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
Gartner: U.S. Mac Sales Market Share Nearing 10%
Research firms Gartner and IDC yesterday both released preliminary reports detailing U.S. and worldwide PC shipments for the second quarter of 2010, with both firms showing sales growth of Apple's Mac product outpacing that of the industry as a whole.
Apple's U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-2Q10 (Gartner)
According to Gartner's report, Apple placed fourth among U.S. computer shipments with a...
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Apple Antenna Engineer and Carrier Partner Expressed Early Concern Over iPhone 4 Design
Bloomberg reports that Apple senior engineer and antenna expert Ruben Caballero expressed his concerns to CEO Steve Jobs early in the iPhone 4's design process over the device's antenna design. Apple Inc.'s senior antenna expert voiced concern to Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs in the early design phase of the iPhone 4 that the antenna design could lead to dropped calls, a person familiar...
FaceTime for iPad and iPod Touch to Be Linked to Email Addresses?
Boy Genius Report claims to have received information from the new iOS 4.1 beta partially revealing how FaceTime might work with future front camera-enabled iPad and iPod touch devices. While those devices have been presumed to gain FaceTime functionality in future hardware revisions as Apple seeks to expand the network of people able to participate in video calls using its standard, the...
Apple Releases First Beta of iOS 4.1 and iPhone SDK 4.1
Apple today released the first beta version of iOS 4.1 and the associated software development kit (SDK) to developers. There is no word yet on changes included in the updates.
Many users have been waiting for a promised iOS software update to address signal strength display issues on the iPhone 4, but it is likely that Apple is planning to push out a smaller update specifically addressing...
Microsoft Executive on Apple: 'iPhone 4 Might Be Their Vista'
Computerworld reports that Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner today compared Apple's iPhone to his company's much-maligned Vista operating system, suggesting that Apple might be headed for a similar experience to that of Microsoft in terms of customer response and criticism. "It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I'm okay with that," said Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief...
iPad and iPhone in the Spotlight on Jimmy Fallon and at Oxegen 2010
Apple's iOS devices are beginning to make their usefulness as musical instruments known, with a number of musicians adopting them for use on stage in increasingly prominent roles.
Last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, English New Wave band Squeeze performed one of its early UK hits, "Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)", with keyboardist Stephen Large sharing time between his Roland VK-8...
Consumer Anticipation for iPhone 4 Dampening Enthusiasm for BlackBerry Devices
ChangeWave Research today released a new study based on a survey of 4,000 professionals and early-adopter consumers showing considerable enthusiasm for the iPhone 4 ahead of its launch, much of it coming at the expense of Research in Motion's BlackBerry line.
Survey data collected in the 10 days leading up to the iPhone 4's launched showed that 52% of surveyed customers planning to purchase a...
Survey Finds Strong Consumer Interest in Cloud-Based iTunes Model
Market research firm NPD today announced the results of a recent survey of iTunes Store customers regarding their interest in a free or paid streaming service that would allow them to access content on a variety of devices. According to the survey, about 15% of the 50 million U.S. iTunes Store customers would be interested in a paid model, with that number nearly doubling if the service were to...
Apple Prepping Genius Bar Changes: Focus on Shorter Wait Times, Multitasking, Overnight Repairs
MacRumors has learned that Apple is preparing an overhaul of the functionality of its Genius Bar, with the company positioning the changes as a "giant leap forward" for the Family Room concept that has come to embrace both the Genius Bar itself and roving specialists able to help customers with their mobile device support needs at locations throughout Apple's retail stores.
According to...
Apple Acquires Web Mapping Firm Poly9
MacDailyNews points to a report [Google translation] from French language newspaper Le Soleil in Quebec City, Canada claiming that Apple has acquired Web mapping firm Poly9. In recent years, especially, Poly9 has given birth to programming interfaces (APIs) for several large clients such as Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, MSNBC and NORAD. Poly9 based in part on the base maps of Google Earth, Google Maps, ...
