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
Jon Rubinstein Compares Lukewarm TouchPad Reception to Original Mac OS X
As HP has sought to take on Apple in the tablet market with its webOS-powered TouchPad tablet, the PC giant has been dinged with a number of lukewarm reviews that suggest a fair amount of potential for the platform and device but with only a mediocre initial implementation.
Former Apple executive Jon Rubinstein, who led the development of the original iPod before leaving the company in 2006 to ...
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Skype 5.2 for Mac Adds Group Screen Sharing, Video Call Control Bar
Skype today released its new Skype 5.2 for Mac, adding a pair of significant new features in group video screen sharing and a revamped call control bar that includes video support.
Group screen sharing, which requires the same premium package as for basic group video, allows users to share their screens with all participants in the group call, marking a significant enhancement for...
Display Suppliers' Production Numbers Support Upcoming Boost in iPad 2 Shipments
Last week, DigiTimes reported that Apple would be targeting shipments of 12-14 million iPad 2s during the third quarter of 2011, and a new report backs up that conclusion with claims that Apple's touch panel suppliers pushed out five million units in June and plan to produce another five million in July.Five million touch sensors for the iPad 2 will be shipped in July, according to sources with...
Booting OS X Lion GM: No Welcome Video, New Introduction to Scrolling
With Apple having seeded the Golden Master (GM) version of OS X Lion earlier today, users are finally getting a look at what the OS X Lion experience should be like in the shipping version.
One staple of Mac OS X installations over the past several versions has been the welcome video that displays at first boot, displaying an animation of the word "Welcome" in a number of different languages...
Apple Not Yet Pulling Apps, Helping Developers Meet In-App Guidelines
Yesterday, we noted that Apple's new rules for in-app purchases and subscriptions for iOS were going into effect, and certain high-profile apps such as Amazon's Kindle app had yet to be updated to comply with the new terms. But with the calendar now having rolled over to July 1st and Kindle and other similar apps still apparently out of compliance, some have been wondering what Apple's plans...
Apple Ranks as 21st Largest U.S. Retailer in 2010
In its annual ranking of the largest retailers by U.S. sales, the National Retail Federation has pegged Apple in 21st place in 2010 with over $18 billion in sales between its retail and iTunes stores (via The Next Web).
Apple's retail sales grew 32.3% year-over-year in 2010, second only to Amazon's 46.2% growth among the top 100 U.S. retailers. Interestingly, Apple's $18 billion in U.S....
Adobe and Avid Target Final Cut Pro Users With 'Switcher' Discounts
Adobe today announced a new "switcher" promotion clearly designed to take advantage of the significant amount of criticism being levied against Apple's new Final Cut Pro X. The new program offers a 50% discount on either Creative Suite CS5.5 Production Premium or Premiere Pro CS5.5 to current users of Apple's Final Cut Pro or Avid's Media Composer. Certain current Adobe users are also eligible...
Apple's Suppliers Preparing for Fall Launch of iPhone 5 and iPad 3?
DigiTimes reports that upstream suppliers in Apple's manufacturing chain have been given orders to begin preparing for production of next-generation iPhone and iPad models, with a debut expected in the September-October timeframe.Taiwan-based companies included in the supply chain for iPhone 5 and iPad 3 have begun to prepare materials for the production of the two devices, which are likely to...
Ahead of OS X Lion, Mac App Store Sales Numbers Still Comparably Small
During the keynote address at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Phil Schiller noted that Apple's Mac App Store, launch in early January, has rapidly risen to become the top selling distribution channel for computer software, beating out Best Buy, Walmart, and Office Depot. According to Schiller:In the last six months, something incredible has happened. In the last six...
Shortages of Boxed iWork '09 at German Retailers
MacLife.de reports [Google translation] that the boxed version of iWork '09 is currently out of stock at a number of prominent German retailers, including Amazon.de, Cyberport.de, Gravis.de, and Alternate.de.
