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
Google Launches 'Swiffy' Flash-to-HTML5 Converter
Google today announced the launch of Google Swiffy, a new Google Labs effort to produce a tool capable of converting Flash content to HTML5 for display on non-Flash devices such as the iPhone and iPad.You can upload a SWF file, and Swiffy will produce an HTML5 version which will run in modern browsers with a high level of SVG support such as Chrome and Safari. It’s still an early version, so it ...
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Mac OS X Server 10.6.8 Causing CPU Load Issues for Xserves
Since the release of Mac OS X 10.6.8 last week, a number of Xserve users have reported in Apple's discussion forums (via MacNN) issues with a hardware monitoring daemon known as hwmond generating significant CPU loads of up to 95%.Member Arminhempel reports a CPU load up to 70 percent after every reboot on several Xserves he manages; Jean-Serge Remy has an Xserve Xeon showing an 84 percent hit,...
Demo of Native-Style Momentum Scrolling in iOS 5 Beta 2
Over the weekend, we noted that one of the new features in the second beta of iOS 5 released to developers on Friday was the addition of native-style momentum scrolling for web apps, a key feature that will enable web app developers to easily make their apps feel much more like regular iOS applications.
Daring Fireball now points to this demo from @cpojer showing off how the new CSS property ...
Apple Issuing Refunds for Final Cut Pro X Upon Request
While Apple may be working to quickly add new and restored features to Final Cut Pro X, EOSHD reports (via The Next Web) that Apple has begun issuing refunds to at least some customers complaining through the company's customer service channels.Here is an example of one such email a disappointed pro received from Apple:
"Moving forward, I understand that you are not satisfied with the app...
Evidence of XML Importer Found in Final Cut Pro X
While Apple has received significant criticism for stripping out a number of features from its professional-level video production software in the transition to Final Cut Pro X, the company has said that it will be updating the new application on a regular basis, and has acknowledged that it is working on restoring some of the lost features.
One of those missing features is compatibility for...
Apple Thunderbolt Cable and Promise Thunderbolt RAID Systems Hit the Apple Store
Earlier this week, we mentioned that the first Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals had briefly appeared on Apple's online store earlier this month, although they carried shipping estimate of several weeks out and were quickly removed.
Those products have returned today, with a set of four Thunderbolt-equipped RAID storage systems from Promise making their debut in the store and shipping within...
Apple Releases Thunderbolt Firmware Update
Apple today released Thunderbolt Firmware Update, a small update offering "performance and stability fixes" for machines supporting the new high-speed data connectivity standard.This update provides Thunderbolt performance and stability fixes.
When your computer restarts a gray screen will appear with a status bar to indicate the progress of the update.
Do not disturb or shut off the power...
Mac OS X 10.6.8 Brings TRIM Support for Apple SSDs, Graphics Improvements [Updated]
One item of interest regarding last week's Mac OS X 10.6.8 update reveals that Apple has enabled TRIM support retroactively for solid state hard drives shipped in Apple-produced configurations. TRIM is a feature that allows solid state drives (SSDs) to automatically handle garbage collection, cleaning up unused blocks of data and preparing them for rewriting, thereby preventing slowdowns that...
Wireless Carriers Moving Toward Shared Data Plans Across Devices
All Things Digital takes a look at the shifting landscape of mobile device data packages, where European carriers are leading the way in offering shared data plans allowing customers to sign up for a single data allotment to be used among multiple devices such as an iPhone and an iPad. Led by Austrian offerings from Orange, those shared data plans have begun rolling out to customer bases...
All 'No Commitment' AT&T iPhone 4 Purchases Coming Unlocked?
Over the weekend, 9 to 5 Mac reported that Apple retail stores are now able to unlock any AT&T iPhone 4 purchased at the unsubsidized "no commitment" prices of $649/$749, offering Apple retail stores the ability to sell unlocked iPhones even if they have run out of the models specifically set aside for sale as unlocked devices. Apple began selling unlocked iPhone 4s in the United States for the...