AdMob Chief Reports Apple Has Not Yet Enforced New Analytics Policies
AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui (right) speaks with CNBC's Jon Fortt at MobileBeat 2010 (Credit: CNET)
With the official introduction of iOS 4 at last month's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple modified its developer terms to again allow limited collection of analytics data for advertising purposes, but apparently left open the possibility of shutting out high-profile competitors such as Google's...
Apple Preparing to Launch 'Safari Extensions Gallery'
Apple today sent out an email to registered developers reminding them to submit their Safari 5 extensions for consideration for inclusion in the company's "Safari Extensions Gallery". We'll soon be launching the Safari Extensions Gallery, a new destination that provides you with an opportunity to increase the visibility of your Safari extension beyond your website.
The Safari Extensions...
Macworld 2011 Registration Opens, Free Expo Passes Through July 26th
Macworld yesterday noted that IDG World Expo has officially opened registration for Macworld Expo 2011, scheduled for January 26th through 29th in San Francisco. Free expo-only passes are available through July 26th, with pre-sale prices going up to $25 after that time. Onsite expo-only passes will be available at the conference for $50.
Packages and pricing for conference sessions at...
PR Experts Suggest iPhone 4 Recall 'Inevitable' as Antenna Issue Snowballs
Cult of Mac spoke with several public relations experts who suggest that a recall of Apple's iPhone 4 is "inevitable" given growing criticism over the device's antenna issues that is spilling over from blog communities into the mainstream media. The PR crisis grew substantially yesterday when the widely-read Consumer Reports review and recommendation magazine failed to recommend the iPhone 4...
5.6-Inch and 7-Inch OLED iPad Models Coming in Q4 2010?
DigiTimes today reports on rumors that Apple is looking to launch its second-generation iPad as soon as the fourth quarter of this year, adding OLED-based 5.6-inch and 7-inch models to its existing 9.7-inch LED display model. The sources noted that Apple has recently placed new iPad orders to Taiwan-based component makers for the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011 with 9.7-inch,...
Lawsuit Over AT&T's iPhone Exclusivity Gains Class Action Status
Late last week, Wired reported that a lawsuit filed against Apple and AT&T over the carrier's exclusivity arrangement for the iPhone has received class action status, meaning that it now automatically covers every iPhone customer in the United States. In an interview Friday with Wired.com, Mark Rifkin, lead counsel representing the plaintiffs of the suit, highlighted that the terms of AT&T's...
AT&T Trialling Free 3G MicroCell Offers
Engadget reported over the weekend that some of AT&T's "most valuable customers" have been receiving offers for free 3G MicroCell devices, which recently went nationwide after being tested in limited geographic areas. The 3G MicroCell taps into a user's home broadband Internet connection, routing voice and data over the customer's own connection to provide enhanced coverage in areas with weak...
Consumer Reports 'Can't Recommend' iPhone 4 Due to Signal Issues
Earlier this month, popular product review and comparison group Consumer Reports noted that it felt that signal issues with the iPhone 4 were not significant enough for users to forgo buying the device, citing overall improvement in signal strength and the fact that many phones experience the same issue. There's no reason, at least yet, to forgo buying an iPhone 4 over its reception concerns. And...
Fring and Skype Spar After Fring Introduces Video Calling for iPhone 4 [Updated]
Last week, fring rolled out its updated App Store application, bringing a number of new features, including support for two-way video calling over 3G and Wi-Fi for iPhone 4 users.
A number of users noted that soon after the update was released, Skype became unavailable on the multi-protocol chat and communication application. After initial indications that Skype support had been temporarily ...
Apple Offers Repair Program for 2008 Time Capsule Power Issues
As noted by Hardmac, Apple on Friday issued a support document outlining a repair/replacement program for users experiencing power problems with Time Capsules manufactured between February and June 2008. Affected Time Capsule models
Some Time Capsules with serial numbers in the following range may be affected:
XX807XXXXXX - XX814XXXXXX
How to find the serial number on your Time Capsule....
