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's iPad Touch Panel Supply Woes Continue, Shifts Production From TPK to Wintek
DigiTimes reports that TPK Touch Solutions, one of Apple's suppliers for touch panels in its new iPad, has been experiencing delayed shipments. As a result, Apple has shifted orders to its other touch panel supplier, Wintek. Taiwan-based TPK Touch Solutions has seen Apple shift orders for iPad-use projected capacitive touch panels to fellow maker Wintek because of TPK's delayed shipments,...
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Best Buy Preps for April 3rd iPad Launch
Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has reportedly begun preparations for the launch of Apple's Wi-Fi iPad models on April 3rd, providing its retail store employees with details of events leading up to the launch. Sources report that the iPad will initially be carried only at Best Buy locations offering devoted "store-within-a-store" Apple Shop sections. Approximately 675 of the company's...
Apple Begins Issuing Preauthorization Credit Holds for iPad Pre-Orders
A number of MacRumors readers have reported that Apple has placed preauthorization holds on their credit card accounts for iPad pre-orders placed earlier this month. The holds represent a check to ensure that sufficient credit is available for the pending transactions as Apple prepares to begin shipping out iPad orders.
Interestingly, customers are seeing preauthorization holds placed on...
Apple Releases Aperture 3.0.2 and iMovie 8.0.6
Apple today released a pair of software updates, offering improvements for Aperture users while also updating iMovie to improve its ability to use video from Aperture.
- Aperture 3.0.2 weighs in at 69.83 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or 10.6.2. It offers a significant number of improvements throughout the application. This update improves overall stability and fixes issues in a number of...
'iTunes Preview' Listings Suggest Apple is Already Approving iPad Applications
PadGadget has discovered that several new App Store titles apparently representing iPad-specific applications have appeared in Apple's web-based iTunes Preview listings. The new titles are frequently versions of existing App Store titles but carrying "XL" or "HD" designations, presumably to designate them as for the iPad, which offers a significantly higher resolution display than the iPhone...
iBookstore to Include 30,000 Free eBooks From Project Gutenberg?
Following up on yesterday's report regarding $9.99 price points for most best sellers in Apple's iBookstore, App Advice now reports that it has observed a significant number of free titles from Project Gutenberg included directly in the store. If you're not familiar with the Gutenberg Project, it's a free online digital library supported by volunteers. This library already includes over 30,000...
Apple Patent Application Addresses Use of Ambient Light Sources for Notebook Backlighting
A rather strange patent application published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via Patently Apple) reveals that Apple has looked into the possibility of using reflecting "light harnesses" as a means to gather ambient light for backlighting purposes in notebook computers. In particular, the patent application proposes harnessing sunlight while the user is outdoors on a bright day...
Advertisers Gearing Up for iPad Editions of Magazines While Content Pricing Firms Up
The Wall Street Journal reports that advertisers are gearing up for next week's launch of the iPad in the U.S. by committing to spots in iPad-formatted content from magazines and newspapers. At the same time, pricing for the magazines and some newspapers are being firmed up. Time magazine has signed up Unilever, Toyota Motor, Fidelity Investments and at least three others for marketing agreements ...
Wall Street Journal Profiles Apple's Board of Directors
The Wall Street Journal publishes a profile (subscription required) of Apple's Board of Directors, focusing on the lack of independent executives on the board in the wake of Jerry York's death last week. The report notes that Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds a remarkable amount of sway over both the company operations in general and specifically the Board of Directors that is supposed to help guide...
Mac OS X 10.6.3 Build 10D573 Seeded to Developers
Apple is continuing its rapid-fire seeding of Mac OS X 10.6.3 builds today, pushing out Build 10D573 to developers. The new build is only a single increment over the previous build issued last Thursday. World of Apple details the seed notes, which reveal that Apple has asked developers to continue focusing on GraphicsDrivers, Images & Photos, Mail, QuickTime, and Security Certificates for...
