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
Motorola Files Suit Against Apple for Patent Infringement
Flowchart slightly modified from The Guardian
(Note: Some suits depicted above have already been settled.)
The patent wars in the technology industry are heating up again, with Motorola today announcing that it has filed suit against Apple over alleged infringement of a number of patents by a broad range of Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, "iTouch" (presumably iPod touch), and...
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MacBook Air Supplies Dwindle, Refresh Coming Soon? [Updated]
AppleInsider reports that its daily tracking of Mac availability from a number of third-party resellers is showing signs of dwindling supplies of Apple's MacBook Air, suggesting that a refresh may be approaching in the relatively near future, perhaps as early as next week. According to the report, nearly every retailer has run out of stock of the low-end MacBook Air model, while several...
New iPhone Form Factors Coming Soon?
Electronista reports on a new research note from Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu claiming that Apple is set to launch new iPhone form factors in the relatively near future, offering different screen sizes in at least of pair of models bracketing the current iPhone's market position. Analyst Shaw Wu has stated that supply chain checks indicate signs of new form factor iPhones under development,...
Google Goggles Comes to the iPhone
Google yesterday announced that it has updated its Google Mobile App to include the company's Google Goggles feature that allows users to search by taking pictures. Back in December we introduced Google Goggles on Android: it lets you search by taking pictures. Today, we're excited to announce that Goggles is now a feature of Google Mobile App for iPhone. Google Mobile App already lets you speak ...
Early Apple TV Sales Estimated at 1 Million Per Quarter
Barron's reports on a new research note from JMP Research analyst Alex Gauna, who has used evidence that regular shipments of the new Apple TV to Apple's retail stores around the United States are selling out almost as soon as they arrive to estimate that the device is selling at a rate of at least one million units per quarter. Gauna believes Apple TV is selling at a pace at least one quarter to...
Apple's New iPhone 4 Ad Highlights Retina Display
Apple today released a new television commercial for the iPhone 4, highlighting the device's high-resolution Retina display. This is the highest resolution phone screen ever. So, every freckle, every wrinkle, every letter, every word, every tweet, tune, battle, and memory looks more beautiful than ever before.The new ad, entitled "Every", is also featured in Apple's iPhone 4 TV ad gallery....
New Apple TV's Component Cost Pegged at $64
Businessweek reports on new data from research firm iSuppli estimating the component costs for the new Apple TV at under $64, representing a 35% margin on the new device before accounting for such expenses as research and development, software, patent royalties, marketing, and distribution.
According to the report, the most expensive component in the new Apple TV is the A4 system-on-a-chip...
'Left 4 Dead 2' for Mac Now Available
Following on this weekend's announcement, Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 for Mac is now available through the Steam store. Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative first person zombie shooter.
Through the Steam Play functionality, existing Windows users can download the Mac version for free. New customers can also play on either platform while purchasing only once. Steam also launched their new "The...
iPad Sees Record-Setting Adoption Rate, Poised to Become 4th-Largest Electronics Category
CNBC reports that the iPad has become the most quickly adopted non-phone consumer electronics product in history, topping the DVD player, which shifted only 350,000 units in its first year on the market. Apple sold over 300,000 iPads in its first day, and took just 28 days to reach one million units sold. iPad sold three million units in the first 80 days after its April release and its current...
iPhone 4 Shipping Estimates Improve to 5-7 Business Days in U.S.
In a sign that Apple's supply crunch for the iPhone 4 may be beginning to ease, shipping estimates for both the 16 GB and 32 GB models have improved to 5-7 business days on the company's U.S. online store. Shipping estimates in stores for other countries remain, however, at three weeks.
Analysts had noted as early as mid-August that Apple's ramping of iPhone 4 production should enable the...
Supplier Denies Shipping iMac Touchscreens to Apple
DigiTimes briefly reports that an executive from Sintek Photronics has denied claims from late last week that the company has shipped samples of touchscreen panels to Apple for testing in a touch-capable iMac. Barry Wu, VP and spokesperson of Sintek Photronics has denied reports that the company is sampling projected capacitive touch panels for Apple's iMac.Rumors and an Apple patent application ...
Apple Preps for NC Data Center Launch, Paid $1.7 Million to Couple for 1-Acre Plot
Bloomberg reports that Apple has paid a North Carolina couple $1.7 million for their modest home on one acre of land in a deal to enable the company to build its $1 billion data center in the town of Maiden. According to tax records, the house and property appear to have been assessed at a value of $181,700. Apple Inc. needed land owned by Donnie and Kathy Fulbright for a $1 billion data center ...
New Apple TV Allows App Installation, Needs Launcher
As reported by Gizmodo, developer Steven Troughton-Smith has discovered that iOS applications can in fact be installed on the new Apple TV with only slight modification of the applications required to identify them as Apple TV-compatible.
While the discovery is an important next step in developers' quest to run applications on the device, the applications are not yet usable, as the Apple TV...
Google TV to Launch Later This Month: Apps, Netflix Streaming, AirPlay-Like Video Capabilities
Google today launched an extensive mini-site dedicated to the Google TV, the company's service announced earlier this year designed to integrate TV watching and the Internet. One of our goals with Google TV is to finally open up the living room and enable new innovation from content creators, programmers, developers and advertisers. By bringing Google Chrome and access to the entire Internet,...
Apple Hit With $625 Million Judgment in Patent Suit Over Cover Flow, Spotlight, Time Machine
Bloomberg reports that Apple is challenging a verdict issued in a patent lawsuit last Friday that has seen the company hit with a penalty of as much as $625.5 million for infringing patents with its Cover Flow, Spotlight, and Time Machine technologies. The jury verdict in favor of Mirror Worlds LLC saw Apple hit with a $208.5 million judgment for violation of each of three patents. Apple asked...
iLife '11 Bringing iOS Apps, 64-Bit Codebase?
9 to 5 Mac points to a book listing [Google translation] on Amazon's German site discussing the as-yet-unreleased iLife '11 suite.
The cover artwork and Amazon description for the new book, which is set to launch in December, appear to reveal several features of the next revision of iLife, including the possibility of additional iOS apps beyond the current iMovie offering. In particular, a...
Apple Drops AirPrint Compatibility for Second-Generation iPod Touch
As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, Apple appears to have dropped support for AirPrint in iOS 4.2 on the second-generation iPod touch. When Apple initially announced the feature on September 15th, the second-generation iPod touch was listed as a compatible device for the service, but as soon as two days later the press release had been modified to note support for only the third- and fourth-generation...
Target and Amazon Begin Selling iPad
As previously announced retail store chain Target began selling all six models of Apple's iPad, prominently featuring the device on the front of its weekly advertising circular included in Sunday newspapers around the United States. With 1,743 stores around the United States, Target's new offerings significantly increase the retail store presence for Apple's tablet device.
Not only has...
Microsoft Targets Motorola in Patent Lawsuit Over Android
With Microsoft reportedly set to formally introduce a line of Windows Phone 7-based smartphones just ten days from now, the company has gone on the offensive by filing a lawsuit against Motorola over Android-related patents. Microsoft filed an action today in the International Trade Commission and in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Motorola, Inc. for...
Apple's 'MobileMe Gallery' App Now iPad-Compatible
Apple today updated its MobileMe Gallery application [App Store] for the iOS platform, bringing iPad compatibility as well as full support for the higher-resolution Retina displays found in the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch. The update also brings support for multi-tasking and the ability for iPhone and iPad users who are not MobileMe members to view friends' photo galleries. -...
