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.

Eric Slivka's Articles

foxconn iphone girl

Foxconn Reportedly Increasing Quality Control with X-ray Imaging

Monday March 5, 2012 10:55 am PST by
CNET reports that Foxconn, Apple's primary manufacturing partner for iOS devices, has recently begun adding in-line x-ray imaging machines to its production lines, seeking to improve quality control while also seeking to increase automation.Foxconn Technology, which has about 1.2 million employees working at its myriad factories in China, has begun adding automated inline X-ray inspection systems ...
ipad 2 box

Apple's iPad 3 Launch Putting Squeeze on Freight Shipments from China

Monday March 5, 2012 9:56 am PST by
While rumors of iPad 3 shipments already being en route having been circulating for some time now, we're now hearing from shipping representatives at other companies who are having a difficult time even getting their products shipped over to the United States from China as Apple's preparations for the iPad 3 launch have significantly squeezed the air freight industry. One shipping...
incase magazine jacket

Enhanced Smart Cover with Rear Protection for iPad 3? Glass-Backed iPhone 5 in the Works?

Monday March 5, 2012 8:45 am PST by
iLounge shares a few items of interest from a "repeatedly reliable source" addressing the possibility of a new Smart Cover-inspired case for the iPad 3 and Apple's work on a new glass-backed design for the iPhone 5 due later this year. The first claim addresses Apple's plans for protection of the iPad 3. While the current Smart Cover for the iPad 2 is said to still work with the iPad 3, Apple ...
twitter ios icon

Flashback Malware Authors Using Twitter to Talk to Infected Machines

Monday March 5, 2012 7:39 am PST by
We've been following for some time the story of the Flashback trojan that has been targeting Mac users by masquerading as a Flash Player installer but which has also been evolving to include increasingly sophisticated tactics for infecting users' computers. Antivirus firm Intego now reports that Flashback's creators are using an interesting new tactic for communicating with machines infected...
china mobile iphone promo

China Mobile Hits 15 Million Unofficial iPhone Users as Apple Fixes iPhone 4S Signal Issues

Monday March 5, 2012 7:18 am PST by
China Mobile may be the world's largest carrier with over 650 million customers, but it is not yet an official iPhone carrier, due in part to unique technology used for its 3G network that would so far have forced Apple to build special hardware to be compatible with the carrier. But that hasn't stopped the carrier from supporting the iPhone for its customers to use on its 2G network, and Tech ...
ipad mini mockup iphone

Production of 7.85-Inch iPad Reportedly Moving Closer as More Suppliers Named

Monday March 5, 2012 6:42 am PST by
Digitimes has been one of the biggest sources of rumors regarding a potential "iPad mini" carrying a 7.85-inch screen that the publication says Apple is targeting for release later this year. Digitimes now points to a new report [Google translation] from Taiwanese newspaper United Evening News making similar claims and outlining a number of companies making up Apple's supply chain for the...
wheres my water free icon

App Store's 25 Billionth Download Comes From China with 'Where's My Water? Free'

Monday March 5, 2012 6:11 am PST by
Apple today announced the winner of its "25 Billion App Countdown" promotion that saw the company pass milestone late Friday. For the first time in one of Apple's countdown competitions, the winner, Chunli Fu, came from China. Disney's Where's My Water? Free was the milestone download, and the winner will receive an iTunes Gift Card worth US$10,000.“We’d like to thank our customers and...
app store 25 billion

Apple's App Store Reaches 25 Billion Downloads, Now on Pace for 15 Billion Apps Per Year

Friday March 2, 2012 9:43 pm PST by
Apple's App Store today reached 25 billion downloads since its inception in 2008, and along with the milestone comes the end of the company's "25 Billion App Countdown" promotion launched just over two weeks ago. The winner of the promotion, who is yet to be announced, will be awarded a $10,000 gift card valid for App Store, Mac App Store, or any other iTunes Store content. The App Store...
yerba buena banner in progress ipad 3

Banners Begin Going Up at Yerba Buena for iPad 3 Media Event

Friday March 2, 2012 11:24 am PST by
Read It Later developer Steve Streza has provided MacStories with a few photos showing that exterior work is underway on preparing the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for Apple's iPad 3 media event next Wednesday. The company typically covers the theater's exterior glass wall with panels creating a large banner image, and this event appears to be no exception. The banners...
apple 514k us jobs

