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
AT&T's Plans for Shared Data Packages Firming Up
Last year, both AT&T and Verizon acknowledged that they were working on offering shared data plans, which would allow multiple devices owned by a single user or members of a family to draw data from a single monthly allotment. But while there has been evidence that Verizon is making progress on its plans, AT&T has been relatively quiet about its efforts aside from acknowledging that billing and...
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T-Mobile USA to Be Ready for iPhone by End of 2012, LTE Coming in 2013
T-Mobile USA yesterday announced its plans to begin work with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks to roll out LTE service in 2013, taking advantage of spectrum it obtained from AT&T last week following the failed merger of the two carriers. But perhaps more importantly for iPhone users, T-Mobile's network improvements will allow it to offer HSPA+ service in the 1900 MHz band compatible with...
Apple Cuts Pricing on Refurbished Original iPad and iPad 2 Models by $20-$50
Apple today reduced prices on all refurbished models of the original iPad and iPad 2 in its online store, knocking between $20 and $50 off of each model. The price drops include:
iPad 2
- 16 GB Wi-Fi: $319, down $30 from $349
- 32 GB Wi-Fi: $399, down $50 from $449
- 64 GB Wi-Fi: $499, down $50 from $449
- 16 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $449, down $30 from $479
- 32 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $529, down $50...
Apple Releases iOS 5.1.1 with HDR, AirPlay, and Safari Syncing Bug Fixes
Apple today released iOS 5.1.1, offering bug fixes and other improvements for recent models of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:
- Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
- Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
- Fixes bugs that...
Apple Television Set to Include Siri and Face-Tracking iSight for FaceTime Calls?
Cult of Mac reports that it has received information from a "well-placed" source who claims to have seen a prototype of the rumored Apple television set. According to the source, the device resembles Apple's current Thunderbolt display but is "much larger" than the 27-inch model currently offered.
Mockup of Apple television set based on Thunderbolt display design
Among the key features...
Password Security Hole Discovered in Certain FileVault Configurations on OS X 10.7.3
ZDNet reports on the discovery of a significant breach of password security for certain users of Apple's FileVault encryption system under OS X Lion. Affected systems currently store the login information for every recent user of the machine in plain text, allowing for easy circumvention of encryption. In specific configurations, applying OS X Lion update 10.7.3 turns on a system-wide debug log...
Adobe Creative Suite 6 Now Available, Creative Cloud to Follow on May 11
Two weeks ago, Adobe officially unveiled its new Creative Suite 6 (CS6) bundles of design applications, as well as its new Creative Cloud subscription service offering access to the software and other cloud services for integrating access across desktop and mobile devices.
Adobe had announced that the new products would begin shipping within 30 days, and the company officially began shipping...
Apple Makes Settlement Offer in iPad Trademark Case, But 'Big Gap' Remains
Xinhua reports on comments from a Proview lawyer claiming that Apple has for the first time put forth a settlement offer in the dispute over the "iPad" trademark in China. The offer came as part of settlement talks suggested by the court overseeing the case."We feel that the attitude of Apple Inc. has changed. Although they expressed that they were willing to negotiate, they have never taken any ...
Apple Looking to Launch $799 MacBook Air in 3Q 2012?
Digitimes reports that Apple is planning to launch a cheaper MacBook Air in the third quarter of this year, dropping the entry-level price to $799 from the current $999. The move is reportedly being made to take on Intel's "Ultrabook" initiative that is pushing low-cost, ultra-thin notebook PCs.Although Acer has recently reduced its ultrabook shipment target, Intel continues to aggressively push ...
Apple Seeks to Gain Control of iPhone5.com Domain
While there has been much debate about whether Apple will refer to the next-generation iPhone as "iPhone 5", "iPhone 6", simply "iPhone", or something else entirely, Fusible notes that Apple has filed a claim with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) seeking to gain control of the iPhone5.com domain. WIPO authorities are currently assessing compliance of Apple's claim with the...
