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 Edges Out Research in Motion in U.S. Smartphone Market Share
Research firm Nielsen today published a report outlining the results of its survey of U.S. smartphone users for October 2010, finding that Apple has finally caught up to Research in Motion in market share, with the two companies finishing in a "statistical dead heat" with Apple's iPhone claiming 27.9% of the market and Research in Motion's BlackBerry line grabbing 27.4%. Google's...
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JPMorgan Embracing iPad as Research in Motion Faces Challenges
Last month, we noted that major U.S. banks Bank of America and Citigroup have been running pilot tests with an eye toward allowing their employees to abandon their corporate-standard BlackBerry devices in favor of the iPhone, demonstrating Apple's growing place in the business world and a increasing threat to Research in Motion's position in that market.
Bloomberg now reports that Research...
iOS 4.2 Supports Cellular Network Performance Improvement Technology
In a blog post, Nokia Siemens Networks reveals that Apple's iOS 4.2 released last week supports new technology known as Network Controlled Fast Dormancy (NFCD) that can reduce strain on cellular networks while also improving battery life for devices. The technology allows devices to remain in an "intermediate state" instead of constantly alternating between active and idle states when sharing...
iPad Closing in on Kindle in eReader Ownership
Research firm ChangeWave today released the results of a new survey of its audience of professionals and early-adopter consumers, showing that the iPad is quickly gaining ground on Amazon's Kindle in the eReader market, despite its different feature set and higher price point. According to the survey, the Kindle leads the iPad 47% to 32%, a dramatically smaller margin than the 62%-16% spread of...
Steve Jobs: AirPlay Video Streaming Coming to Safari and Third-Party Apps in 2011
One of the major new features deployed in iOS 4.2 last week was AirPlay, Apple's solution for streaming video, audio, and photos from portable iOS devices to the new Apple TV for display on users' televisions. Unfortunately, the feature's debut came with a few more limitations than users had originally hoped for, with streaming from third-party applications and even Safari limited to audio-only.
...
Apple 'Smokes the Competition' in Reliability Survey
Over the weekend, PC World published the results of its annual reliability survey, incorporating reports from 79,000 tech users to assess customer satisfaction with reliability and tech support for a wide variety of products. As in previous surveys, Apple topped the rankings in an assortment of categories, with PC World going as far as to say that Apple "once again smoked the competition",...
iPad Launches in 11 More Countries in Asia and Europe
While we noted yesterday that the iPad appeared set to launch in Scandinavia today, Apple's new round of international launches for the popular tablet device has extended to a total of eleven countries scattered around the globe: Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan.
Pricing and retail distribution partners vary from...
Apple Reportedly Selects Camera Lens Supplier for Second-Generation iPad
Feeding rumors and expectations that Apple will include at least a front-facing camera in the next-generation iPad, DigiTimes reports that market rumors in the region are pegging Taiwanese firm Largan Precision as having been selected to provide camera lens modules for the device. The company, however, refuses to comment on the rumors. Largan Precision has declined to comment on market rumors...
Apple's Black Friday Sale Deemed a Success by Analysts
Last Friday marked the traditional beginning of the holiday shopping season with Black Friday, and Apple's discounts seem to have driven high traffic to its retail stores if a number of reports from research analysts are any indication.
The Wall Street Journal summarizes the thoughts of four such analysts, who saw strong foot traffic at Apple's stores, solid product availability, and enticing...
Research Firms Trim PC Sales Forecasts in Face of iPad Strength
Research firm Gartner today announced that it is reducing its worldwide PC shipment estimates for 2010 and 2011 from earlier levels, citing increasing strength of media tablets such as the iPad. Gartner predicts that worldwide PC shipments will reach 352.4 million this year, an increase of 14.3% over last year but down from the 17.9% increase that had been predicted just two months ago....
Apple 'Lawyering Up' as Patent Suits Grow
Bloomberg offers a look at Apple's involvement in numerous patent lawsuits, noting that the company is the most-targeted technology company for such actions since 2008 and reporting that Apple is bringing on board some of the industry's highest-profile lawyers to help defend it against the suits and pursue its own actions. Apple has been the most-sued technology company since 2008, the year after...
European Apple News: Amsterdam Retail Store, iPad to Scandinavia Tomorrow
Several items of interest to certain European Apple fans have surfaced over the past few days, including news of a forthcoming retail store in Amsterdam that would be the company's first in the Netherlands, as well as reports of the iPad launching throughout Scandinavia tomorrow.
Dutch site One More Thing reports [Google translation] that Apple is preparing to open its first retail store in...
ITC Agrees to Investigate Apple's Patent Claims Against Motorola
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) yesterday announced that it has agreed to investigate Apple's claims of patent infringement lodged against Motorola late last month, indicating that a preliminary examination of the case has yielded sufficient cause for the agency to pursue a closer look. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain ...
'SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad' Now Available in App Store
Earlier this year, we reported that Sling Media was "hard at work" on an iPad version of its SlingPlayer Mobile application, which offers iOS device compatibility with the company's service designed to "sling" television content from a set-top box connected to a user's television to computers and mobile devices.
Sling Media today announced that SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad [App Store, $29.99] ...
U.S. Regulators Investigating Research Analysts Over 'Channel Checks'
Research analysts have gained significant attention over the years for their predictions of Apple's production plans, with "channel checks" frequently being cited as the basis for their assessments. These checks involve receiving information, often secondhand, from representatives of Apple's manufacturing partners.
The Wall Street Journal reports, however, that the U.S. Securities and...
The Beatles on iTunes: Two Million Songs, 450,000 Albums Sold
Billboard briefly notes that Apple's iTunes Store has been seeing booming sales of content from The Beatles since its introduction last week. The initial Beatles sales figures from Apple are in: More than 450,000 albums and 2 million individual songs were sold on iTunes worldwide since the Beatles catalog was made available Tuesday (Nov. 16), according to Apple. According to the report, "Abbey...
Apple Poaching Enterprise Sales Staff From Research in Motion
As evidence of Apple's strong push into the enterprise market for the iPhone, The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that the company has hired at least five key members of Research in Motion's enterprise sales staff over the last year and a half. In the past 18 months, at least five members of RIM's enterprise-sales team have left the company to join Apple. This includes Geoff...
Apple Reportedly Targeting Mid-December for iOS 4.3 Release
Earlier today, we noted increasing rumors regarding Apple and News Corp working together to launch a tablet-focused news product, with John Gruber weighing in to suggest that Apple is tentatively planning for a December 9th media event to introduce the new offering. Gruber noted that Apple's key role in the product's development has been the creation of APIs to support recurring subscription...
Civilization V for Mac Now Available
Aspyr Media today announced that Civilization V is now available for Mac OS X. Introduced for Windows back in September, Aspyr announced last month that the Mac version would be appearing in time for the holidays. Sid Meier's Civilization V Mac reinvigorates the classic turn-based strategy genre with an astonishing new engine built from the ground-up for this flagship edition of the...
Foxconn Ramping Up iPad Production at New Chengdu Factory
DigiTimes reports that Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn has opened up its first iPad production lines at its new plants in Chengdu, China. While the new lines are only capable of producing 300,000 units per month, Foxconn plans to expand it capabilities in Chengdu to 50 production lines capable of manufacturing 40 million iPads per year. Foxconn had previously refuted claims that the...