Apple Releases Canon Printer Drivers 2.3 for Snow Leopard
Apple today released Canon Printer Drivers 2.3 for Mac OS X v10.6, an updated package of drivers for users of Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Canon printers and multifunction devices.
The update weighs in at 281.16 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.6.1 or later. Full details of driver support for various Canon devices are available in Apple's associated support document.
Update: While Apple's download ...
Apple Releases Pro Applications Update 2010-01
Apple today released Pro Applications Update 2010-01, a package of updates for users of the company's Final Cut Studio professional-level video and audio editing suite. Pro Applications Update 2010-01 is a revision to Final Cut Studio (2009).
This update includes Final Cut Pro 7.0.2, Motion 4.0.2, Color 1.5.2, Compressor 3.5.2, and Cinema Tools 4.5.1.
The software improves overall stability...
AT&T Set to Roll Out Nationwide 3G MicroCell Availability Beginning Next Month
AT&T today announced that next month it will begin a nationwide rollout of its 3G MicroCell service that allows users to route their cellular phone calls around the house onto their broadband Internet connection as a solution for spotty cellular coverage. Supporting both voice and data services, the 3G MicroCell device carries a price tag of $149.99, although AT&T is offering rebates to users...
Microsoft Releases Messenger for Mac 8 Beta
Microsoft today announced the launch of a beta version of Messenger for Mac 8, bringing support for audio and video calls with Windows Live contacts. Have you have ever wanted to do an audio call or a video call from your Mac with a contact on the Windows Live network? Starting today you can! Using your Live ID, Messenger for Mac users can now make AV calls to each other. Messenger for Mac 8 is...
Adobe Demonstrates Content-Aware Fill in Future Version of Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop project manager John Nack yesterday pointed to a new demo video posted by a member of his team showing off an impressive new feature in Photoshop known as "content-aware fill". The feature utilizes complex mathematical algorithms to analyze digital images and assist users in filling in areas of complex scenes where undesired content has been removed.
The video shows a number...
Apple Set to Match Amazon's $9.99 Price Point for eBook Best Sellers?
App Advice reports that earlier this week it had an opportunity to view Apple's forthcoming iBookstore and saw that the vast majority of titles from The New York Times' best sellers list currently appear priced at the same $9.99 price point favored by Amazon's Kindle Store. Anyway, at the moment, out of the 32 eBooks featured in the New York Time's Bestsellers section, 27, including the entire...
Random House Holding Out From iBookstore Amid Fears of Price Wars
Financial Times reports that Random House, the world's largest book publisher, has yet to sign on to Apple's iBookstore and may not do so before the iPad's April 3rd launch as it weighs fears that Apple's agency model for eBook pricing will result in a price war, eroding publisher profits. Markus Dohle, Random House chief executive, did not exclude the possibility of reaching a deal before the...
Marco Arment Previews Instapaper Pro for iPad, Discusses Development Quandary Ahead of Device's Launch
Developer Marco Arment yesterday announced that his popular Instapaper service for saving Web content for later reading will be coming to the iPad, hopefully in time for the device's launch on April 3rd. The service, which currently offers a pair of iPhone/iPod touch applications including the limited Instapaper Free and the more powerful Instapaper Pro ($4.99), downloads text-only versions of ...
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Set to Launch April 12th
Adobe today announced that it will hold a launch event for Creative Suite 5 (CS5) on Monday, April 12th at 8:00 AM Pacific Time. While the company has yet to release many specific details on CS5 or disclose what will be covered during the launch event, users are invited to register for a video broadcast to be covered by Adobe TV.
Adobe has shared relatively little about its plans for CS5,...
Harvard University Launches iTunes U Content
Harvard University today announced (via The Loop) that it has joined Apple's iTunes U program, offering educational content via the iTunes Store. The university has established a launch page at itunes.harvard.edu that offers users access to Harvard's iTunes U content via iTunes 9. The University's content features the sights and sounds of Harvard, including educational material such as...