Apple of course began offering the individual iWork '09 applications via the Mac App Store from its launch in early January, pricing the three applications at $19.99 each. The company...
Will Kindle App Survive Apple's Deadline for iOS Content Purchasing Compliance?
Earlier this year, Apple rolled out In App Subscriptions for App Store applications, offering content providers a way to provide ongoing content within their applications. As part of that rollout, Apple required that providers offer their content via In App Subscriptions at at least the same rates as other purchasing mechanisms and also barred apps from including links to those alternative...
App Store Tops 100,000 Available iPad Applications
As noted by MacStories, Apple's App Store has reached yet another milestone, now offering over 100,000 iPad-specific applications.Apple and third-party developers have set a new record: in 453 days since the original iPad came out on April 3, 2010, the App Store has more than 100,000 iPad-exclusive apps available. Either specifically targeting the tablet, or released as universal updates to...
Apple Reportedly Planning Significant Boost in iPad 2 Shipments for 3Q 2011
DigiTimes briefly reports that Apple is planning a significant increase in iPad 2 shipments for the third quarter of this year, attempting to move 12-14 million units over the period. That goal is up from the 7-9 million units reportedly shipped during the second quarter.In order to significantly increase its shipments in the third quarter, Apple has been piling up its inventory of iPad 2...
Thunderbolt Supports Booting From External Disk
Ever since Apple and Intel introduced the Thunderbolt high-speed data connectivity standard back in late February, there has been speculation about whether the standard would support booting from external disks. At that initial release on revamped MacBook Pros, Andy Ihnatko reported that booting was not supported, although Target Disk Mode was supported. But a report from The Mac Observer early ...
HP Considering Licensing WebOS, Samsung Reportedly Interested
Bloomberg reports that HP has expressed interest in licensing its webOS mobile operating system to other companies, potentially opening the door for another major competitor in the smartphone and tablet industries."We are talking to a number of companies," Apotheker said in Beijing, declining to elaborate on details. "I can share with you that a number of companies have expressed interest. We are ...
MacBook Supplies Tightening at Third-Party Retailers Ahead of Potential Refresh [Update: Mac Mini Too]
AppleInsider notes that MacBook supplies have become "severely constrained" at a number of third-party retailers, suggesting that Apple may be drawing down stocks ahead of a refresh.Specifically, Amazon, MacConnection, On Sale and J&R are all out of stock. In addition, inventory of the entry-level portable is low at DataVision.
In addition, one of Europe's largest distributors is completely...
Apple to Cut iPhone 3GS Price to Free With Next Update?
With talk of Apple seeking to release a cheaper iPhone being revived in recent days, RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky now weighs in to report that he believes that Apple will be keeping the iPhone 3GS around even after the next iPhone hardware update, offering the device for free with a two-year contract and at $399 for unsubsidized purchases. Apple currently sells an 8 GB iPhone 3GS...
MacBook Air Update Coming in Mid-July?
Many customers have been waiting for Apple to begin shipping its long-rumored updated MacBook Airs, bringing a significant performance improvement to the line with the incorporation of Intel's Sandy Bridge platform. A number of reports had pegged the release for the June-July timeframe, but the June dates are essentially out of the picture now and Apple has been said to be holding the release...
Apple Releases Java Update 5 for Snow Leopard and Update 10 for Leopard
Apple today released a pair of Java updates for users of Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Leopard, patching vulnerabilities and increasing reliability and compatibility.
- Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 (75.45 MB, Requires Mac OS X 10.6.4)Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_26.- Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 10...
iPad 2 Display Dock Replicates Apple Retail Store Experience
Released earlier this month by newPCgadgets, the iPad 2 Display Dock claims to replicate the Apple retail store iPad 2 experience by offering a clear acrylic display block for the latest iPad, holding the device at an angle in a sleek enclosure for ease of interaction.
In addition to the iPad 2, the dock also contains an upright docking station for holding an iPhone or iPod touch.Now you can ...
