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
iPad Claims 82% of U.S. Installed Tablet Market, Eating Into Other Devices
Media research firm Nielsen today announced the results of its Mobile Connected Device Report survey for the first quarter of 2011, determining that Apple held a dominating 82% of the installed base for tablets in the United States during the quarter. The survey found 3G-capable iPads slightly more popular than non-3G models, 43% to 39%, with the Samsung Galaxy Tab proving the most popular...
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iMac EFI Update 1.6 Adds 6 Gb/s SATA Capabilities
Other World Computing reports that the iMac EFI Update 1.6 released yesterday for Apple's new iMacs brings an unadvertised improvement in SATA performance for the internal hard drive bays. While iMac EFI Update 1.6 is described as including "fixes that improve performance and stability for Thunderbolt," it would also seem that an unadvertised benefit is that it also unlocks the full 6Gb/s, SATA...
Apple Gains Early Access to Intel's Z68 Chipset for New iMacs
As noted by tonymacx86 (via 9 to 5 Mac), iFixit's teardown of the new iMac released earlier this week reveals that the machine utilizes Intel's BD82Z68 platform controller. The inclusion is notable in part because the Z68 chipset is reportedly not set for public introduction until next week.
Apple use of the Z68 chipset marks yet another exclusive for the company, which has occasionally...
Hearst Magazines Join Apple's 'In App Subscription' Program
The Wall Street Journal reports that Hearst Corporation has agreed to Apple's terms for in app subscriptions, making plans to begin selling subscriptions to several of its magazine titles beginning with their July issues. Starting with their July issues, iPad apps for Esquire, Popular Mechanics and O, The Oprah Magazine, will be available through a service from Apple that allows customers to...
Apple Soliciting Customer Feedback With New 'Pulse' Program
Several MacRumors have informed us in recent days that they have received email invitations to join "Apple Customer Pulse", a program designed to allow customers to provide survey feedback about their product purchases to Apple. Apple values your opinion and invites you to participate in a survey about your Apple products. Your responses will remain completely confidential, and results will be...
Apple Targeting Mac App Store as 'Preferred' Mac OS X Lion Distribution Mechanism
AppleInsider reports that it has learned that Apple is planning to utilize the Mac App Store as the "preferred" mechanism for distribution of Mac OS X Lion when it is released to the public later this year. The Mac App Store, available to all users running the most recent version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, will become the de facto method for obtaining the Lion upgrade, people familiar with...
Lawsuit Filed Against Apple and Other Tech Companies Over Anti-Poaching Agreements
Law firm Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein today announced the filing of a class-action lawsuit against Apple and other tech companies over "no solicitation" agreements that prevented the companies from attempting to hire away each others' employees. The lawsuit, filed by former Lucasfilm engineer Siddharth Hariharan, contends that the anti-poaching agreements limited career opportunities...
Apple Releases iOS 4.3.3 With Location Tracking Bug Fixes
Apple today released iOS 4.3.3, bringing several fixes and improvements to Apple's operating system for mobile devices, including addressing bugs cited in the recent location-tracking controversy. The build number is 8J2 for the majority of devices, with the CDMA iPad 2 receiving Build 8J3. A separate iOS 4.2.8 build 8E401 is also available for the CDMA iPhone 4. This update contains changes to...
Intel's 'Ivy Bridge' Platform to Utilize 3-D Transistors
Intel today announced that its next-generation "Ivy Bridge" platform will incorporate new technology allowing a 3-D transistor structure known as "Tri-Gate", significantly boosting performance and efficiency. While Intel disclosed its work on 3-D transistors nearly a decade ago, the technology has finally reached the point where it can be deployed into mass production. Intel's 3-D Tri-Gate...
Apple Reportedly Hires Audio Pioneer Tomlinson Holman
Tomlinson Holman working at a Mac in 2007 (Source: Flickr)
As noted by GigaOM, tech pundit Leo Laporte today tweeted that he has heard "on good authority" that Apple has hired audio pioneer Tomlinson Holman to head up the company's audio projects. Apple has reportedly hired Tomlinson Holman as its new audio chief, according to a tweet by Leo Laporte Wednesday morning. Laporte said he had it "on ...
