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 Media Event Scheduled for September 1st
Image from Apple's September 1st media event invitation
Engadget reports that Apple has issued media invitations for a special event to be held on Wednesday, September 1st in San Francisco. The event is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM Pacific Time and be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the traditional location for Apple's fall media events.
Apple is expected to introduce...
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Liquidmetal's Manufacturing Process Promises Rapid, Low-Cost Fabrication
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Apple had acquired the rights to use technology owned by Liquidmetal that would allow the company to build its products out of metal alloys carrying high strength and corrosion-resistance that can also be easily cast into any number of forms.
Cult of Mac, which reported last week that the iPhone 3G's SIM card removal tool was made out of the technology...
Apple With Modest Expectations for 'iTV' and TV Show Rentals?
Bloomberg Businessweek's Peter Burrows writes a follow-up to his earlier report disclosing Apple's plans to announced 99-cent TV show rentals alongside a revamped Apple TV and updated iPod touch at a September 7th media event. The new piece focuses on Apple's ambitions with the video rental service, which Burrows notes is not expected to be a game-changer in the same sense that the iPod and...
Apple Hiring New Telesales Staff to Support 'Very Big New Product'?
MacDailyNews reports that it has received information from multiple sources indicating that Apple is in the midst of hiring new telesales staff in preparation for the October launch of a new product described as "huge" and "significant". These sources also tell us that Apple will begin an intensive four-week training course for these new hires starting next week. The training is said to be in...
PayPal Charges Result in Renewed Publicity Surrounding iTunes Account Phishing Attacks
A report in the San Jose Mercury News yesterday and a follow-up post by TechCrunch this morning are again bringing publicity to users who have experienced unauthorized charges via their iTunes Store accounts. According to the reports, the majority of complaints are coming from PayPal users who have linked their payment accounts to their iTunes Store accounts. At least one group of scammers has...
AT&T and 'The Switch' Join the iAd Rotation
Last week, we reported that, despite strong results for early adopters of Apple's iAd mobile advertising platform, roll-out of the ads has been slow due to Apple's tight control over the entire ad development process. At the time we noted that more high-profile ads were scheduled to be coming in the near future.
Silicon Alley Insider provides a walkthrough of two new iAds that have just gone...
Google Adds Gmail and Calendar Push Notifications to iPhone App
Google today announced an update to its Google Mobile App for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, bringing push notifications for Gmail and Google Calendar. Ever missed an appointment or important email because you were away from your desk? Now Google Mobile App can help with push notifications from your Google account to your iPhone -- an icon badge shows you've got new mail in Gmail, and Google ...
Apple Discloses Methods for Transitioning Between Mouse-Based and Touch Interfaces
Patently Apple reports on an Apple patent application published earlier this year that discloses how Apple might choose to implement systems for transitioning a single Mac computer between mouse-driven input for Mac OS X and touch-based input for iOS.
The method utilizes sensors such as a rotation hinge located in a stand for an iMac-like computer or accelerometer-based orientation sensors...
Apple Patent Application on Detecting 'Unauthorized' iOS Device Usage Causes Controversy
An Apple patent application published for the first time last week has been generating some discussion and controversy over exactly what the company intends to or could do with methods to identify "unauthorized" users of iOS devices.
The patent application describes how certain activities performed on a device such as an iPhone could be indicative of "suspicious behavior" that could reveal...
Mac Government and Enterprise Sales Leap in 2Q 2010
Fortune reports on a new research note from Needham analyst Charlie Wolf breaking down Apple's Mac sales by market segment for the second calendar quarter of 2010 and comparing that performance to the PC industry's as a whole. While Wolf found strong across-the-board growth for Apple, the company saw its strongest performance in government and business sales, where it far outpaced overall...
Apple's iTV Set for September Launch With iAd-Supported Channels, iPad as Remote?
In a blog post over the weekend, Digg co-founder Kevin Rose noted that he is hearing rumors that Apple's revamped Apple TV hardware, reportedly set to be rebranded as "iTV", will launch as early as next month. The hardware refresh, initially reported in late May and again addressed earlier this month, is said to be based on Apple's iOS and carry a $99 price tag. From what I hear we should expect...
Flash Player Performance on Droid 2 Found to Be Hit-or-Miss at Best
LAPTOP has been evaluating the performance of Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 on a number of different mobile devices, specifically focusing on how the multimedia player handles various content sources on the new Droid 2. With Apple CEO Steve Jobs' open letter published in late April claiming that Adobe had yet to deliver a Flash Player running well on a mobile platform, there has been considerable...
Another Next-Generation iPod Touch LCD and Front Panel Assembly Surfaces
Leaks of claimed next-generation iPod touch parts continue to surface, further bolstering speculation that Apple is preparing to launch new models with front-facing cameras to allow for FaceTime video calling. The latest leak comes via M.I.C. gadget, which reveals another LCD/front panel assembly on sale for approximately $95 at a Chinese e-commerce site. The part clearly shows a front-sided...
Jobs: Software Update to Address iOS 4 Performance Issues on iPhone 3G 'Coming Soon'
A new email from Apple CEO Steve Jobs appears to confirm that the company will soon be issuing a software update to address issues with the iPhone 3G's performance under iOS 4. Late last month, the company acknowledged that it was "looking into" user reports of the issues.
The new email came in response to feedback sent by a customer who expressed frustration over the performance of his...
Model Identifiers for Next-Generation iOS Devices Again Appear in iOS 4.1
AppleInsider is reporting today that Apple's iOS 4.1 beta contains references to several unreleased iOS devices, including "iPod4,1", "iProd2,1", and a curious "unknownHardware" entry. Apple is internally testing the first material update to its iOS 4.0 mobile operating system against a handful of new devices, including next-generation iPod touches, an iPad revision, and an "unknown" product,...
Apple Seeds Mac OS X 10.6.5 Build 10H529 to Developers
Just six days after Apple seeded the first build of Mac OS X 10.6.5 to developers, it has followed up with a second one termed Build 10H529. As noted by iPhoneinCanada.ca, the new build resolves the two documented known issues from the previous build and lists no new ones.
The build's documentation also makes a slight adjustment to the list of focus areas on which developers are asked to...
Apple Opens Door to Free iPad Content for Print Magazine Subscribers
Fortune reports that Apple and Time Inc. have come to an agreement to allow the publisher to offer subscribers to its print magazines free access to content through their corresponding iPad applications. The agreement, which is marked by the debut of PEOPLE Magazine under the new structure, sees subscribers to the print edition receiving free access while non-subscribers can purchase...
Apple Winding Down Quattro Wireless Operations in Favor of iAds
MacDailyNews reports that Apple has reached out to users of its Quattro Wireless ad platform, notifying them that it has stopped taking new campaign submissions and will be winding down operation of the service by the end of September in favor of Apple's new iAd platform. The message comes from Andy Miller, former CEO of Quattro and currently Apple's vice president for the iAd program. We believe ...
Apple Tweaks Online Store With 'Compare Macs' Feature, Collapsible Configuration Sections
During a period of overnight downtime last night, Apple appears to have made several tweaks to the functionality of its online store.
The Loop points out a new "Compare Macs" feature offering users the ability to compare specs among up to three selected Mac models. The new option is available through either a direct link or as an option in the Mac product line menu bar after selecting a...
Facebook Launches 'Places' Location Check-Ins [Updated]
Facebook yesterday announced the launch of its new Places geolocation feature that allows users to "check-in" and tell others where they are at any given time. Ever gone to a show, only to find out afterward that your friends were there too? With Places, you can discover moments when you and your friends are at the same place at the same time.
You have the option to share your location by...
