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
Widespread MobileMe Outage Affecting Mail, Me.com, and Find My iPhone
A number of Apple's MobileMe services appear to have been down for several hours now, and Apple's system status page indicates that the company is experiencing issues with MobileMe Mail, me.com web apps, and Find My iPhone.
Occasional downtime for MobileMe is not terribly unusual, but today's issues appear to be more widespread than usual and lasting a fairly significant period of time....
Read Full Article • 40 comments
'iPhone 5' Silicone Sleeves Already Arriving at AT&T Retail Stores
Earlier today, we noted that Case-Mate cases for the redesigned "iPhone 5" had appeared in AT&T's inventory database. The addition yielded the interesting observation that AT&T is apparently placing orders for the cases despite the growing feeling that Apple may not be releasing such a device and instead releasing only the "iPhone 4S" design that is nearly identical to the iPhone 4.
We now...
Case-Mate 'iPhone 5' Cases Headed to AT&T
Earlier this month, case manufacturer Case-Mate drew some attention for promotional images that briefly appeared on its site showing cases for the rumored redesigned "iPhone 5" form factor. Case-Mate quickly pulled the page, however, replacing it with a signup form for potential customers to receive information, as well as a note indicating that the company believes that Apple will be releasing...
Foxconn's $12 Billion Plan for Brazilian iPad Production in Trouble
Reuters reports that Foxconn's previously-announced $12 billion plan to begin producing iPads in Brazil appears to be faltering as Foxconn and the Brazilian government have been unable to reach an agreement.A much-hyped $12 billion plan for Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn to produce iPads in Brazil is "in doubt" due to stagnant negotiations over tax breaks and Brazil's own deep structural...
Physical Mockup of 'iPhone 5' with Tapered Design
Although hope for the redesigned iPhone 5 seen through third-party case designs is waning as evidence continues to stack up for the "iPhone 4S" design and no sign of the larger, tapered iPhone 5, that hasn't halted interest in the iPhone 5 design.
And while we took a stab at some renderings of a potential iPhone 5 based on the case designs, benm.at has now taken things a significant step...
Appeals Court Sides with Apple in Dispute over Psystar's Unauthorized Mac Clones
It has taken nearly two years, but CNET reports that an appeals court has ruled in favor of Apple in its lawsuit against Psystar, a company that began selling unauthorized Mac clones back in 2008.Circuit Judge Mary Schroeder ruled yesterday that Psystar's Mac clones violated copyrights Apple holds, and its ban on sales will be upheld. According to Judge Schroeder, Psystar specifically violated...
Apple's 'N94' iPhone 4S Appears in Inventory Database
Yesterday, word surfaced that entries for revised iPhone 4 models had appeared in Apple's inventory database, but at the time there was no sign of new iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 models.
Back cover of iPhone 4S
9to5Mac now reports that entries for an iPhone identified as "N94" have indeed appeared in the database, courtesy of reliable source "Mr. X". The N94 iPhone has been the subject of numerou...
Steve Jobs Tried Unsuccessfully to Defuse Patent Dispute with Samsung in 2010
Dow Jones Newswires and Bloomberg report on testimony from Apple patent portfolio manager Chip Lutton as part of the Australian dispute between Apple and Samsung, revealing that Steve Jobs personally initiated contact with Samsung in 2010 in an attempt to head off the conflict before it headed into the courts.Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc. (AAPL), initiated contact with rival Samsung...
Shazam Brings Back Unlimited Tagging in Free iPhone App
Music identification service Shazam was one of the early hits on the App Store, with the company's free iPhone application seeing 1.5 million downloads over the first few months of availability.
Shazam shifted gears slightly in November 2009, introducing a paid Shazam Encore application and limiting new users of the free application to only five tags per month. Users who had used the free...
'iPhone 5' to Support 21 Mbps HSPA+ '4G' Technology
Japanese blog Mac Otakara reports (via MacPost) that a China Unicom executive apparently confirmed during a presentation at this week's Macworld Asia that the "iPhone 5" set to be announced next week will indeed support HSPA+ sometimes-called "4G" technology, offering a maximum theoretical data speed of 21 Mbps (up from 7.2Mbps). A slide showing the information was photographed by Japanese...
