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
Survey Claims Fewer Dropped Calls for iPhone 4 Than iPhone 3GS
Research firm ChangeWave today released the results of a recent survey assessing customer satisfaction with the new iPhone 4. While the report reveals strong satisfaction with the device, users are somewhat less impressed with the new device than they were with the iPhone 3GS at its launch last year. The emerging pattern is that while the iPhone 4 has been very well received by new owners, the...
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Next-Generation iOS Device Rumors: New iPods Soon, Smaller iPad and iPhone 5 in Early 2011?
iLounge has put together a summary of recent information it has received regarding Apple's plans for the next generation of its iOS devices. Among the claims are a set of revised iPod devices possibly including a touch screen iPod shuffle, a new 7" iPad set for launch early next year at the latest, and a fifth-generation iPhone release scheduled for as soon as January.
- iPod: Apple...
Vonage Launches iPhone App for Free Calls to Facebook Friends
Vonage and Facebook today launched a new calling program that allows users to call their Facebook friends for free. In order to participate in the program, users must have either the new Vonage Mobile for Facebook application for iOS or Android installed.
Once the app is downloaded, users can sign in with their Facebook account and see a list of their Facebook friends they can call for...
Apple Investigating iOS Vulnerability Allowing Web-Based Jailbreak
Over the weekend, a new Web-based jailbreak became available for iOS devices, offering users a simple method to open their devices to installation of unauthorized third-party applications.
At the time, we noted potential security implications of the method, which involves a security hole in how the mobile Safari browser included on all iOS devices handles embedded fonts. Exploiting the hole...
Apple Releases iOS 4.1 Beta 3 and Updated SDK to Developers
Just one week after the last developer build was seeded to developers, Apple has pushed out iOS 4.1 Beta 3 for testing. Apple has also released an updated software development kit (SDK) to provide developers with tools for building for the new beta version.
The release is a bit of a surprise, as Apple has typically stuck to a biweekly release cycle for its iOS developer builds....
Research in Motion Launches 'Torch' Smartphone and BlackBerry 6 OS
With much fanfare, Research in Motion (RIM) today announced the launch of its BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone, running the company's new BlackBerry 6 operating system. The launches are a key milestone in RIM's effort to reverse sagging interest in the pioneering smartphone platform in the face of continued strong growth in iOS and the surging Android platform.
The BlackBerry Torch 9800...
Apple's Flexible Engineering Teams Said to Operate Like a Startup
In an interesting blog post, Posterous co-founder and former Apple engineer Sachin Agarwal describes how Apple runs its engineering divisions "like a huge startup", with engineers frequently being moved from project to project based on whatever is the highest priority at the moment. As an example of the effect of Apple's lean staffing policies, Agarwal points to the company's stagnated Remote...
Apple Receives Approval to Sell iPhone 4 in South Korea
Bloomberg reports that Apple has finally received approval from government regulators in South Korea to begin selling the iPhone 4. According to a spokesman for Apple's carrier partner KT, the company plans to launch the device in that country sometime in September. The regulator said it granted a certification after reviewing documents submitted by Apple, including the results of tests...
Apple Releases Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.3
Apple yesterday released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.3, bringing support for the RAW image format to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '09 with the following cameras: - Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
- Olympus E-PL1
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10
- Samsung NX10
- Sony Alpha DSLR-A390
- Sony Alpha NEX-3
- Sony Alpha NEX-5The update weighs in at 5.68 MB and requires Mac OS X...
Apple Scaling Back Near-Term Plans for Cloud-Based iTunes?
CNET reports that Apple may be scaling back its initial plans for cloud-based iTunes offerings as it continues to struggle to reach agreements with record labels to allow users to stream their iTunes content from Apple's servers to a variety of Internet-connected devices. Apple has been thought to be placing a priority on developing the service since its acquisition of streaming music firm Lala...
iPad Drives Apple to Third Place Among Global Portable Computer Manufacturers
Fortune reports on a new research report from Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore, which shows that if the iPad were to be categorized as a portable computer along with netbooks and notebooks, Apple would have held the third highest share of global portable computer sales for the second quarter of this year behind HP and Lenovo.
Apple's jump was driven by strong growth in its existing...
Android Outpaces iPhone in Share of New U.S. Smartphone Customers for First Half of 2010
Nielsen today released data on smartphone usage in the U.S., revealing that Google's Android platform has outpaced the iPhone among new smartphone customers for the first half of 2010. The news comes as a marked reversal from the second half of 2009, when the iPhone topped Android 34% to 6% market share among new smartphone customers. While the iPhone has been the headline grabber over the last ...
Apple and Amazon Targeted in Probe of eBook Pricing Deals
The Attorney General for the State of Connecticut has launched an investigation into the eBook market, targeting Apple and Amazon for deals they are striking with publishers to ensure favorable pricing. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal argues that the deals prevent other marketplaces from offering even lower prices, hampering competition. Both Amazon and Apple have reached agreements with...
FaceTime Over 3G Comes to Jailbroken iPhone 4s
Hot on the heels of this weekend's release of the JailbreakMe Web-based jailbreak tool for iOS devices, users with jailbroken iPhone 4s can now think about installing My3G from Intelliborn, which was just updated to enable FaceTime video calling over 3G connections.
My3G essentially tricks a user's phone into thinking it is on Wi-Fi instead of 3G, allowing users to access a number of features...
Safari-Based Jailbreak Available for iOS Devices, Including iPhone 4 and iPad
JailbreakMe, a new web-based jailbreak has been released, offering users of Apple's iOS devices, including iPhone 4 and iPad, a simple tool to open up their devices for installation of non-Apple-approved applications, customizations, and file access. Users need only visit the JailbreakMe.com site with their iOS devices and activate the "Slide to Jailbreak" switch to open up their devices....
Microsoft to Release Office for Mac 2011 in Late October
Microsoft today announced launch details for Office for Mac 2011, revealing that the latest version of the company's flagship productivity suite will be released in over 100 countries in late October. The suite will come in two editions to purchase at retail -- Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 and Office for Mac Home and Business 2011. For better alignment across platforms, the Office 2011...
Apple Removes Competitor Antenna Performance Comparisons From Site
Apple has revamped the antenna performance page on its website, removing references to and videos of the performance of competitors' smartphones in comparison to the iPhone 4. Apple launched the page after its iPhone 4 press conference to demonstrate how a number of other handsets, including ones from Research in Motion, HTC, and Samsung, as well as the iPhone 3GS, see signal attenuation when...
News Corp Considering Dedicated News Product for Tablets
CNBC reports that News Corp, the Rupert Murdoch-led media conglomerate behind such outlets as The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and The New York Post, is considering launching a new news unit dedicated to content for tablet devices such as the iPad. Sources close to the company tell me that the company is considering creating a new purely digital news play that would be designed for the app...
Apple to Open Covent Garden Retail Store in London on August 7th
Apple has officially announced the grand opening of its new retail store in the Covent Garden district of London, with the store set to open to the public on Saturday, August 7th at 10:00 AM. The store appears to be Apple's largest by total square footage, and will inhabit a restored historic building in the district's popular shopping area.
The London Evening Standard reports that the...
Apple Releases Server Admin Tools 10.6.4
Apple yesterday released Server Admin Tools 10.6.4, updating its suite of applications for remote administration of Snow Leopard Server systems. The Server Admin Tools update is recommended for remote administration of Snow Leopard Server. This update includes the latest releases of:
- iCal Server Utility
- Podcast Composer
- Server Admin
- Server Monitor
- Server Preferences
- System...
