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 Highlights 'iPad-Ready' Web Content
As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, Apple has just posted a new page highlighting websites that it considers "iPad-ready" due to their embracing of non-Flash web standards that make them compatible with the forthcoming device. iPad features Safari, a mobile web browser that supports the latest web standards - including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Here are just a few of the sites that take advantage of these...
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Apple Releases New iPhone Ad: 'Commute'
Apple yesterday released a new iPhone commercial entitled 'Commute' and has posted it to the company's iPhone ad gallery. Like other recent ads, 'Commute' features three App Store applications in the context of a situational narrative, showing how one might use the iPhone during his or her daily commute .
- MassTransit ($3.99)
- Here, File File! ($9.99)
- WSJ - The Wall Street Journal...
CBS and ABC Prepping Free Ad-Supported Video for iPad While Hulu Considers Subscription Option
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that both ABC and CBS are preparing to deploy free, ad-supported streaming of their television content to the iPad, with CBS planning to utilize browser-based streaming while ABC will deliver its content through a standalone application that has already appeared in the App Store. By Saturday, CBS plans to have full episodes of the reality...
International Trade Commission Votes to Investigate Apple's Patent Complaint Against HTC
As reported by Bloomberg, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) yesterday announced that it has agreed to investigate Apple's complaint against handset manufacturer HTC regarding alleged patent infringement. The complaint, filed one month ago, has been seen as an attack on Google's Android operating system, and while Google is not included in the complaint, it has said that it will stand ...
Apple Releases AirPort and Time Capsule Firmware and Utility Updates
Apple today released a series of updates for its AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule wireless base stations, addressing wireless performance issues in its latest models and offering several other bug fixes.
- Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme Base Station Firmware Update 7.5.1 brings fixes for a pair of issues on Apple's latest AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule base stations released last October. Th...
Kleiner Perkins Doubles iFund to $200 Million, Focuses on iPad
Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) today announced that it is doubling the size of its "iFund" supporting iPhone OS-related companies to $200 million. The original iFund was launched in March 2008, and KPCB notes that the initial $100 million has been fully committed to 14 companies that have also attracted an additional $330 million in funding. KPCB also announced...
Apple's Streaming Music Service Reportedly Unlikely to Launch Before Third Quarter of This Year
CNET continues its coverage of Apple's plans to move iTunes into the cloud with a new report claiming that Apple is unlikely to have its planned music streaming service ready for launch until at least the third quarter of this year. Music industry sources told CNET this week Apple has informed label managers that a streaming music service is unlikely to be ready before the third quarter.
It...
iPhone OS 4.0 to Bring Expose-like Multitasking?
AppleInsider offers some details on multitasking in iPhone OS 4.0, which would allow users greater ability to run multiple apps at a time and easily switch between them. According to the report, multitasking on iPhone OS 4.0 will utilize an interface similar to the Expos function found in Mac OS X. Those familiar with the design of iPhone 4.0 said that the user interface will resemble Apple's...
iPad to Launch in Canada (and Other Countries) on April 24th?
iPad in Canada reports that it has received information from a source claiming that Apple retail store employees in Canada have been told that the weekend of April 24th is a "black out period", meaning that employees are not permitted to schedule time off during this window. If true, it seems very likely that this might coincide with the launch of the iPad there, as Apple has announced a "late ...
Apple and AT&T Have Reportedly Worked Closely on 3G Network Performance Issues
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) on AT&T's recent efforts to beef up its cellular network in the face of criticism from customers over performance. As part of the report, the Journal notes that Apple and AT&T have worked closely on addressing the issues, with Apple even going so far as to tweak how the iPhone connects to the network in order to reduce load. Apple rejiggered ...
Apple Updates MobileMe Control Panel for Windows, iPhone Configuration Utility, and iPod VoiceOver Kit
As part of its slew of software updates yesterday, Apple released updated versions of its MobileMe Control Panel for Windows and iPhone Configuration Utility, as well as a new VoiceOver kit for the latest iPod shuffle and iPod nano models.
- MobileMe Control Panel for Windows updates the application to version 1.5.1 and is a required update for existing users to ensure compatibility with iTunes...
Apple Updates 'MobileMe Gallery' for iPhone
Apple yesterday issued a minor update to its MobileMe Gallery application for the iPhone and iPod touch, offering improvements for adding friends' galleries. The update offers a more convenient way to add your friends' galleries so that you can view their photos as easily as your own. From the Galleries screen, tap Add a Friend and then Choose Contacts (the number in parentheses indicates how...
Apple Releases QuickTime 7.6.6 for Leopard and Windows
Apple today released versions of QuickTime 7.6.6, addressing a number of reliability and security issues, for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows users. For Snow Leopard users, the update appears to have been folded into yesterday's Mac OS X 10.6.3 update. According to the release notes, the update QuickTime 7.6.6 update includes iMovie-related reliability enhancements for Leopard and H.264 playback...
Apple Addresses Import and Syncing Issues With iPhoto 8.1.2
Apple today released iPhoto 8.1.2, addressing several minor issues related to import and syncing to mobile devices and Apple TV. This update addresses minor issues in the area of import and syncing to iPhone, iPod or Apple TV.
The update is recommended for all users of iPhoto 09.The update weighs in at 13.30 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.5.6 or...
Apple Releases iTunes 9.1 to Support iPad
Apple today released iTunes 9.1 via Software Update and the company's iTunes download page. As disclosed by MacRumors yesterday, the update brings several enhancements such as support for iPad syncing including eBook content and greater customizability of Genius Mixes. iTunes 9.1 comes with several new features and improvements, including:
- Sync with iPad to enjoy your favorite music,...
Apple's Product Launch Security Profiled Ahead of iPad Debut
Reuters takes a look at the security surrounding Apple product launches, using iPhone introductions as an example of what Apple retail staff can expect for the iPad's U.S. debut this Saturday. Apple, which is known for its secrecy, will almost certainly be keeping its employees in the dark about the iPad up until the last minute, even for those employees who are expected to fix them. "We...
Google Chrome Set to Gain Integrated Flash Player Plug-In
Google today announced the release of new developer builds of its Google Chrome browser that incorporate an integrated Flash Player plug-in, eliminating the need for users to separately install and update the plug-in required for much of the interactive Web content available today. As detailed on the blog of the related Chromium project, Chrome/Chromium developers are working with Adobe and...
App Store Now Available Through Facebook
Mashable yesterday noted that Apple has rolled out revamped App Store pages in Facebook offering full browsing and search access for the store. In the Featured tab on the App Store's Facebook page, you can see top apps and view the sales charts for paid and free apps across different categories. This is the same information that you would get from iTunes or from the App Store application on your ...
Mapquest Offers Free Basic Turn-by-Turn GPS for iPhone
MapQuest yesterday announced the launch of a major update to its MapQuest 4 Mobile GPS application for the iPhone, bringing basic turn-by-turn voice guidance and off-route assistance to the free application. We're pleased to announce that basic Voice Guidance is now available on our MapQuest 4 Mobile iPhone app. This is an exciting feature that really differentiates us from most other free...
Sling Media 'Hard at Work' on SlingPlayer for iPad
Zatz Not Funny! reports that Sling Media has plans to launch higher-resolution television streaming services for the iPad, although the company has acknowledged that it will not be prepared to roll out the new application and streaming services in time for the device's launch later this week. According to Sling Media: When it makes a noticeable difference in quality, we will definitely provide...
