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
One Week After iPad 2 Launch: Long Lines Still Abound
iPad 2 line at Fifth Avenue retail store in Manhattan (Thanks, Leon)
While lines were long for the iPad 2 launch in the United States on Friday of last week, availability has been very scarce in the days since, with hopeful customers lining up outside Apple's retail stores each morning hoping that stock has arrived. And even when stock has arrived, customers have typically had to be very...
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AT&T Slashes Prices on First-Generation 3G iPads to $429-$529
As noted by The Loop, AT&T has once again slashed pricing on the 3G-capable models of the first-generation iPad, knocking another $100 of the 16 GB and 32 GB models and $200 off of the 64 GB model. On top of the original $100 discount that went into effect when the iPad 2 was announced, pricing is now set at $429 for the 16 GB 3G model and curiously at $529 for either the 32 GB or 64 GB model.
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MobileMe Revamp Set for April Launch? Existing Support to Continue for One Year?
iLounge reports that Apple is planning to roll out its revamped MobileMe service next month, potentially unveiling a new cloud-based service allowing users to store their music, photos, and other content for access from any of a number of Internet-connected devices. The source, who works for a major educational institution, claims the schools supplier has said the current version of MobileMe is no ...
Mac App Store Dominated by Paid Apps, Top Apps' Revenue at 50% of Top iPad Apps'
App Store analytics firm Distimo today issued a new report comparing the performance of Apple's two-month old Mac App Store to the more mature iPad and iPhone App Store segments, revealing that the Mac App Store is dominated by paid apps that also carry a higher average price than paid iPad apps.
Looking at the 300 most popular apps in each of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac App Stores, Distimo...
Report Details iPad 2 Components Vulnerable to Shortages Following Japanese Earthquake
IHS iSuppli today issued a report detailing five components of the iPad 2 that are sourced from Japanese suppliers, indicating that they could see shortages in the wake of the Japanese earthquake that has shut down a number of manufacturing facilities in the country. The IHS iSuppli teardown analysis of the iPad 2 so far has been able to identify five parts sourced from Japanese suppliers: NAND...
2011 MacBook Pros Experiencing Issues With Home Sharing in iTunes
One of the major new features included in Apple's iOS 4.3 released last week was a new Home Sharing feature allowing users to stream music, movies, and TV shows from Macs and PCs to iOS devices. The feature is an extension of the Home Sharing feature that allowed for streaming between computers and from computers to the Apple TV.
But as noted by AppleInsider, a growing thread in Apple's...
'The New York Times' Announces Digital Access With In App Subscriptions
The New York Times today announced that it is launching a package of digital subscriptions for access to its content, specifically revealing that it has agreed to Apple's in app subscription program that allows customers to subscribe via their iTunes Store account with Apple taking a 30% cut of revenue. The new subscription options launch on March 28th, with the one-click iTunes Store options...
Microphone Differences Found Between Wi-Fi and 3G iPad 2 Models
iPad 2 microphones: 3G (top) vs. Wi-Fi (bottom)
iLounge reports that it has discovered differences in the quality of sound captured by the microphones on various Wi-Fi and 3G-capable models of the iPad 2, with the Wi-Fi-only models demonstrating the best sound quality. The differences primarily seem to stem from the fact that the microphone opening in the center of the top edge of the device...
Purported iPhone 5 Cases Suggest Nearly Identical Form Factor to iPhone 4
Hardmac posts a promotional image for cases claimed to be designed to fit the fifth-generation iPhone. If accurate, the design seems to suggest little change in the form factor and placement of physical features relative to the iPhone 4.
Supporting the idea of nearly identical form factors for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 are cases that have also appeared on the sites of other vendors with...
Some Early Online iPad 2 Orders Placed Through Apple Now Arriving
Yesterday, we noted that the first online iPad 2 orders in the U.S. had begun arriving on Monday, led by shipments from AT&T. By yesterday afternoon, the first trickle of orders made through Apple began coming through, and the pace seems to be quickening today with a number of readers reporting (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) that their orders have either already arrived today or are listed as being out for...
