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 Updates iTunes Store Terms to Allow Opt-Out of iAd Data Collection
Users looking to update their App Store applications for today's iOS 4 release have been greeted with a screen informing them of changes to the iTunes Store and conditions. While users are required to accept the changes before continuing, the summary of changes simply indicates that the company has made "material" changes to its privacy agreement.
iLounge dug into the changes and discovered...
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Apple Sending Out Reminder Emails for Customers With iPhone 4 Reservations
Just as iOS 4 went live a short time ago, Apple sent out emails to U.S. customers who placed iPhone 4 reservations for in-store pickup on Thursday when the device launches.
The email includes a confirmation of the day and time, as well as the location where the reservation has been made. Those with reservations are also reminded to bring a photo ID, their Social Security number, and a debit ...
Apple Releases iOS 4 With Multitasking, iBooks, and More
As expected, Apple today released iOS 4, the company's next-generation operating system for the iPhone and iPod touch. A number of readers are reporting that the update has just gone live, although availability appears to still be rolling out across all users. Those looking for the update can connect their devices to iTunes and click the "Checking for Update" button.
iOS 4 brings over 100 ...
'Pandora Radio' Ready for iOS 4 With Multitasking Support
With the launch of Apple's iOS 4 expected possibly within the hour if past releases are any indication, Pandora has just snuck in under the wire with an update to the company's Pandora Radio [App Store] application. The popular service offering free, personalized music streams was one of the App Store's earliest success stories, and has been a favorite of Apple executives for their...
Google Deploys Full-Screen Compose Window for iPad-Formatted Gmail
Just as the iPad launched in early April, Google debuted an iPad-formatted version of its browser-based Gmail, using its HTML5-based mobile platform to create a two-column format similar to that used for Apple's Mail application on the device. At the time, the company noted that it was continuing to test features and interface designs, and a new change today offers proof of that continued...
iAd Placeholders Begin to Go Live in Apps [Updated]
iLounge notes that the first applications supporting Apple's forthcoming iAd mobile advertising platform are beginning to go live in the App Store, despite the fact that the service doesn't officially launch until July 1st. Consequently, the apps simply display either an empty banner or test messages indicating proper integration with the service. Avantar, developer of mobile search...
'Windows Live Messenger' Drops Into the App Store
Microsoft has released Windows Live Messenger for the iPhone and iPod touch, bringing an integrated environment for accessing the company' social services. The free application also offers users integrated access to their Hotmail accounts with the ability to read, reply, and compose directly in the application. Chat:
Instant message with your Windows Live Messenger and Y! Messenger contacts...
AT&T Confirming Shipment of iPhone 4 Pre-Orders
Those customers lucky enough to successfully place iPhone 4 pre-orders through AT&T before the company's servers imploded last week might be interested to know that the carrier has begun confirming shipment to customers via FedEx. The carrier's activity comes after customers who pre-ordered through Apple began seeing movement yesterday.
Many customers' order statuses are showing their items ...
Apple Confirms FaceTime Video Calling Will Not Use Cellular Minutes
Silicon Alley Insider reports that Apple's FaceTime video calling feature coming on iPhone 4 will not tap into customers' allotments of cellular minutes. Although the feature operates only over Wi-Fi for the time being, a FaceTime session can be initiated from within a phone call, leaving some observers wondering whether the phone connection would be maintained in the background as a fallback in ...
Navigon Demonstrates GPS Navigation Multitasking in iOS 4
GPS navigation firm Navigon, which offers a wide range of turn-by-turn navigation applications for the iPhone, has posted a new video showing how its applications can take advantage of the multitasking capabilities of Apple's forthcoming iOS 4.
In the video, Navigon's Bernd Hahn demonstrates how a user can quickly switch to Safari to look up information and easily return to their navigation...
