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
iTunes U Reaches 250 Million Downloads
The Loop reports that Apple's iTunes U channel for distributing educational content via the iTunes Store has surpassed 250 million downloads since its inception. Everyone knows about the success of the iTunes Store and the amount of of music, video and apps that are downloaded, but there is a lesser known part of iTunes that is equally successful in its market.
Apple told me on Tuesday that...
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AppleCare Training Document on iPhone 4 Signal Issues Revealed
Boy Genius Report claims to have received a copy of Apple's internal training documentation for assisting its AppleCare staff with handling customer complaints regarding iPhone 4 signal issues.
The document instructs AppleCare representatives to work with the customer to diagnose the problem, but that issues appearing when the iPhone 4 is held at the lower left corner or the iPhone 3GS is...
Verizon iPhone to Launch in January 2011?
Bloomberg briefly reports that multiple sources are claiming that the iPhone will launch on Verizon in January of next year, marking the end of AT&T's exclusivity for the device in the United States. Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will start selling Apple Inc.'s iPhone next year, ending AT&T Inc.'s exclusive hold on the smartphone in the U.S., two people familiar with the ...
'Hulu Plus' Unveiled With Support for iOS Devices: $9.99 Per Month [Updated]
Hulu today introduced its Hulu Plus premium subscription plan for television content, set to offer customers willing to pay $9.99 per month the ability to access an extensive array of both current television shows and older library content. Hulu Plus, offering content in 720p HD, is also set to move beyond the company's existing computer-centric platform to include Apple's full line of iOS...
Screenshots of Pages for iPhone and iPod Touch? [Updated]
Yesterday, we pointed to mention of "iWork for iPhone" in several of Apple's international online stores, marking the second time that Apple's own site has suggested that a scaled-down version of its iWork for iPad productivity suite might be making its way to the iPhone and iPod touch.
In a pair of posts today, 9 to 5 Mac shares a number of purported shots of Pages running on an iPod...
Apple Looking at More Corporate Acquisitions, Prepping Move Into Television?
Silicon Alley Insider's Dan Frommer reports that after a spate of corporate acquisitions late last year and earlier this year bringing such firms as Quattro Wireless, Lala Media, Intrinsity, and Siri on board, Apple may not yet be done shopping around for companies to acquire. In fact, Apple may be looking at somewhat larger deals than those undertaken in recent months, expanding deal values out ...
Law Firm Gearing Up for iPhone 4 Suit Over Signal Issues
Valleywag reports that Sacramento, California law firm Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff (KCR) has begun soliciting iPhone 4 customers for their experiences with signal loss when holding the device in a specific manner. KCR is currently investigating potential problems with the release of iPhone 4.
If you recently purchased the new iPhone and have experienced poor reception quality, dropped calls...
Apple's Site Again Hints at iWork for iPhone
Earlier this month, a screenshot highlighting the iPhone's ability with iOS 4 to open attachments in external applications hinted at the possibility of a release of an iPhone version of Apple's iWork productivity suite. The screenshot was quickly replaced with one mentioning iBooks instead of Keynote, although many continued to wonder whether it was a marketing mistake or a product development...
Amazon Adds Embedded Audio and Video to iOS Kindle Apps
Amazon today announced the launch of embedded audio and video clips for its Kindle eBook application for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced a new update to Kindle for iPad and Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch, which allows readers to enjoy the benefits of embedded video and audio clips in Kindle books. The first books to take advantage of this new ...
AT&T Announces Completion of 3G Enhancement Project in New York City
AT&T today announced the completion of a project to enhance performance of its much-maligned 3G network in Manhattan and other areas of New York City. As a result of this upgrade, customers in these areas are expected to experience improved 3G wireless voice and data connectivity and performance, especially during peak hours.
The network enhancement includes the addition of new layers of...
