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
Speculation That Apple's Rovi Deal Could Signal Shift Into Live TV and DVR
Earlier today, we reported that Apple and Rovi have signed a "multi-year agreement" for Apple to license certain portions of Rovi's intellectual property portfolio. While the regulatory filing revealing the deal offered no insight into which of Rovi's several areas of operation Apple is lining up to utilize, one analyst believes that Apple may be targeting Rovi's interactive television program ...
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VLC for iPad Rolling Out to App Stores Around the World, iPhone Version Under Development
Earlier this month, we noted that an iPad version of the popular VLC media player had been created and submitted to Apple for inclusion in the App Store. Early previews of the application suggested that the application would be a solid and versatile offering despite a few limitations.
The application's developers, Applidium, now report that VLC Media Player for iPad has been accepted and...
Google Docs Editing on iPad Coming Soon, Google Earth for iOS Updated
As part of a blog post discussing its "Google Atmosphere" conference on cloud computing and some new milestones relating to businesses moving to its Google Apps platform, Google reveals that it is preparing to roll out support for Google Docs editing on the iPad and on Android. . . .today we demonstrated new mobile editing capabilities for Google Docs on the Android platform and the iPad. In the ...
Apple to License Unspecified Intellectual Property From Rovi
In a filing made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today, Rovi announced that has reached a "multi-year agreement" with Apple for access to Rovi's intellectual property. Rovi Corporation (the "Company") announced today that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Apple Inc. whereby Apple shall license intellectual property from the Company. The specific terms of the license ...
Apple Reportedly Purchases Face Recognition Company Polar Rose [Updated]
According to a report [Google translation] from Mac1, Apple has acquired Swedish face recognition firm Polar Rose. The information appears to have been confirmed by Swedish news service Rapidus and sources for IDG News Service. Company CEO Carl Silbersky would today not comment on the affair.
"I do not know what this is about," he says, and would otherwise not give any comments.
The same...
More on Apple's Plans for a 'Digital Newsstand' for Newspaper Content
Earlier this week, we reported on claims that Apple is preparing to launch support for digital newspaper subscriptions on the iPad, preparing to move beyond the very limited options currently available such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Bloomberg today offers additional details on Apple's plans, which are said to involve launching a "digital newsstand" for newspapers...
ABC Rolls Out iPad App for Interacting With 'My Generation' TV Episodes
Earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter profiled a new iPad application called ABC's My Generation Sync that relies on technology from Nielsen to offer viewers an interactive experience while they watch episodes of the network's forthcoming show, My Generation. Users who download the app can multi-task between the TV experience and the iPad, which will display polls, trivia and other content...
Analyst Suggests 'Tablet Cannibalization' Responsible for Shrinking U.S. Notebook Retail Sales
Close on the heels of claims from Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn regarding the iPad cannibalizing sales of notebooks at the electronics retail chain by "as much as 50%", Fortune reports on a new research note from Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty offering visual evidence that notebook retail sales growth in the U.S. has not only slowed but reversed in August and early September. Huberty argues that...
Warner Bros. Opted Out of iTunes TV Show Rentals Over Pricing, Impact on Full-Season Sales
A brief report from the Associated Press cites comments from Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer revealing that the company's refusal to join Apple's new 99-cent TV show rental program is based on pricing concerns and fears that individual show rentals will hurt sales of full-season packages. Chief Executive Barry Meyer says Warner Bros. didn't participate in Apple Inc.'s plan to offer TV show rentals...
Apple, Google, and Others in Negotiations With Regulators Over Anti-Poaching Agreements
The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Department of Justice is in "advanced" talks with Apple, Google, and several other large tech companies looking to reach a settlement over an investigation of anti-poaching agreements made with each other. Several of the U.S.'s largest technology companies are in advanced talks with the Justice Department to avoid a court battle over whether they...
AT&T Looking To Launch LTE (4G) Network by Mid-2011
FierceWireless reports that U.S. iPhone carrier partner AT&T is on track to deploy its "4G" LTE cellular network by mid-2011, with plans to cover 70-75 million people by the end of 2011. The carrier has also stressed that it is investing in significant upgrades to its 3G network to support interim service improvements and as fallback for customers who will not receive 4G coverage until later...
App Store Developers See Long-Stalled Submissions Approved in Wake of Guideline Changes
One week ago, Apple announced changes to its App Store rules regarding app development using third-party tools, also moving to provide an open look at the guidelines for the app review process. Together the moves appear to have significantly lifted the veil of secrecy over the App Store review process and offered a broader array of developers the opportunity to access the iOS platform.
Bryan ...
Best Buy CEO Claims iPad Cannibalizing Notebook Sales By 'As Much As 50%' [Updated]
In an article in The Wall Street Journal earlier this week on the prevalence of gadgets over traditional computers and TVs for the upcoming holiday shopping season, Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn is quoted as saying that his company is seeing the iPad cannibalizing sales of traditional notebook PCs by "as much as 50%". Best Buy said smartphone sales continued to rise compared with a year ago, as did...
'iProd2,1' Confirmed to Be New Apple TV, Not Next-Generation iPad
TUAW reports that configuration files within the new iOS 4.2 beta reveal that Apple's "iProd2,1" device that had been spotted in earlier iOS versions and presumed to be the next-generation iPad is actually the company's forthcoming Apple TV revision. We've received a tip from an iPhone developer who was looking through the USB device configuration list in the new iOS 4.2 beta. Our source found...
Microsoft Reportedly Working on iPad Apps
As noted yesterday by TiPb, plugged-in Microsoft follower Paul Thurrott tweeted a claim that the company is working on applications for Apple's iPad. Shhh.... It's true: Microsoft is working on iPad apps.While Microsoft has released several applications for the smaller screen of the iPhone and iPod touch (Bing, Windows Live Messenger, Seadragon Mobile, Tag Reader), it has yet to offer any...
Adobe Releases Beta of 64-Bit Flash Player for Mac OS X
Adobe yesterday announced the release of a beta preview version of Flash Player for Mac, Windows, and Linux offering 64-bit support. The new release, codenamed "Square", has been found to be fully functional as far as content compatibility and stable enough for broad testing so far, but Adobe of course encourages feedback on performance. The community has been very vocal around the need for...
Yahoo CEO Claims Apple's Demand for Control Will Be iAd's Downfall
Reuters publishes an interview with Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz touching on a number of different topics, briefly including the burgeoning mobile advertising market and Apple's role in it through its iAd program. In Bartz's view, Apple's demands for total control over the program will ultimately be its downfall, as advertisers eventually rebel against the non-traditional framework in favor of the...
Hints Increasingly Point to Impending Launch of Apple's 27" LED Cinema Display
In late July, Apple announced a new 27" LED Cinema Display, set for launch in the "September" timeframe to replace the existing 24" LED Cinema Display and 30" Cinema Display, which are seeing remaining stock being depleted before being officially discontinued. With September now half over, customers have been anxious for an update on the possible release of the new 27" display, and signs are...
Apple Releases Pro Applications Update 2010-02
Apple today released Pro Applications Update 2010-02, a package of updates for users of the company's Final Cut Studio professional-level video and audio editing suite. Pro Application Update 2010-02 adds compatibility for new camera formats, improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues.
This update is recommend for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, and ...
Apple Releases QuickTime 7.6.8 for Windows
Apple today released QuickTime 7.6.8 for Windows, addressing a pair of security issues related to ActiveX control and QuickTime Picture Viewer. QuickTime 7.6.8 improves security and is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users on Windows.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.The update weighs in at MB and requires...