White CDMA iPhone 4 Icon Found in iTunes 10.2
While rumors have suggested that the white iPhone 4 may finally ship early next month, there has been very little discussion about whether Apple might ship a white version of the CDMA iPhone 4 for Verizon alongside the GSM version used on all other carriers around the world.
White CDMA iPhone 4 icon (left) vs. white GSM iPhone 4 icon (right)
One MacRumors reader did some poking around in...
Filemaker Releases Bento 4, Updates iPhone and iPad Apps
Apple subsidiary Filemaker today announced the release of Bento 4, a significant update to the company's personal database software for Mac OS X. With the release, Bento is now available on the Mac App Store for the first time, although boxed versions are also available.
New features in Bento 4 include support for label printing, new options for printing forms, the option to export...
Approximately 1/8th of U.S. iPhones in Use Now on Verizon
At the time of the Verizon iPhone launch just over a month ago, we pointed to a live tracker set up by mobile ad firm Chitika measuring the balance of AT&T and Verizon devices registering on its network. At the time, just one day after the device launched to the general public, the Verizon iPhone accounted for 3% of the U.S. iPhone base as measured over a rolling 24-hour window.
Chitika has ...
Software Fix Coming to Address Flickering Issues With Apple TV
AppleInsider reports that Apple is preparing a new software update for the Apple TV to address issues with flickering when used with certain televisions. An Apple support representative has confirmed that Apple is aware of the issues caused by the latest update to the Apple TV, software version 4.2, AppleInsider has learned. The Cupertino, Calif., company is said to be working on a fix that will ...
Netflix Grabs 61% of U.S. Digital Movie Market, Apple at 4%
U.S. digital movie unit share for January-February 2011 (NPD)
Last month, we reported that Apple was dominating the market for individual download and streaming movie content in the United States, representing nearly 65% of total spending. We noted at the time that the survey did not include streaming services such as Netflix and on-demand streaming offerings from cable companies, but new...
Apple Releases Minor Update to 'Remote' App
Apple today released a minor update to its Remote application for iOS devices, bringing performance enhancements and a new "skip back" button for video content. What's new
- Improvements when connecting to iTunes or Apple TV
- Addition of a "skip back" button when playing video
- Additional stability and performance improvementsApple last updated Remote in late December to add AirPlay video ...
Apple Delays iPad 2 Launch in Japan Following Earthquake and Tsunami
Reuters reports that Apple has delayed the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami that have devastated significant parts of the country. The iPad 2 had been scheduled to debut in Japan as part of a broad international to over two dozen countries on March 25th. "We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on...
Performance of Web Apps Saved to Home Screen Hampered in iOS 4.3
The Register reports that performance of web apps saved to the home screen on iOS devices running iOS 4.3 is significantly crippled compared to those loaded directly through the Safari browser for iOS, although it is unclear if the issue is caused by bugs or a conscious move by Apple to favor App Store apps over web app experiences. If a web app is run from the iOS 4.3 home screen - in other...
Chip Teardown Firms Confirm iPad 2's A5 Chip Manufactured by Samsung
Side view of A5 package (UBM TechInsights)
A pair of chip teardown firms this weekend stripped down the new A5 system-on-a-chip used in the Apple's iPad 2, finding that the package is indeed being manufactured by Samsung. Several rumors in recent weeks have claimed that Apple is shifting production from Samsung to TSMC, and while that may still be the case for future production, Samsung is...
Microsoft to Kill Off Development of New Zune Hardware
Bloomberg reports that Microsoft is canceling future development of its line of Zune hardware devices, shifting the focus of Zune services to Windows Phone 7 smartphones. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) will cease introducing new versions of the Zune music and video-player amid tepid demand, helping the company shift its focus to mobile phones, according to a person familiar with the decision.
The...