Google Facing Tens of Millions of Dollars in Fines over Safari Privacy Circumvention
Bloomberg briefly reports that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is preparing to fine Google over its efforts to circumvent privacy restrictions in Safari for iOS to track users through ads on numerous sites across the web. According to a source, the fine is likely to amount to tens of millions of dollars.Google Inc. (GOOG) is negotiating with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over how big ...
Sporadic Reports of Walmart Offering 16 GB AT&T iPhone 4S for $114 [Updated]
Late yesterday, Cult of Mac reported that select Walmart locations had significantly dropped their prices on the AT&T iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, slashing the 16 GB AT&T iPhone 4S to just $114 and the AT&T 8GB iPhone 4 to $34 on contract. Walmart's usual pricing has been $188 for the iPhone 4S and $88 for the iPhone 4, already below Apple's standard $199/$99 pricing.This news comes to us from...
Concept Video Suggests Means to Vastly Improve Text Editing in iOS
iDownloadBlog points to a new YouTube concept video showing one user's idea of how Apple could vastly improve the text editing functionality on the iPad and other iOS devices.
While the current method of text selection involves tapping and dragging around the screen to select cursor position and highlight text, Daniel Hooper suggests that Apple could make use of gestures in the keyboard area ...
'Self-Combusting' iPhone on Airplane Due to Screw Lost in Botched Repair Job
Last November, it was reported that an iPhone 4 had experienced self-combustion onboard an aircraft that had just landed in Sydney, Australia. The incident gained a fair amount of attention for the apparently dangerous situation it caused and existing concerns over occasionally overheating of iPhones and other devices, although those incidents are usually related to charging malfunctions.
ZDNe...
Apple Adds Attribution for OpenStreetMap and Others in iPhoto for iOS
With the release of iPhoto for iOS alongside the third-generation iPad back in March, Apple began using mapping data from OpenStreetMap and others rather than Google as it has for its other map-related products thus far. Apple did, however, come under some criticism for failing to acknowledge its use of OpenStreetMap data as required by the foundation overseeing the project.
In a Tweet...
Revised iPad 2 with 32-nm A5 Offers 15-30% Greater Battery Life
Last month, it was discovered that Apple quietly tweaked the 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad 2, equipping the device with a smaller 32-nm die shrink of the A5 system-on-a-chip previously used in the line. The tweaked iPad 2 carries an internal identifier of "iPad2,4", which was first spotted in an iOS 5.1 beta back in November, but at the time it was unclear what the model represented.
A similar die shrink...
Samsung's New Galaxy S III Phone Offers 4.8-Inch Screen, Siri-Like 'S Voice' Feature
Samsung has certainly become Apple's primary competition in the smartphone race, with the two companies currently taking nearly all of the profits in the mobile phone industry. Consequently, it pays for Apple and its fans to take note of Samsung's advances with its own hardware, and today's launch of the new flagship Galaxy S III smartphone is no exception.
The Android-based Samsung Galaxy S...
Apple Adds Ten New Language Localizations for Developers to iTunes Connect
Apple today announced that it has added support for ten new languages in iTunes Connect, giving developers new options for localizing app descriptions in the App Store.We have expanded language support in iTunes Connect, so you can localize app metadata, keywords, and screenshots in 10 new languages: Traditional Chinese, Norwegian, Turkish, Finnish, Danish, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese,...
'The Daily' Now Available on iPhone at Half-Price Subscription Rates
More than a year after a media event launching News Corp's tablet news app The Daily on the iPad, the publication has now expanded to the iPhone [App Store].The Daily took the world by storm in 2011 as the first ever custom daily news app created and designed from scratch for the iPad. By popular demand, it's now available on the go for iPhones. Get the same amazing content as the iPad app,...
Apple and Samsung Claim 99% of Profits Among Top Mobile Phone Vendors
Asymco's Horace Dediu has released his data on operating profits among the eight top mobile phone vendors for the first quarter of 2012, finding that Apple and Samsung together now hold 99% of the profits with Apple representing the lion's share at 73%. Apple's share was down slightly from 75% in the previous quarter, but Samsung boosted its share from 16% to 26% to shut out nearly all other...
