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
'i3D' Demo App Shows Off Head-Tracking 3D on iOS Devices
Last month, French researchers Jeremie Francone and Laurence Nigay posted a video showing off a method for using head tracking by a device's camera to simulate three-dimensional scenes for the iPad, a concept in which Apple has expressed some interest.
As noted by MacStories, a new demo app from Francone and Nigay known as i3D has appeared in the App Store, giving users the opportunity to...
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Apple Officially in Discussions for Retail Store Space in Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal leasing plan (PDF) with Metrazur on East Balcony at right
Earlier this year, reports surfaced claiming that Apple was pursuing a potential new retail store location in the historic Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, a hub for both commuter and tourist activity. Claims had even suggested that the store could be the company's largest. But a few weeks later, word...
Apple Revamps 'Apple Store' iOS App With Custom Mac Configurations, Enhanced In-Store Mode
In line with our report from several days ago, Apple today updated its Apple Store application for iOS devices [App Store] with new support for build-to-order Mac customizations. The update also brings enhanced in-store capabilities to go along with other changes to the company's retail stores.What's new
- Enhanced in-store mode lets you get help and support quickly when you're at an Apple...
Apple to Update 'Apple Store' iOS App With Full Build-to-Order Mac Customization Options
It is becoming clear that Apple is planning to roll out a number of changes to its store functionalities this weekend, including both online and brick-and-mortar purchasing platforms. With a number of tips regarding staff meetings set for Sunday morning at the company's retail stores, minor store makeovers, and now online order statuses going offline, Apple certainly seems to be seeking to roll...
Apple Issues Statement on Foxconn Factory Explosion, Investigation in Progress
All Things Digital has obtained a statement from Apple on the explosion at manufacturing partner Foxconn's facilities in Chengdu, China where the iPad 2 is manufactured. In the statement, Apple expresses sympathy to those affected by the event and notes that it is working with Foxconn to address the cause of the explosion."We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at Foxconn's plant in Chengdu,...
EFF Urges Apple to Support Developers Against Lodsys Patent Threat
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today issued a statement calling on Apple to defend App Store developers against patent lawsuit threats from Lodsys, a company seeking licenses from developers for their use of in app purchasing and upgrade links.
The EFF lays out its case that because the developers are taking advantage of Apple's developer tools to deploy the functionality being cited ...
Apple Still Needs Music Publishers' Agreement Before Launching Cloud-Based Streaming Service
As touched on in today's earlier report about Apple having reached agreements with three of the four major music labels regarding cloud-based streaming services, Apple will also need the agreement of a separate group of music publishers that also has a stake in the digital music market.
All Things Digital's Peter Kafka digs a bit further into that aspect of the negotiations, noting that while...
Apple: Amazon's Appstore Isn't an 'App Store'
The dispute between Apple and Amazon over the term "App Store" continues, with Apple filing a new document with the court claiming that Amazon's "Appstore for Android" can't possibly be an app store because the term is a non-generic one referring only to Apple's App Store. Apple's official response comes via Bloomberg:"Apple denies that, based on their common meaning, the words 'app store'...
More Rumblings of China Telecom Negotiating for iPhone
According to Reuters, China Telecom Chairman Wang Xiaochu has essentially confirmed that the carrier is in talks with Apple to offer the CDMA iPhone in that country. A deal could potentially be struck that would allow China Telecom to launch the iPhone after an exclusivity agreement between Apple and China Unicom runs out later this year."We're not denying that we're in touch with iPhone...
Explosion Reported at Foxconn's iPad Production Plant in Chengdu, China [Updated]
Multiple news outlets are reporting that an explosion has occurred at Foxconn's new manufacturing facilities in Chengdu, China, a plant that opened last year in large part to support increased iPad production. M.I.C gadget has more information and several video clips, and while the extent of the damage remains unclear, reports have indicated that at least ten fire engines and ten ambulances...