Apple Touts U.S. Job Creation with Claims of 514,000 Jobs Tied to its Products

Friday March 2, 2012 10:59 am PST by
Apple has come under increasing scrutiny for its offshoring of product manufacturing in recent years, with a number of observers believing that Apple should be trying to bring more jobs to the United States. But as noted by AllThingsD, Apple has now taken a more public position on its domestic impact by posting a new page on its site highlighting over 500,000 U.S. jobs it claims to be directly...
ipad ios 6 user agent

iPads Running iOS 6.0 at Apple's Campus Showing Up in Web Logs

Friday March 2, 2012 10:24 am PST by
With iOS 5.1 apparently sitting in a holding pattern awaiting the launch of the iPad 3, it should be no surprise that work is well underway on iOS 6.0, the next major update which should appear to the public later this year if past history is any indication. Ars Technica server log entries showing iPads running iOS 6.0 visiting from Apple's campus In support of the notion that work on iOS...
virgin megastore paris

Rumors of Massive Apple Retail Store for Paris as Virgin Vacates Prime Location

Friday March 2, 2012 8:50 am PST by
Business Insider points to a report [Google translation] from French newspaper Le Figaro noting that Virgin will be vacating its landmark retail store on Champs-Élysées in Paris and that Apple is one of the primary candidates rumored to be interested in taking the spot. Interior of Virgin Megastore on Champs-Élysées (Source: Flickr/Ju_li_a) The entire Virgin store checks in at roughly...
bloom energy server

Apple's Options for North Carolina Fuel Cell Installation Point to Bloom Energy

Friday March 2, 2012 8:03 am PST by
While Apple has received a fair amount of attention for its planned solar farm at its massive data center in Maiden, North Carolina, the company publicly disclosed less than two weeks ago that it will also be installing the largest non-utility fuel cell farm in the United States to help power the facility. Bloom's Energy Server GigaOm has assessed Apple's options for the 5-megawatt...
portland pioneer place elevation

Apple Proposes New Block-Long Retail Store in Portland, Oregon

Friday March 2, 2012 6:54 am PST by
ifoAppleStore reports that architects quite obviously working for Apple have put forward a design proposal for a new retail store at the Pioneer Place shopping center in downtown Portland, Oregon. Replacing a typical mall-style store inside the center, the new store would cover the length of a city block and at 165 feet would carry the longest storefront in Apple's retail store chain.According ...
apple tv favorite tv shows

Apple Pushing Ahead with Plans for Subscription TV Service by Christmas?

Thursday March 1, 2012 8:00 pm PST by
The New York Post reports that Apple is pressing ahead with plans to launch its own streaming television service by the end of the year, despite continued resistance from content providers.For months, Apple’s point man, Eddie Cue, has been leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant’s efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service,...
xeon e5

Mac Pro Update Now Possible with New Xeon E5 Chips Next Week

Thursday March 1, 2012 1:41 pm PST by
The Inquirer reports that Intel's Sandy Bridge E server chips, also known as the Xeon E5 series, are set to debut week. According to the report, the chips have been in the distribution channel for several weeks now, meaning that manufacturers utilizing the chips, as Apple would be expected to do in an updated Mac Pro, will be able to hit the ground running.Boston confirmed to The INQUIRER that...
houston highland village store

Rumored Houston Retail Store Grand Opening Sparks Speculation of iPad 3 Launch on March 16

Thursday March 1, 2012 11:02 am PST by
The Houston Chronicle reports that Apple's forthcoming Highland Village retail store will be opening on Friday, March 16. According to the report's source, the store was originally scheduled to open in January, but delays in the construction schedule pushed the opening back to Saturday, March 17. But just weeks ago the opening was bumped up by a day to March 16, sparking speculation that the...
ipad 3 digitizer black white

New iPad 3 Front Glass Photos Show Black and White Options, Home Button

Thursday March 1, 2012 7:52 am PST by
Last week, a photo of what was claimed to be the front glass and digitizer assembly for the iPad 3 appeared on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo. While the part appears nearly identical to the version found on the iPad 2, differences in the ribbon cable attached to the component indicate that is indeed a different part. Repair Labs has now gotten its hands on on what appears to be the...
ifixit ipad 2 ipad 3 displays

iPad 3 Display Supply Constraints to Result in Early Shortages?

Thursday March 1, 2012 7:28 am PST by
DigiTimes reports that Apple's suppliers for the new 2048x1536 display expected to appear in the iPad 3 have been slow in ramping up their production of the component, with low supplies potentially hindering Apple's ability to move into high gear on device assembly until the second quarter of the year.Apple may not unable to ramp up the supply of its next-generation iPads (iPad 3), which are...
amsterdam store interior 1

Inside Apple's New Amsterdam Retail Store

Thursday March 1, 2012 6:23 am PST by
Late yesterday, we posted a remarkable photo of the glass staircase inside Apple's new Amsterdam retail store that is set to open to the public on Saturday. Press previews of the new store took place this morning, and a number of sources have now posted photo sets of the interior of the store. One More Thing has an extensive gallery [Google translation] showing off the rather ornate...