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
OS X Mountain Lion Distributed to AppleCare Representatives Ahead of Public Launch
With just over a week left in the month of July that is expected to see the launch OS X Mountain Lion, 9to5Mac reports that Apple has officially distributed the final version of OS X Mountain Lion to members of its AppleCare support team. The company has provided employees with Mac App Store download codes to allow them to install the forthcoming operating system on their main work machines.Apple...
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Retina MacBook Pro Shipping Estimates Improving to 1-2 Weeks
Just a little over a week since shipping estimates for new Retina MacBook Pro orders through Apple's online store saw their first improvement from 3-4 weeks to 2-3 weeks, timeframes have again been reduced. As with the previous improvement, the change has first appeared in Apple's Asia-Pacific markets, which have seen shipping estimates drop to 1-2 weeks.Shipping estimates in Apple's other...
Facebook Acquires 'Pulp' and 'Wallet' Developer Acrylic Software
While today's big acquisition news has been Google's purchase of Sparrow, another prominent Mac and iOS developer has also been swallowed up by a major Silicon Valley company.
Acrylic Software has announced (via The Next Web) that it has been acquired by Facebook, which is bringing on the Acrylic team for its expertise rather than its current products, which include RSS reader Pulp (iPad, Mac...
Reservation System Yields Orderly Launch of New iPad in China
As noted by The Next Web, Apple today launched the third-generation iPad in China to small, orderly crowds, avoiding a repeat of the chaotic iPhone 4S launch back in January that forced Apple to temporarily halt in-store sales of the device in the country.
Security staff monitor quiet iPad launch at Apple's Sanlitun retail store in Beijing
The iPad launch appears to have gone much more...
20th Century Fox Movies Now Included in iTunes in the Cloud
Alongside yesterday's massive international expansion of iTunes in the Cloud for movies, U.S. users also received some new content as 20th Century Fox films are now available through the service.
Current (left) and prior (right) iTunes listings for 20th Century Fox's Titan A.E.
When iTunes in the Cloud for movies launched back in March, Universal and Fox were not included due to agreements...
Apple Already Pursuing Minor Expansion at North Carolina Data Center
Back in March, the Hickory Daily Record noted that Apple had filed for building permits related to a "tactical data center" to be located at the site of the company's existing data center in Maiden, North Carolina. Our research at the time indicated that the facility was a relatively small building of roughly 20,000 square feet, but it was unclear exactly what it was to be used for.
The Hickor...
Apple Expands iTunes Movies in the Cloud to Over 35 New Countries [Updated]
In addition to today's iTunes Match expansion to Hungary and Poland, Apple has also undertaken a significant expansion of its iTunes in the Cloud feature, adding movies to the list of eligible items in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
We've heard from several UK users who have reported that only a small fraction of their purchased movies are currently shown as eligible for...
iTunes Match Goes Live in Hungary and Poland
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has turned on its iTunes Match service in Hungary and Poland today. Notably, the additions appear to make the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden the only ones of the over 60 countries in which Apple offers music through the iTunes Store to not have access to iTunes Match.
iTunes Match is Apple's subscription service that allows users to...
Verizon Executive Potentially Hints at iPhone Launch in Fourth Quarter 2012
As noted by CNET, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo made a comment during today's earnings release conference call that many are interpreting as a hint that the next-generation iPhone will be launching in the fourth quarter of this year.Apple's next iteration of the iPhone could drop in the fourth quarter.
That's according to Verizon CFO Fran Shammo, who hinted at the possible timing ...
Carriers Reportedly Testing Nano-SIMs for Apple Ahead of Next-Generation iPhone Launch
Following a report earlier this week claiming that European carriers have been stockpiling new nano-SIM cards in expectation of Apple using the smaller card in the next-generation iPhone, BGR now reports that carriers are indeed testing the new cards in partnership with Apple. Multiple carrier sources have exclusively told BGR that Apple is supplying nano-SIM adapters so its carrier partners can...
