dock connector/headphone jack flex cable parts for both devices. Each of the parts is available in both black and white, indicating that Apple will be coordinating the dock with the bodies of the devices.
Like the photo that leaked...
iPhone Security Issue Opens Door to SMS Spoofing
Jailbreak hacker and security researcher pod2g today revealed a newly-discovered security issue in all versions of iOS that could allow malicious parties to spoof SMS messages, making a recipient think that a message came from a trusted sender when it in fact came from the malicious party.
The issue is related to iOS's handling of User Data Header (UDH) information, an optional section of a...
Analyst Believes Apple Television Set Already in 'Full Production', Launch Timeframe Unclear
While The Wall Street Journal is outlining Apple's goals for a television set-top box, others continue to believe that Apple is working on a standalone television set of its own integrating much of the same functionality.
One of those observers is Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek, who has been piecing together clues from Apple's supply chain in Asia and noted back in March that components...
Steve Jobs' Stolen iPad Ended Up in Hands of Local Clown
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Steve Jobs' home had been burglarized last month, with a thief entering the under-renovation house and taking over $60,000 worth of property including several iMacs and iPads, Tiffany jewelry, and Steve Jobs' wallet with $1 in it.
Kenny the Clown (Source: Jeff Vendsel/Marin Independent Journal)
The San Jose Mercury News now reports that one of those...
Apple, Google, and Samsung Teaming Up in Effort to Acquire Kodak Patents
Following last month's report that Apple and Google were heading up separate consortiums bidding to obtain Kodak's portfolio of digital imaging patents, The Wall Street Journal now reports that the two camps may surprisingly be joining the same team. The negotiations are reportedly seeing Apple joining forces with its courtroom foes Samsung and HTC, as well as smartphone platform rival Google,...
