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
Behind the Scenes of the Apple-AT&T Relationship [Updated]
ZDNet reports on a new feature article in the August 2010 issue of Wired discussing the relationship between Apple and AT&T and how the success of the iPhone has enabled the partnership to continue despite each company's faults. While the full article is not yet available online, ZDNet's summary provides some interesting details. Apple and AT&T fell in love and quickly got hitched. Then after...
Read Full Article • 124 comments
White iPhone 4 Delays Due to Glass Painting Issues?
Engadget summarizes reports in the Chinese-language media claiming that the delays experienced by the white iPhone 4 are due to issues with the paint application process for the device's glass front and back panels. In particular, the company behind the production process, Lens Technology, is working out kinks in its screen printing process to achieve proper paint thickness and color...
Apple Q3 2010 Financial Results Set for July 20th
Apple today issued a media alert announcing details for tomorrow's release of its financial results for the third fiscal quarter and second calendar quarter of 2010. The results will be released after the close of tomorrow's trading at approximately 4:30 PM Eastern / 1:30 PM Pacific. Apple's conference call discussing the results will follow at 2:00 PM Pacific and will be available via a live...
Next Round of International iPad Launches Set for July 23rd
Apple today announced that the next round of international iPad launches will take place this Friday, July 23rd. All iPad models will be available at launch, with pricing information available through Apple's country-specific sites and stores. Apple today announced that iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore this...
'The iPhone Antenna Song' Writer Profiled
Hours before Apple's iPhone 4 press conference, we pointed to a YouTube video of "The iPhone Antenna Song", a humorous two-minute song written by Jonathan Mann, who has been writing and performing a new song every day for the past year and a half.
Mann's effort received new prominence when Apple opened the press conference by playing the clip, with Steve Jobs noting, "We saw that on YouTube...
A Look Inside Apple's Wireless Testing Facilities
Earlier today, Apple posted a video of today's press conference addressing antenna issues with the iPhone 4, also adding to its website a section dedicated to antenna design and testing as highlighted during the press conference.
While the new section of Apple's site provides an interesting glimpse into the company's $100 million investment in antenna design and testing labs, Apple went one...
Consumer Reports Still Not Recommending iPhone 4
Consumer Reports, the prominent ratings and reviews magazine, is still declining to recommend the iPhone 4 following Apple's offer of free cases for all iPhone 4 customers through September 30th. Consumer Reports believes Apple's offer of free cases is a good first step. However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30th,...
Verizon Cell Towers on Apple's Campus Likely Mean Little
Screenshot from Macworld's coverage quoting Jobs on Verizon cell site
Multiple sites have noted that during today's iPhone 4 press conference, Apple CEO Steve Jobs mentioned that the company has cell towers for both AT&T and Verizon on its campus, unsurprisingly sparking speculation that the existence of a Verizon cell site supports hopes of future support for the carrier on Apple's portable...
Authorities Withdraw Search Warrant in Gizmodo iPhone 4 Case [Updated]
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports that the San Mateo County District Attorney's office has been granted a withdrawal of its controversial search warrant used to seize items from the home of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen in the wake of the site's purchase of and publication of details on an iPhone 4 prototype lost in a bar earlier this year. As EFF repeatedly noted at the time, the...
Apple Posts Video of iPhone 4 Press Conference, Antenna Information Pages
Apple has posted video of the iPhone 4 press conference held today at its campus in Cupertino, California. The company has also posted several new pages on its website dedicated to explaining the antenna issue and showing off the company's antenna design and testing facilities.
The press conference offered a presentation from Apple CEO Steve Jobs outlining the company's belief that antenna...
Other iPhone 4 Press Conference Notes: Over 3 Million Sold, White Models Coming, International Releases July 30th
While the big news out of Apple's iPhone 4 press conference was the announcement of free cases for customers and a positioning of antenna issues as affecting nearly all smartphones, there was additional news from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, including acknowledgment of proximity sensor issues with a fix promised for the next iOS software update. Jobs also made several other announcements which may be...
Apple to Offer Free Cases for iPhone 4 Customers
At its iPhone 4 press conference today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the results of the company's investigation into complaints of signal problems on the new device. According to Jobs, the issue is being experienced by a very small proportion of customers but that the company wants every customer to be satisfied.
To that end, Jobs outlined three steps the company has taken:
- iOS 4.0.1 ...
Coverage of Apple's iPhone 4 Press Conference
Backstage at Apple Town Hall (via mrvideobba)
Apple today is holding its iPhone 4 press conference where it is expected to address issues with the device's cellular signal reception.
The event is scheduled to kick off at Apple's Cupertino headquarters at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time, or just about one hour from now. Apple will not be providing live video or audio coverage of ...
Foxconn: Apple Not Subsidizing Recent Wage Increases
In late May, word surfaced that Apple would be providing subsidies to workers at its Taiwanese manufacturing partner Foxconn. The subsidies were reported to be in the range of 1-2% of profits from the Apple products being produced and were part of a larger effort to address low morale and increasing public scrutiny over employee suicides at the company's mammoth manufacturing complex in...
'Firefox Home' Hits the App Store
Mozilla's Firefox Home [App Store] has hit the App Store, allowing users to sync their Firefox history, bookmarks, and open tabs from their desktop to their iOS device, where they can be accessed through a WebKit-powered web viewer. Get up and go and have everything waiting for you on your iPhone: Your Firefox history, bookmarks and open tabs, just as you had left them on your desktop computer. ...
iPhone 4 Signal Issue Can Be Fixed With a Software Update?
Despite the fact that today's release of iOS 4.0.1 addressed only the display of signal strength on the iPhone and not actual signal attenuation issues caused by touching the antenna in the side of the iPhone 4, a software fix may yet still be possible.
According to The New York Times, the signal attenuation issue is the result of an interaction between communication software within the...
Apple's Signal Strength Display Changes in iOS 4.0.1 and 4.1 Detailed
Late last month, Anandtech detailed the signal strength drop-off experienced by iPhone 4 users when bridging the antenna gap at the lower left corner of the device, mapping how the "bars" of signal strength shown on the device correspond to actual signal levels and how holding the phone in various positions affected that signal under iOS 4.0.
Anandtech has now followed up with a test on...
Apple Reportedly Placed Bid to Buy Palm, Was Outbid by HP
Silicon Alley Insider reports that it has spoken with a source close to the negotiations that ultimately resulted in HP acquiring Palm earlier this year. According to the source, Apple was very interested in acquiring Palm, primarily for its intellectual property, but was outbid by HP.
Even more interestingly, the source claims that Apple was interested in keeping Palm's business intact,...
Apple Addresses iPhone Signal Strength Display With iOS 4.0.1 and iPad Wi-Fi Connectivity With iOS 3.2.1
As predicted earlier today, Apple has released iOS 4.0.1 (8A306) for the iPhone 4, 3GS, and 3G. According to the release notes, the update addresses changes to the signal strength indicators as promised by Apple earlier this month. - Improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to displayEarly reports on the signal strength indicator changes included in the iOS 4.1 beta...
Analyst Claims Design Fix for iPhone 4 Signal Issue Being Deployed
TheStreet reports on new research from Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar claiming that Apple has developed an internal insulator to isolate the iPhone 4's antenna connection that has been causing signal reception issues. Apple has created "a design fix for the iPhone 4 that more adequately insulates the transceiver," said Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar, who spoke to the company's...
