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
Teardown of 'New' iPod Touch Reveals Few Changes, If Any
With the addition of white models and a new entry-level price point earlier this month, Apple considered the iPod touch line to have been updated despite the lack of any substantial hardware improvements. The company continues to refer the device as the fourth-generation line, first introduced in 2010, but the teardown experts at iFixit decided to crack one open anyway to see if anything had...
Read Full Article • 41 comments
Samsung Reportedly Dethrones Apple as Top Smartphone Vendor in Q3 2011
Just one quarter after it took the title of world's largest smartphone manufacturer, Apple has apparently been dethroned by Samsung, according to The Wall Street Journal.Samsung Electronics Co. shipped more than 20 million smartphones in the quarter ended Sept. 30, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday, beating market leader Apple Inc. as well as Nokia Corp., the world's biggest...
iPhone 4S Component Costs Once Again Begin at About $188
AllThingsD reports on IHS iSuppli's teardown analysis of the iPhone 4S, with an eye toward estimating the cost of components included in the device. Based on iSuppli's analysis, the 16 GB iPhone 4S carries a bill of materials cost of about $188, in line with that of the GSM iPhone 4 at launch.In the case of the iPhone 4S, [IHS iSuppli analyst Andrew] Rassweiler estimates that the BOM cost...
iPhone Still Represents Majority of Smartphone Sales at AT&T
Alongside AT&T's announcement of one million iPhone 4S activations today, the carrier also released its financial results for the third quarter of 2011. As Apple saw with customers holding off on iPhone purchases in anticipation of a new model, AT&T reported that it activated 2.7 million iPhones during the quarter, down from 3.6 million in each of the previous two quarters.
All told, AT&T...
AT&T Announces One Million iPhone 4S Activations
AT&T today announced that it has surpassed one million iPhone 4S activations since the device launched last Friday, the most successful iPhone launch in the carrier's history despite the device also being available on Verizon and Sprint for the first time at launch.
AT&T touts its network speed as one of the primary reasons customers are choosing the carrier over Verizon and Sprint.AT&T...
Norah Jones and Coldplay Help Apple Celebrate Steve Jobs' Life [Aerial Video of Event]
Aerial footage (no audio) of Steve Jobs celebration (Source: CNET)
As we noted earlier today, Apple updated its Steve Jobs memorial site with remembrances of the company co-founder and CEO ahead of today's private celebration of Jobs' life held on Apple's campus in Cupertino, California. While the private event is closed to the media and the public, those in attendance have been sharing some...
Apple Activates iTunes Match Setting in iOS 5, Suggesting Imminent Launch
While Apple launched iOS 5 and iCloud last week, the company pushed back the debut of its paid iTunes Match service in the United States until the "end of October". While iTunes Match had been in beta testing with iTunes 10.5 developer releases, the feature was removed from the public release and instead folded into an iTunes 10.5.1 beta that will presumably debut alongside the service.
Apple ...
Steve Jobs Continued Working on Apple's 'Next Product' Until Day Before He Died
PCMag.com points to comments from Masayoshi Son, CEO of Japanese carrier Softbank, revealing that Steve Jobs continued to work on Apple's "next product" at least up until the day before he died earlier this month. According to Son, Tim Cook cut short a meeting with Son following the iPhone 4S media event on October 4th to take a phone call from Jobs.Son said, "I visited Apple for the...
Tweaked Trojan Disables Automatic Updating of OS X Anti-Malware Tools
Last month, we noted as part of a report on an update to the anti-malware tools in OS X that a new trojan horse threat known as Flashback.A had surfaced, with the malware masquerading as a Flash Player installer. While Apple has continued to update its XProtect.plist to detect Flashback.A, security firm F-Secure now reports (via ZDNet) that a revised version of the trojan which disables the...
Apple Expands iPhone 4S GPS Capabilities with GLONASS Support
Apple yesterday quietly updated its iPhone 4S tech specs page to note that the device offers not only Assisted GPS but also GLONASS, the Russian version of GPS.