Apple's Share of Verizon Smartphone Sales Slips to 45%
Verizon today announced earnings for the second quarter of 2012, providing a first glimpse at Apple's iPhone performance during the quarter. During the conference call associated with the earnings release, Verizon announced iPhone sales of 2.7 million for the quarter, down from 3.2 million in the prior quarter.
A quarterly decline in iPhone sales for Verizon is not necessarily a surprise...
Apple's Early Prototype iPad Had a 12-Inch Display
Earlier today, we pointed to some grainy photos of an early iPad prototype dating back to the 2002-2004 timeframe, revealing a much bulkier but otherwise fairly similar design to that seen in the device that was ultimately launched in 2010.
BuzzFeed has now posted new photos showing the prototype in full color next to an iPad 2, a comparison which shows the prototype to carry a much larger...
Apple Now Including Unique Identifiers for In App Purchase Receipts to Combat Hack
Following last week's launch of a hack that allowed users to obtain In App Purchase content free of charge by routing their purchase requests through a server run by a Russian hacker, Apple began taking steps to thwart the method. The hacker has, however, continued to develop his method to skirt around Apple's roadblocks.
One of the suggestions for a method by which Apple could improve the...
Apple Purchases Land for Expansion of Austin Campus
Back in March, the State of Texas announced that Apple would be pursuing a major expansion of its facilities in Austin, committing to spend over $300 million to add 3,600 more workers at a site adjacent to its current campus dedicated to customer support, sales, and accounting.
With the final approval of tax incentives for the project coming in early May, Apple has officially begun moving...
UK Judge Rules Apple Must Publish Notices Acknowledging Samsung Did Not Copy iPad
Business Insider points to a Bloomberg bulletin indicating that a UK judge has ruled Apple must display on its UK website and in British newspapers a notice acknowledging that Samsung did not copy the design of the iPad with its Galaxy Tab 10.1. The UK court had previously ruled that the Galaxy Tab did not infringe upon Apple's design, with the judge observing that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is simply...
Next-Generation iPhone with LTE, NFC, and 1 GB RAM Reportedly Still in Engineering Testing
Disputing a report from last weekend claiming that Apple has begun production on the next-generation iPhone, BGR now claims that the device is still in engineering testing and has yet to enter production.Apple goes through multiple stages before a product is manufactured, and two of these include the “engineering verification test” stage and the “design verification test” phase. Apple’s ...
Photos of Early iPad Mockup Surface in Samsung Lawsuit Documents
Network World's iOnApple reports on a recently-unsealed deposition given by Apple design chief Jonathan Ive in the ongoing patent war between Apple and Samsung, a session in which Ive was shown photos of Apple's earliest iPad mockups that apparently date to some time between 2002 and 2004. From Ive's testimony:My recollection of first seeing it is very hazy, but it was, I'm guessing, sometime...
AT&T to Begin Offering Shared Data Plans in Late August
Following Verizon's move to shared data plans last month, AT&T announced its own shift scheduled for late August. The new system offers a similar setup to Verizon's, with all plans including unlimited talk and text and monthly service pricing being based simply on the total data allotment and number and type of devices being used.With AT&T Mobile Share plans, customers start by choosing how much ...
AT&T CEO Acknowledges Rumors of Cellular FaceTime Charges, Says 'Too Early' to Discuss
Following yesterday's discovery of a dialog box in the latest iOS 6 beta suggesting that AT&T users may be subject to restrictions or additional charges if they wish to use the FaceTime video calling feature over the carrier's cellular network, the company issued a brief statement simply acknowledging that it was working with Apple and that more information would be released in the future.
Tech...
Former iAd Chief Andy Miller Joins 3D Motion Control Company Leap Motion
Leap Motion today announced (via The Next Web) that Apple's former iAd chief Andy Miller is joining the company as President and Chief Operating Officer. Miller was the founder of mobile advertising firm Quattro Wireless, which Apple acquired in January 2010 to form the basis of its iAd platform. Miller left Apple last August to take a position in venture capital.
Leap Motion has introduced...
