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
Apple Shares Assembly and Use Instructions for New Face Shields, Shipping 1 Million Per Week to Medical Workers
Following this weekend's news from Tim Cook that Apple is working with its supply chain to produce a million face shields per week for medical workers, the company has shared a support document outlining how to assemble and adjust the shields.
The document includes a series of images and animations showing how the simple three-piece product can be assembled for either a regular fit or with...
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2020 iPad Pro Confirmed to Lack a U1 Ultra Wideband Chip
Last week, we laid out evidence suggesting that the just-released iPad Pro models do not contain a U1 Ultra Wideband chip, including the lack of any mention of the chip in tech specs or Apple's press materials, the absence of software support for U1 features, and more. Most tellingly, iFixit was unable to find the chip or related antennas in the device.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber has follo...
Apple Reportedly Targeting WWDC for Over-Ear Headphones Launch, New 'AirPods X' Later in the Year
Rumors of Apple-branded over-ear headphones have been circulating for quite some time, while more recent rumors have mentioned an "AirPods Pro Lite" that could also be in the works, and Twitter leaker Jon Prosser's recent foray into Apple rumors provides a bit more detail on what we might able to expect for these products.
Current Beats Studio3 Wireless and BeatsX
On the over-ear side,...
Zoom Updates Mac App Installer to Remove Controversial 'Preflight' Installation Method
The popular video conferencing company Zoom has been under scrutiny over the past few days for the method used to install the Mac version of its app, which essentially abused a "preflight" compatibility check to install the app without the user needing to explicitly grant installation permission, as highlighted by developer Felix Seele earlier this week.
Screenshot of preflight compatibility ...
Optical Thunderbolt 3 Cables Begin Rolling Out in Lengths Up to 50 Meters
The Thunderbolt 3 standard has been available for roughly four years now, but cable lengths have so far generally been limited to a couple of meters due to signal degradation over long distances of copper wiring. While the use of copper Thunderbolt 3 cables limits their length, it does allow for additional features like the ability to carry power and fallback use of USB modes at slower speeds.
...
Review: 2020 Hyundai Sonata Offers CarPlay, a Revamped Infotainment System, and Tons of Safety Features
Hyundai was one of the first brands officially announced as a CarPlay partner back in 2014, and the feature is now available across pretty much all of the carmaker's lineup. I recently spent some time with CarPlay and Hyundai's native infotainment system in the redesigned 2020 Hyundai Sonata, and I've been impressed with not only Hyundai's CarPlay implementation but also just how much technology...
Popular Mobile Game Plague Inc. Removed From App Stores in China
Ndemic Creations today released a statement acknowledging that its popular mobile game Plague Inc. has been removed from App Stores in China.
The company says it received a notice saying that Plague Inc. "includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China," but no further information on regulators' objections to the game have been shared....
Altice USA Brings its Cable TV Experience to Apple TV
Cable company Altice USA today announced that it has launched its Altice One experience on Apple TV, offering access to the company's streaming live TV service, on-demand video, and cloud DVR recordings.
Additional features include an interactive program guide, program restart for live shows, and Siri voice search support.
Altice customers have the option of adding an Apple TV 4K to their ...
MacRumors is 20 Years Old Today
It's hard to believe, but today marks the 20th birthday of MacRumors, which was founded on February 24, 2000, with articles starting just a few days later.
While longtime readers may be familiar with the site's origins, there are plenty of others who are unaware that it began as a hobby while our founder Arnold Kim was a medical student, and it remained a side project for over eight years...
U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Apple's Appeal in $440 Million VirnetX Patent Case
The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear Apple's appeal of a $440 million judgment in one of the patent infringement cases brought by VirnetX a decade ago, reports Reuters.
VirnetX was originally awarded $302 million back in October 2016 in the dispute over VPN-related patents, but Apple appealed the ruling multiple times, and with interest and other costs tacked on, the judgment was...