Just two weeks ago, Russia launched the last of 24 satellites required for global location coverage, setting the stage to restore GLONASS to its full operational status that had been lost amid economic turmoil in the country during...
iPhone 4S Coming to U.S. Regional Carrier C Spire Wireless
While Sprint made waves in becoming the third U.S. carrier to offer the iPhone with the launch of the iPhone 4S, it appears that Apple will be broadening distribution even further to include smaller carriers as well. Regional carrier C Spire Wireless, formerly known as Cellular South, today announced that it will begin offering the iPhone 4S in the coming weeks.C Spire Wireless announced today ...
Samsung and Apple Executives Discuss Long-Term Component Supply Relationships
Amid an ever-increasing intellectual property dispute involving Apple's mobile devices and Samsung's Android-based hardware products, rumors have claimed that Apple has been seeking to reduce its reliance on Samsung as the major component supplier for iOS devices. But even if Apple does switch to new suppliers for some components, such as TSMC for future A-series chips, Samsung will almost...
Apple's Record Mac Quarter 'Almost Unbelievable' in Face of iPad Cannibalization
One of the high points of Apple's earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011 was Mac sales, which came in well above expectations at a record 4.89 million units. On the earnings conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the strong sales were "almost unbelievable" considering continued growth in the iPad market.
Cook noted that some customers are undoubtedly electing to purchase...
Apple Blames Rumors for iPhone Sales Drop, Confident in Record Sales for Holiday Quarter
While Apple's iPhone sales for the fourth fiscal quarter fell short of expectations at 17.07 million units, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted during the company's conference call that it expects to hit all-time record iPhone sales in the current quarter on the strength of the iPhone 4S.
Cook noted that iPhone sales declined somewhat sequentially as rumors regarding a new model circulated. iPhone...
Apple Still Working on Allowing Merging of Apple IDs
Last month, we noted that Apple was aware of and working on the issue of users having multiple Apple IDs and seeking to merge them into a single account. MobileMe users in particular have been affected by the issue, as many of them had one ID for their MobileMe account and a separate account for iTunes Store purchases.
With the transition to iCloud for cross-device syncing and deeper...
Sprint Denies Widespread Issues with Slow iPhone Data Speeds
Since the iPhone 4S debuted on Sprint on Friday, a number of the carrier's customers have been complaining of slow data speeds. While the issues are not universal for iPhone users on Sprint, they do seem to be affecting a substantial number of customers.
PCMag.com now reports that Sprint has issued a statement on the issue, characterizing the complaints as a "small number of reports" that...
'iPad Mini' Rumors Revived with Claims of 7.85-Inch Screen
Taiwan's United Daily News reports [Google translation] that Apple has received samples of 7.85-inch screens carrying the same 1024x768 resolution of the current iPad. The report (via Unwired View) claims that AU Optronics and LG Display have sent samples of the display to Apple, which is reportedly targeting a launch for the "iPad mini" early next year.
Previous mockup of a 7-inch "iPad ...
Dropbox Indeed Balked at Major Acquisition Offer from Apple
Last month, word surfaced that popular file storage and sharing service Dropbox may have declined an $800 million acquisition offer from Apple, instead deciding to remain independent and raise its own financing.
A new profile of Dropbox appearing as the cover story for a forthcoming issue of Forbes reveals that Apple did indeed pursue Dropbox, with Steve Jobs personally meeting with Dropbox...
Apple Issues Bug Fix with Apple TV 4.4.1 Software Update [Updated x2]
Less than a week after releasing a significant 4.4 software update for the second-generation Apple TV, Apple has now released a 4.4.1 bug fix update for the device.
According to Apple's release notes, the update addresses an issue affecting a "small number" of units to have to connect to iTunes.Software update: Addresses an issue that required a small number of Apple TV units to be connected...
Memorial Service for Steve Jobs Brings Tributes from Family and Friends
Memorial services for Steve Jobs continued over the weekend, with one arranged for family and friends at Stanford University's Memorial Church drawing a number of high-profile personalities to celebrate Jobs' life. According to The Wall Street Journal, the service included remarks from a number of Jobs' family members, as well as close friend and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Apple design guru...