Chinese Authorities Break Up Counterfeit iPhone Ring
Reuters reports on an article from Chinese newspaper Shanghai Daily noting that Chinese authorities have arrested five people in conjunction with the manufacturing and sale of counterfeit iPhones.Police said those arrested were part of an organised gang that bought components for the phones from Guangdong in southern China and assembled them in rented apartments in Shanghai, the Shanghai Daily...
Apple Quietly Releases Fix for Flickering on 24-Inch LED Cinema Display over Thunderbolt [Update: Pulled]
Ever since Apple released its first Thunderbolt-equipped machines earlier this year, reports have been surfacing from a number of users complaining about flickering issues on company's 24-inch LED Apple Cinema Display when used with the new Thunderbolt-equipped machines.
Apple has apparently quietly released a firmware fix for the issue, although the update has not been publicly announced...
Covent Garden Retail Store Closing Early for Tuesday's Media Event
Apple has notified staff members at its massive Covent Garden retail store in London that the store will be closing early next Tuesday in order to accommodate a press gathering to view a simulcast of Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" media event. The store will be closing at 3:30 PM on Tuesday, significantly earlier than its usual 9:00 PM closing time. The media event will begin at 6:00 PM London...
iTunes Music Store Goes Live in 12 New European Countries
Late yesterday, we reported that Apple appeared set to launch iTunes Music Store offerings in ten new countries, all from the European Union, "at any time". Reports are now flowing in from users in those countries that the music offerings have been gradually going live over the past few hours and are now essentially fully functional.
Contrary to the earlier report from Polish media, all...
Apple Thunderbolt Display Teardown Reveals Plethora of Hardware Inside
iFixit has managed to get its hands on one of Apple's new Thunderbolt displays, subjecting it to one of the firm's usual thorough teardowns. iFixit was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to disassemble the new display, and upon opening found a considerable amount of hardware inside to support the display and the docking station functions included in the package.Both sides of the logic...
Apple Adds Revised iPhone 4 and White iPod Touch Models to Inventory Database
9to5Mac reports that reliable source "Mr. X" has revealed that Apple has added a number of new entries for revised iPhone 4 and iPod touch models to its internal inventory database.
According to the report, three new iPod touch models have appeared under the codename N81A, which it presumes to be the new white iPod touch in three different capacities. The black iPod touch is expected to...
Amazon Unveils $199 'Kindle Fire' Tablet, Traditional Kindles Starting at $79
Amazon's Kindle Fire (Source: This is my next...)
Bloomberg reports that Amazon is preparing to unveil its new 7-inch Android-based tablet, with the "Kindle Fire" device carrying an unexpectedly low price tag of $199. Amazon will be introducing the tablet at its media event set to begin in just a few minutes.The Kindle Fire will have a 7-inch display and sell for $199, compared with $499 for...
Apple Rolling Out iTunes Movie Content in New European Countries
Just as Apple is apparently planning to bring the iTunes Music Store to ten more European countries, the company also seems to be rolling out access to iTunes movie sales and rentals in a number of European countries where it already offers music content.
Movie from Danish iTunes Store
Reports of the new movie offerings began coming in from MacRumors readers late yesterday, with Belgium,...
iTunes Music Store Coming Soon to 10 New European Union Countries? [Updated]
Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reports [Google translation] that Apple is set to launch the iTunes Music Store in ten new European Union (EU) countries. While the exact timing of the launch is unknown, sources have indicated that Apple could launch the services "at any time", possibly as soon as next month.
The report names Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic as countries set to receive...
T-Mobile USA Executive Offers Letter to Customers Regarding Lack of iPhone
With Sprint set to join AT&T and Verizon in offering the iPhone in the United States, T-Mobile appears to be the last of the four major carriers that will be without the device. While a few rumors had allowed those looking for an iPhone on T-Mobile to hold out hope, an internal news posting revealed that the carrier's Chief Marketing Office Cole Brodman had confirmed at a company town hall...