AirTags Said to Be 'Completely Waterproof' and Use Magnetic Charging Like Apple Watch
In a report touching on several topics today, Japanese site Mac Otakara claims that Apple's Tile-like "AirTags" item trackers will be "completely waterproof" and use similar magnetic wireless charging to that seen on the Apple Watch.
AirTag image found in iOS 13 build
Evidence of AirTags has been found in builds of iOS 13 since last summer, and it appears the small item trackers will show up...
Apple Says March Quarter Revenue Will Fall Short Due to Coronavirus Impact [Updated]
Apple today issued an update on its financial guidance for the March quarter, announcing that the company will not meet its revenue goals due to the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic in China.Our quarterly guidance issued on January 28, 2020 reflected the best information available at the time as well as our best estimates about the pace of return to work following the end of the...
Apple Media Event Rumored for End of March, 'iPhone SE 2' Launch on April 3
March is the most common month for Apple's spring media events, and the relatively long list of products with rumored imminent updates has pointed toward one of those spring events being held again this year.
A new report [Google Translate] from German site iPhone-ticker.de claims that Apple is planning to hold a media event at the very end of March, with Tuesday, March 31 being the most...
Kuo: iPhone SE 2 Launch Still Planned for First Half of 2020 Despite Coronavirus Outbreak
We've been hearing for some time that Apple is planning to launch a new low-cost iPhone based on the iPhone 8, but with upgraded internals. This device has been referred to in rumors as the "iPhone SE 2" or "iPhone 9," although concerns over the impact of the Wuhan coronavirus on production have raised some questions about timing for the launch.
In a new research note seen by MacRumors,...
iPad Pro Update Expected 'Around March,' but Production Slow to Ramp Up
Rumors have been pointing toward a significant iPad Pro update in the first half of this year, including a new triple-lens rear camera system supporting 3D sensing for immersive augmented reality experiences.
MacRumors concept of iPad Pro with triple-lens rear camera system
In a new paywalled blurb published today, DigiTimes claims that production on the device has already begun with a...
'AirPods Pro Lite' Production Reportedly Pushed Back From Planned Q2 Start
Last week, Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes made a passing reference to upcoming "AirPod Pro Lite" earphones without offering any details on the product, leading to confusion about whether this would be a third-generation version of the regular AirPods or a new member of the AirPods Pro family.
While we still don't have a full picture of what to expect with these upcoming earphones, D...
Review: Infiniti Joins the CarPlay Club With the 2020 QX50
Apple touts that there are now over 500 car models supporting CarPlay, and Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti is one of the most recent (and perhaps the last significant brand in the U.S. other than Tesla) to add the feature with the 2020 Q50 and Q60 sedans, QX50 crossover, and QX80 SUV.
I've had an opportunity to spend some time with a 2020 Infiniti QX50 and check out how the updated InTouch...
Apple Reportedly Working on 'AirPod Pro Lite' Earphones
Apple is said to be working with supply chain partners in Taiwan on several upcoming products, including a so-called "AirPod Pro Lite," according to DigiTimes. Other products mentioned include next-generation iPad, Apple Watch, and iMac models, all of which will be due for updates in the coming months, although some like the iPad and Apple Watch are unlikely to launch before September.
The...
Review: Pioneer's AVIC-W8500NEX System Upgrades Your Car With Wireless CarPlay and More
Pioneer has long been one of the biggest names in aftermarket car audio, and the company's lineup of NEX receivers offers a terrific option for adding CarPlay and other enhanced functionality to older cars or entry-level models that lack some of the latest technology.
Pioneer's 2019 NEX lineup includes models at a range of price points offering varying feature sets. Several months ago, Pioneer ...
Fantastical Unifies Its Mac, iOS, and Apple Watch Calendar Experience With Weather, Tasks, Meeting Proposals, and More
Flexibits today is launching version 3.0 of its popular Fantastical calendar app, bringing a host of improvements across all platforms including Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Along with all of the feature updates, Fantastical is transitioning to a premium subscription model that unlocks access across all devices and will provide continued feature additions and improvements on an ongoing...