Apple Offering 7-Day Refund Policy on App Store Apps in Taiwan
Over the past several days, a number of reports have been coming out about Apple and Google being pressured by the Taiwanese government to modify their app sales policies to comply with a law requiring a one-week return and refund window on all purchases. The first mention came on Saturday from WantChinaTimes, which reported that Apple will be complying with the order.At the request of Taipei...
Apple Set to Shift From Samsung to TSMC for 'A6' Chip Production Next Year?
Back in March, a report suggested that Apple was preparing to shift production of its A5 system-on-a-chip for the iPad 2 from Samsung to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a deal that was claimed to span multiple generations of chips and would reduce Apple's reliance on competitor and legal foe Samsung for iOS device components. Early examinations of iPad 2 chips did, however,...
Analyst Claims Apple May Release $349 iPhone for Prepaid Markets This Year
Fortune reports that Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore today released a new research note claiming that Apple may be preparing to release two new iPhone models later this year, with the usual iPhone revamp being joined by the debut of a cheaper model coming in at an unlocked, unsubsidized price of $349.In a note issued early Monday, Deutsche Bank's Chris Whitmore is telling clients to expect...
AirPlay and Thunderbolt May Be Limited to High-End Devices to Start
Earlier today, we noted that LaCie is preparing to roll out its first Thunderbolt-enabled Little Big Disk external hard drives, although the initial models will be limited to higher-end SSD-based devices.
iLounge now reports that slow roll-out of Thunderbolt and the lack of consumer-based options may be due to high pricing for incorporating the technology, an issue that appears to also be...
Hands-On Video of LaCie Little Big Disk SSD With Thunderbolt
Since Apple and Intel introduced the Thunderbolt high-speed connectivity standard back in February, users have been waiting for third-party manufacturers to deliver compatible peripherals taking advantage of the significant speed boost over existing mainstream interfaces.
At the Thunderbolt debut, prominent external hard drive solution provider LaCie was one of the first to commit to the new...
Apple Confirms iCloud Web Apps for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Find My iPhone
There has been some debate over whether Apple will be providing web app functionality for iCloud services such as Mail once the transition from MobileMe is complete, and while we had previously noted that it appeared that at least some of the web functionality was likely to make the transition, Apple has posted a new transition guide (via TechCrunch) confirming that the web apps will continue to...
New Mac Pros With Up to 16 Cores Coming in Late July/Early August?
Apple is preparing to release new "Mid 2011" Mac Pro models, according to 9 to 5 Mac who cites internal Apple documents reportedly mentioning options ranging from six to sixteen processor cores. According to the source, Apple has begun putting together product manuals for the new Mac Pros, which are said to begin shipping in late July or early August.Following a report from earlier this week...
New iPod Touch Coming Later This Year as a Minor Update?
Earlier this month, new references to unreleased iPad models were discovered in iOS 5, but the lack of any mention of unreleased iPod touch models led to some concern that Apple might not be planning an update to the popular line this year.
But a bit more digging by iFans has in fact turned up a reference to an unreleased iPod touch model designated as "iPod4,2". The current iPod touch is...
Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.6.8 Ahead of Lion Debut
As hinted at earlier this week, Apple has now released Mac OS X 10.6.8, the eighth maintenance update for Snow Leopard, via Software Update. The update offers a number of fixes implemented since the release of Mac OS X 10.6.7 in late March.The 10.6.8 update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability,...
Viacom Sues Cablevision Over Live TV App for iPad, Negotiating Settlement With Time Warner
Back in March, cable provider Time Warner launched an iPad app that allowed subscribers to the company's TV and Internet services to access live TV from a number of channels via their iPads while on their home Wi-Fi networks. The cable company was forced, however, to quickly pull channels from several content providers who objected to the usage. Disputes with Fox and Discovery were resolved...