16 GB iPhone 4 Component Costs Estimated at $187.51
BusinessWeek reports on new teardown research from iSuppli estimating component costs for the entry-level 16 GB iPhone 4 at $187.51, up slightly from the $178.96 figure for the 16 GB iPhone 3GS at its launch last year. "Over the years, the iPhone has generally tended to hover in the $170-to -$180 cost range because Apple seems to be trying to hit some kind of budget," Kevin Keller, who helped...
Apple Announces iPhone 4 Sales of 1.7 Million, Most Successful Product Launch Ever
Apple today announced sales of over 1.7 million iPhone 4s through Saturday, covering just the first three days of sales. Apple today announced that it has sold over 1.7 million of its iPhone 4 through Saturday, June 26, just three days after its launch on June 24. The new iPhone 4 features FaceTime, which makes video calling as easy as one tap, and Apple's new Retina display, the highest...
iPhone 4's Camera Capabilities Evaluated
At the iPhone 4's introduction at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple made significant mention of the device's capabilities, noting that while the device carries only 5 megapixels in comparison to the 8-megapixel cameras that are becoming standard on the latest smartphones, the new iPhone offers a great deal beyond simple pixel count that contributes to superior performance.
With...
Will iPhone 4 Blend?
Blendtec has pulled out all the stops in its latest installment of "Will It Blend?", offering a complete backstory leading up to the inevitable blending of Apple's new iPhone 4. You can probably guess the result.
Earlier installments:
- Will the iPhone Blend?
- Will it Blend? iPhone 3G Edition
- Apple's iPad: Will It Blend?...
Apple Rolls Out Dedicated FaceTime Support and Testing
One of the key features of iPhone 4 is FaceTime, Apple's new video calling feature. Unfortunately, the feature is currently limited to iPhone 4-to-iPhone 4 calls, making it difficult for some people to try out the new feature if they don't know any other users with the device.
Apple has addressed the issue with a new FaceTime support and testing hotline at 1-888-FACETIME, mentioned in an...
Apple Considering Rebranding Mac OS X Under New 'iOS' Umbrella?
Hardmac reports that it has heard that Apple is considering rebranding Mac OS X under the new "iOS" name recently rolled out as a replacement for "iPhone OS". The change would serve as a means for uniting Apple's operating systems under a single naming scheme with multiple flavors. They are currently thinking of using iOS as the default naming/branding of Apple OS. We would then have iOS desktop,...
Steve Jobs on Future Wireless iPhone Syncing, Replacement of 'Hold' Button With FaceTime
With the release of iPhone 4, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has fired up his email account again and is responding to a number of customer emails. First it was his description of the signal strength concerns as a non issue. And in another pair of publicized responses, Jobs has briefly addressed both future wireless syncing of iOS devices and the replacement of the iPhone's on-screen "hold" button...
Federal Lawmakers Questioning Steve Jobs Regarding Location Data Collection
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported on an update to Apple's privacy policy which indicates that Apple may collect "precise," "real-time geographic location" data for users of its products and share that data with unspecified "partners and licensees" in order to improve services and advertising.
The policy has apparently caught the attention of federal lawmakers, as The Washington ...
iPhone 4 Signal Strength Indicator Issue Alleviated by Use of Bumper or Case
Quite a few users have reported experiencing an issue with cellular signals appearing to degrade when holding the lower left portion of their iPhone 4s. While not all users have been able to reproduce the problem, it does seem to be fairly widespread, and can be easily visualized as users watch their bars indicating signal strength drop all the way down over a period of a few seconds while the...
iPhone 4 Screen Blotching Resolves Itself as Bonding Agent Dries? [Updated]
Yesterday, we reported that a number of iPhone 4 users have noticed yellowish or brownish splotches on their device's screens, obviously causing a fair amount of concern for some of those users.
According to a forum post at AppleInsider, however, the issue should resolve itself over the next several days, as it is claimed to be caused by a bonding agent in the screen that has not yet fully...