Apple's 'Daily Download' Internal iPad News App for Retail Store Employees Revealed
[image removed]
Earlier this week, it was reported that one aspect of Apple's rumored retail store revamp reportedly set to launch this weekend was the deployment of new iPad 2s equipped with an updated version of the company's RetailMe training and information software for store employees.
9 to 5 Mac has gotten access to the new software, obtaining screenshots of Apple's new "Daily...
Mac OS X 10.6.8 Build 10K524 Seeded to Developers
Following last week's seed of the first developer build of Mac OS X 10.6.8, Apple has now pushed out a second version known as Build 10K524.
With the update checking in as a 1 GB download, developers are reportedly being asked to focus their testing on AirPort, Graphics Drivers, Mac App Store, Networking, QuickTime and VPN, the same areas highlighted in the initial developer build last week.
...
Apple Reaches Cloud Music Deal With Sony, Universal Last Major Label Still to Sign
Following up on news from earlier this week regarding Apple having signed EMI Music to a deal to permit cloud-based music streaming of the label's content, Bloomberg now reports that Sony has reached a similar deal with Apple. With Warner Music Group having already agreed to a deal, Universal remains the lone holdout among the major labels, although sources indicate that Apple and Universal are...
Apple Debuts as Top 5 PC Maker in Western Europe, UK
Earlier this week, research firm Gartner reported that Apple broke into the top 5 PC manufacturers in both the United Kingdom and broader Western Europe markets for the first time in the survey's history in the first quarter of 2011. Apple's year-over-year shipment growth of 10-15% in those markets bucked the trend that saw all of the other top manufacturers see a decline in shipments, a...
Qualcomm Delivering Augmented Reality Tools for iOS
All Things Digital reports that Qualcomm has announced that it will release an augmented reality software development kit (SDK) for iOS developers in July, making it easier for developers to integrate virtual content with real content such as images captured by cameras found on many portable devices. The company previously released a similar SDK for Android.It's an interesting move for...
Verizon Reiterates Claims of World-Mode Next-Generation iPhone, Simultaneous With AT&T Debut
Reuters reports that Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo today reiterated his earlier claim that the next-generation iPhone will in fact be a "world mode" device capable of running on both GSM and CDMA. Furthermore, Shammo noted that Verizon will be able to launch the iPhone simultaneously with the device's debut on rival AT&T.While Verizon has sold fewer iPhones than some analysts...
Prototype of Original Apple TV ('iTV') Hits eBay
An eBay listing for a prototype of the original Apple TV has appeared on the auction site, giving interested users nearly a month to snap up the collectible item with a "Buy It Now" price of $350.
Photos accompanying the listing show an Apple Development Team inventory barcode on the side along with a sticker marking the unit as a "DVT" prototype and listing the manufacturers of a number...
Study Finds Apple Nabs 50% of Mobile Revenue in April
Mobile advertising firm Millennial Media today announced the release of its "Mobile Mix" report covering device, operating system, and revenue share for the month of April. After receiving a bit of a boost in March, Apple's iOS platform has dropped back from 31% of the total ad impressions seen on the network to 28%. Conversely, Android has bumped back over the 50% mark to grab 53% of...
MobileMe Web Apps Down Again
Just days after Apple's MobileMe service experienced an email outage for some customers, MacRumors readers are once again reporting difficulties with the service, this time reporting problems accessing the various web applications available through me.com.
Apple's system status page confirms the issue:Some MobileMe members are unable to access most of the web applications via me.com....
'Yahoo! Messenger' Goes Universal, Adds Video Calling for iPad 2
Yahoo yesterday released an update to its Yahoo! Messenger application for iOS devices, going universal with an iPad-specific interface and adding voice and video calling capabilities for the iPad 2.What's new
- iPad-optimized layout
- Voice & video calling for iPad 2
- Improved spam management: block one or all add requests from a single view
- Fixed multiple bugs including the...