Spotify Launches Download Service and iPod Syncing in Europe
Popular European music streaming service Spotify today announced a major new initiative to take on Apple's iTunes, launching a new download service and software support for syncing music to non-iOS iPods. You've been telling us how much you love discovering, sharing and talking about music in Spotify - and you've created well over 200 million playlists to prove it. But you've also said you're...
Thunderbolt iMac Torn Down and Benchmarked
While Apple's new iMac models released yesterday appear nearly identical to their predecessors at first glance, the company has of course made a number of changes to beef up performance of its flagship desktop line.
The folks over at iFixit quickly got their hands on one of the new 21.5-inch models and subjected it to one of their thorough teardown routines. Among the interesting findings:
...
AT&T Rep: Apple Has Told Us No New iPhone in June or July
While increasing numbers of reports are pointing to a later-than-usual introduction for the fifth-generation iPhone, potentially with an unveiling at Apple's traditional September iPod-focused event, some observers have still been holding out hope that Apple will launch the new device at its Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as it has done on a regular basis in recent years.
One M...
App Store Projected to Claim 75% of App Download Market in 2011
Research firm IHS iSuppli today released its projections for the performance of mobile application marketplaces in 2011, predicting that overall revenues will rise nearly 78% this year to $3.9 billion. Of that figure, Apple's App Store is expected to snag 76% or $2.91 billion on 63.4% growth over 2010. To no one's surprise, the Apple App Store continues to head off all competition. Projected...
U.S. Carriers Cracking Down on Android Hotspot Tethering Apps
Image from Engadget
Droid Life reports (via Engadget) that U.S. carriers have recently stepped up their efforts to crack down on Android apps that permit users to create Wi-Fi mobile hotspots by tethering to their mobile phone and using the device's data connection. After receiving a tip that Verizon may be blocking Wireless Tether from the market, I decided to do a little digging on the...
South Korean Carriers Halt iPad 2 Online Orders Amid High Demand
Reuters reports that South Korean carriers SK Telecom and KT have ceased taking online orders for the new iPad 2 as they struggle to meet high demand for the popular new tablet device. The move comes less than a week after the device went on sale in that country. "Our iPad 2 inventory has been depleted and we apologize for failing to provide enough supplies due to the product's global supply...
EA to Purchase Firemint, Developer of 'Flight Control' and 'Real Racing'
Electronic Arts today announced that it has agreed to purchase Australian iOS gaming firm Firemint, the developers behind the popular Flight Control and Real Racing games. Electronic Arts Inc. today announced an agreement to acquire Firemint Pty Ltd., the leading independent mobile development studio. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Firemint brings a proven powerhouse of creative talent to EAi,...
2011 iMac Notes: Magic Trackpad Option, Display Connectivity, Boot Camp Update
In the wake of today's release of new iMacs, a number of tidbits about the new models have been surfacing.
- Magic Trackpad: While Apple previously allowed customers to add a Magic Trackpad to their iMac orders for an additional charge of $69, the company now offers customers the option of swapping out the included Magic Mouse for a Magic Trackpad at no additional charge. iMac comes with a...
Apple No Longer Accepting App Store Reviews for Redeemed Promo Codes
As noted in the forums at our sister site Touch Arcade, Apple has apparently made a change to its App Store app review policies, no longer permitting users who have obtained applications via promo code to leave reviews for them.
According to Apple representatives, the change has been made in order to help prevent developers from gaming the ratings and reviews system by using an entire batch...
Adobe Releases Creative Suite 5.5, Adds Support for iPad Apps to Photoshop CS5
Following on last month's announcement, Adobe today officially released Creative Suite 5.5, bringing a number of enhancements to the company's flagship multimedia applications. Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 delivers important advances in HTML5 and Flash authoring, enabling designers and developers to create compelling content and applications. Creative Suite 5.5 products also feature significant...