New Mac Mini Supports SDXC Specification for Memory Cards Up to 2 TB
Gizmodo notes that the SD card slot on Apple's new Mac mini released last week appears to support SDXC cards, offering users the ability to mount cards based on the newest SD specification designed for capacities out to 2 TB while also maintaining backwards compatibility with SDHC and standard SD cards. While SDXC cards are only just coming out, typically pushing capacities only out to 64 GB,...
O2 Limiting iPhone 4 Orders to Existing Customers in UK as Rumored Display Shortages Cramp Supplies
Apple's tight supplies and high demand for iPhone 4 aren't limited to the United States, as UK carrier O2 has announced that its initial launch quantities of the device will be limited to existing wireless or broadband customers who have been with the company since at least May 24th, 2010. iPhone stock will be extremely limited in the UK at launch and not everybody who wants one will be able to...
Apple Quietly Updates Antimalware Protection in Mac OS X 10.6.4
With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard last August, Apple rolled out a rudimentary antimalware feature which allows the operating system to detect specific malware threats in downloads and warn users accordingly. Far from offering true antivirus functionality, however, the feature requires that Apple manually update a property list file in OS X if it wishes to add entries to its watch list.
...
iPad Shipments Estimated at 1.2 Million Per Month as Samsung Tapped for Additional Displays
A brief new report from DigiTimes estimates Apple's current iPad shipments at 1.2 million per month, up from 700,000 at launch and set to increase to as much as 2.5 million per month by the end of the year. If true, the data confirms very strong sales performance for Apple's tablet device that could see the company exceeding even the most robust analyst estimates.
As iPad production continues ...
iPhone 4 Surfaces in Czech Republic With Back Camera Photo and Video Samples
Czech site Jablčkř.cz reveals [Google translation] yet another iPhone 4, backed up by multiple pictures of the device laying on top of a newspaper from this past weekend.
While other leaks and of course Apple's own presentation and marketing materials have shown us the next-generation iPhone in a fair amount of detail, this new report claims to offer a sample of photos and a brief video...
Apple to Launch MobileMe Enhancements: Push Web-Based Mail, Universal 'Find My iPhone' iOS Application, and More
Apple has noted on its MobileMe support page and the me.com login page that access to MobileMe Web applications will be down from 10:00 PM to midnight Pacific Time this evening for "scheduled maintenance", with normal service expected to return once the site comes back up at the end of this window.
MacRumors has received information indicating that the downtime will see the rolling out of...
Apple Posts WWDC 2010 Session Videos
Apple today posted the session videos from its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) held last week. The turnaround time on the video release marks a substantial improvement from last year, when it took five weeks for the videos to be posted.
Even more importantly, this year's videos appear to be free to all Registered Apple Developers. Last year's package was free only for conference...
Motorola 'Droid X' to Challenge iPhone 4's Retina Display? [Updated]
Verizon Wireless has posted a teaser for Motorola's forthcoming "Droid X" smartphone. Notably, the teaser claims that the device will feature a 4.3-inch display with a "720P Screen". The claim would appear to suggest that the Droid X's display might carry a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.
One of Apple's claimed breakthrough features for iPhone 4 is its "Retina display" running at 960 x...
Adobe: Mac OS X 10.6.4 Carries Outdated Flash Player
Computerworld reports on a tweet from Adobe's Brad Arkin noting that Apple's Mac OS X 10.6.4 that shipped earlier this week comes with an outdated version of Flash Player and reminding users to upgrade to the latest version.
Adobe released its new Flash Player 10.1 just five days before Apple pushed Mac OS X 10.6.4 to the public, and, as is frequently the case, Apple chose not to include the...
CBS Testing iPad-Friendly HTML5 Video Delivery Methods
CBS is continuing to move forward with its plans to deliver streaming video of its television content in an iPad-friendly HTML5 format, eliminating the networks existing reliance on Adobe's Flash Player for serving content. In March, we noted that the company appeared to be preparing HTML5 versions of its streaming content, and CBS Interactive Senior Vice President Anthony Soohoo confirmed...
