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
Verizon iPhone Surge Yields First Slip in Android U.S. Sales Share in Two Years
Market research firm NPD today announced the results of its "Mobile Phone Track" survey for the first quarter of 2011, covering U.S. mobile phone sales. According to the study, Apple rode the strength of the CDMA iPhone launch on Verizon to eat into Android's share of the smartphone market for the first time since the second quarter of 2009. Android does, however, continue to hold a strong...
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Three Foxconn Employees Charged With Leaking iPad 2 Design
DigiTimes reports on an article [Google translation] from Chinese site sznews.com claiming that three Foxconn employees have been charged with leaking the design of the iPad 2 to accessory manufacturers well ahead of the device's launch. Several online shopping retailers in China were able to sell iPad 2's protective case products before the iPad 2 was even launched, leading Foxconn to suspect...
Apple Slips to Fourth in Worldwide PC Sales With iPad Included
Research firm Canalys today reported its data for worldwide first quarter PC shipments, pegging Apple in fourth place with 9.5% of the market when tablets such as the iPad are included in the calculation. Apple slipped one notch from its third-place finish in the fourth quarter of 2010 as the company shipped fewer-than-expected iPads to begin the year as it cleared existing inventory of the...
Apple Purchases iCloud.com for $4.5 Million?
GigaOM reports that it has received word that Apple has purchased the iCloud.com domain name for a sum of $4.5 million. The domain had been used until recently by an online storage firm of the same, but the company recently rebranded its service as CloudMe. My source, who is familiar with the company, says that Xcerion has sold the domain to Apple for about $4.5 million. Xcerion hasn't...
White iPhone 4 Sales Officially Begin [Updated]
As announced, Apple has begun selling the white iPhone 4 in Eastern Hemisphere and European countries as those markets roll around to April 28th. The U.S. and Canada should follow suit in just a few hours as clocks tick over to the new day. While the company is advertising availability on the front pages of its sites in countries where the clock has past midnight, online orders do not yet...
Transcript of Interview With Apple Executives on iOS Location Tracking
Phil Schiller, Steve Jobs, and Scott Forstall at iOS 4 introduction (Source: CNET)
Earlier today, All Things Digital conducted a telephone interview with Steve Jobs and other Apple senior executives, covering the location tracking controversy and white iPhone 4 delays. All Things Digital has now followed with a full, edited transcript of the portion of the interview covering the location...
Developer Sees First Crash Report From iOS 5.0
iPhone developer FutureTap today noted today that it has received its first crash report from a device running iOS 5.0, suggesting that Apple is testing the operating system with third-party applications. Just received the first iOS 5.0 crash report. MKUserLocationBreadCrumb sounds interesting.Future Tap also posted a screenshot of the crash report.
As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, the...
Apple SVP Bob Mansfield Sells Off 99% of AAPL Shares
Fortune notes that Apple senior vice president of hardware engineering Bob Mansfield sold off 99% of his Apple stock holdings on Monday, dropping his stake in the company to only 501 shares. One of the more pro-active traders is Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president in charge of Mac and iPhone hardware engineering. Not only does he exercise his options when the stock is high -- always a...
Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller on White iPhone 4 Delays
In a companion piece to the earlier article highlighting Apple CEO Steve Jobs' interview regarding location tracking issues, All Things Digital turns the spotlight to the white iPhone 4, sharing comments from Jobs and Apple marketing boss Phil Schiller regarding the difficulties in bringing the product to market. "It was challenging," Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller said during a joint ...
Steve Jobs Interviewed on Location Tracking Issues
Earlier today, Apple officially responded to recent concerns regarding significant amounts of location information being stored on users' iPhone and in system backups, noting that the information is actually a database of nearby Wi-Fi and cellular access points used to provide quick location fixes when needed.
While we noted earlier this week a claimed brief email response from Apple CEO...
White iPhone 4 Proximity Sensor and 'Death Grip' Tested
Italian site iSpazio has been able to get its hands on a white iPhone 4 as several European outlets have begun selling the device ahead of tomorrow's official launch. With the new iPhone in hand, the site has put together a handful of videos [Google translation] testing out a few of the areas of concern users have had with the black models, most notably the proximity sensor performance and...
Apple Hints at Future Turn-by-Turn GPS Directions With Traffic for iPhone
As part of its Q&A regarding location tracking posted earlier today, Apple discloses that it is currently collecting "anonymous traffic data" from users' devices with the aim of providing an "improved traffic experience in the next couple of years". What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
Apple is now collecting...
Last Year's Comments From Steve Jobs and Andy Rubin on Privacy
In the wake of a highly-publicized disclosure last week regarding iOS location tracking and discussion of similar activity found on Android-based devices, All Things Digital has gone back and cut together a video clip of comments from Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Google mobile boss Andy Rubin on privacy to remind readers what key executives have said about the issue in the recent past. Jobs'...
Apple Releases iPhoto 9.1.2 and Snow Leopard Font Update
Apple today released a pair of software updates via Software Update and its support download pages, bringing an updated version of iPhoto and a fix for font issues on Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
iPhoto 9.1.2 adds new card themes and fixes a host of minor issues with the company's photo management component of iLife '11. This update adds new card themes to iPhoto '11. It also improves overall...
TomTom Brings Homer Simpson Voice Guidance to iPhone
GPS navigation firm TomTom today announced that it has brought its Homer Simpson celebrity voice for turn-by-turn directions to its U.S. iPhone applications, appearing as a $5.99 in-app purchase. Developed in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products (FCP), The Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division and Locutio Voice Technologies, the original Homer Simpson voice (recorded by Dan...
Android Jumps Past iOS in Overall U.S. Smartphone Usage
Earlier this year, we pointed to a report from media research firm Nielsen indicating that Apple's iOS was just barely holding off Android in smartphone usage in the United States. But continued strong growth from Android that saw the platform easily leading the pack among the most recent smartphone acquirers left little doubt that Android would quickly pass iOS in total penetration.
New...
Amazon Responds to Apple's Trademark Lawsuit Over 'App Store'
Just over a month ago, Apple filed a trademark lawsuit against Amazon over the company's use of the term "Appstore" for its own Android application marketplace. According to the suit, Apple is seeking an injunction to prevent Amazon from using the name, which Apple believes infringes upon its own "App Store" mark.
GeekWire reports that Amazon has now filed an official response (PDF) to...
Another White iPhone 4 Sold in Belgium [Updated]
While we noted earlier today that preparations are moving full speed ahead for a debut of the white iPhone 4 within the next day or two and shipments making their way to retail stores, some retailers have jumped the gun and begun selling units to customers. Once such case popped up late last week in the UK through Vodafone, although the carrier apparently quickly clamped down on the rogue sale. ...
Apple Expected to Charge for Cloud-Based Music Storage Service
CNET reports that Apple is expected to charge customers a fee in order to use its forthcoming cloud-based music storage service, a new product said to be rapidly approaching completion. The company could, however, offer a free introductory period to give customers a chance to test out the new service and gather a user base. Music industry insiders told me that Apple has indicated it could offer...
Preparations for White iPhone 4 Launch Continue
As we've been noting, Apple is gearing up to finally release the white iPhone 4, with all signs pointing to a release over the next few days, possibly as soon as tomorrow.
Engadget posts photos of a shipment of white iPhone 4s that have reportedly arrived at a Belgian retailer just ahead of the launch, indicating that Apple's distribution channels now have stock in position for immediate...
