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 Releases Epson and Lexmark Printer Driver Updates
Apple today released a pair of Snow Leopard printer driver updates, bringing additional compatibility for printers and multifunction devices from Epson and Lexmark.
- Epson Printer Drivers v2.2 for Mac OS X v10.6.1 (546 MB)
- Lexmark Printer Drivers v2.2 for Mac OS X v10.6 (121 MB)
A full list of Snow Leopard printer drivers and compatibility is available on Apple's support...
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Chrome Drops Safari Into Fourth Place Among Browsers
Computerworld reports on data from research firm Net Applications showing that Google's Chrome browser has slipped past Apple's Safari to snag third place in worldwide Internet browser market share behind Internet Explorer and Firefox. The surge comes on the heels of the official release of beta versions of Chrome for both Mac and Linux. According to Net Applications, which tracks the browser...
Autodesk Brings Smoke to Mac for High-End Video Post-Production
Autodesk today announced that it is set to begin shipping Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X, a brand-new version of the company's high-end video post-production software. The release marks the first of Autodesk's pro finishing tools to be developed as a native OS X application. "The business of post-production is evolving. Post-production and broadcast facilities alike are seeking more affordable,...
Apple Wins Assortment of Advertising Awards in Adweek's 'Best of the 2000s'
AdweekMedia today announced the winners of its "Best of the 2000s" advertising awards, and Apple figured prominently in the selections. Apple took home top honors in a number of categories, including Steve Jobs for "Marketer of the Decade", Apple for "Brand of the Decade", Apple's 'Get a Mac' ads as "Campaign of the Decade", and the iPod as "Product of the Decade".
- Marketer of the Decade ...
Tesco Launches iPhone in UK Today
UK supermarket and retail chain Tesco, which announced late last month that it would begin offering the iPhone through its existing cooperative venture with existing iPhone carrier O2. Today marked the first day of sale for the iPhone via Tesco, offering pricing plans beginning as low as 20 per month, albeit with hefty handset prices at that level.
Tesco's 20 plan includes 60 of calls and...
'TomTom U.S. & Canada' Price Temporarily Cut to $69.99
On Friday, we noted that TomTom U.S.A., a new U.S.-only GPS navigation iPhone application had appeared with a promotional price of $49.99 through December 28th. The introduction was notable because it was priced a full 50% lower than the original TomTom U.S. & Canada application while lacking only Canadian navigation information.
Canadian shoppers and cross-border U.S. travelers looking to...
Apple Set to Sell 10 Million iPhones This Quarter?
A DigiTimes report about growth in smartphone growth for Taiwanese component suppliers is gaining a fair amount of notice this morning for its citation of a market research firm's claims that Apple is set to sell 10 million iPhones this quarter, well ahead of the record 7.4 million units moved last quarter and above most analysts' estimates, which have been falling into the 8-9+ million range. Taiw...
27" iMac Shipping Times Slip to Two Weeks Amid Screen Flickering Complaints
Digital Daily reports on apparent widespread screen flickering problems on Apple's 27" iMac models, coinciding with a slip in shipping times to two weeks for orders placed through Apple's online store. The screen flickering complaints come in addition to earlier reports of machines appearing dead on arrivals or with cracked screens right out of the box. As I write this, there are 82 pages of...
Claimed Tablet Video Sparks Questionable Speculation of Apple Tablet
French site Nowhereelse.fr has published [Google translation] what appears at first glance to be a video of a tablet computer being used to browse a touch-enabled version of an IKEA catalog. The sleek profile and iPhone-like status bar at the top of the screen have led to speculation that the device might be Apple's much-rumored tablet device.
The video demonstrates a feature similar to Cover ...
TomTom Introduces U.S.-Only GPS iPhone Application for $49.99
TomTom today launched TomTom U.S.A. [App Store], a new U.S.-only GPS navigation application for the iPhone carrying an introductory price of $49.99 through December 28th.
The introductory price marks a 50% savings over the current regular price of the original TomTom U.S. & Canada [App Store, $99.99] while retaining coverage of 99.9% of all U.S. states (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Puerto...
Apple Looking to Acquire iCall?
Silicon Alley Insider reports that it has received an unconfirmed tip claiming that Apple is in talks to purchase Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider iCall. One reader just sent us a message that Apple is in talks to acquire VoIP company iCall in a $50 million to $60 million deal.As expected, iCall CEO Arlo Gilbert refused to comment on the rumors, and Apple has not offered a statement on ...
Apple Patent Application Reveals Moldable Charging Dock for Media Devices
In addition to yesterday's published patent applications from Apple describing tamper-resistant labels and accelerometer-based menu navigation, Patently Apple noticed a third interesting patent, this one covering a universal charging station with a moldable elastic surface surrounding the actual connector, capable of conforming to and supporting devices with varying form factors.
The patent...
Apple Files Countersuit Against Nokia [Updated]
In a brief press release, Apple today announced that it has filed a countersuit against Nokia for infringement of 13 Apple-held patents. While the specific patents have not been identified, they presumably relate to wireless communications. "Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours," said Bruce Sewell, Apple's General Counsel and senior...
Apple Makes New Language Localization Options Available to App Store Developers
Apple today announced that it has rolled out support for six new languages and their corresponding localized App Stores for developers using iTunes Connect to submit their iPhone applications. With over 50 million users of iPhone and iPod touch in 81 countries around the world, it's more important than ever to make your app available in a user's language of choice. You can, and should, create...
Apple Patent Applications: Tamper-Resistant Labels for Hardware, Accelerometer-Based Menu Navigation
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published over 20 newly-released patent applications from Apple, and AppleInsider highlights two of the more interesting ones covering tamper-resistant labels for detecting unauthorized opening of devices and accelerometer-based navigation of menus on Apple's handheld devices.
The first patent application, entitled "Tamper resistant label for...
IMDb Comes to the iPhone
TUAW noted yesterday that the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), a popular source for information on movies and TV, has released a dedicated iPhone application [App Store, Free]. The application allows access to IMDb's full offerings, boasting information on over 1.5 million movies and TV shows and over 3.2 million celebrities. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is the largest collection of...
'Google Mobile App' Updated With Redesigned Results, Integrated Browser Functionality
Google yesterday announced an update to its Google Mobile App [App Store, Free], which has proven popular due to its voice-enabled search capabilities.
Among the changes in the new update are a redesigned search results display and the inclusion of an integrated browser to allow direct loading of Web pages from the search results. In this version, we have a redesigned search results display...
Fallout From LCD Price Fixing Scandal Continues as Chi Mei Agrees to $220 Million Fine
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Taiwanese LCD manufacturer Chi Mei Optoelectronics has agreed to pay a $220 million fine to address criminal charges stemming from extensive price fixing in the LCD industry from 2001 through 2006 that affected a number of companies, including Apple. Chi Mei becomes the sixth company to plead guilty in the conspiracy over the past year. ...
Foxconn Reportedly Receives Contract to Manufacture Next-Generation iPhone
Engadget reports on a Twitter post from Eldar Murtazin, editor-in-chief of Russian mobile phone blog Mobile-Review, claiming that Apple's long-time partner Foxconn has received the manufacturing contract for the next-generation iPhone. Foxconn received order for next generation iphoneMobile-Review reportedly has a very strong track record in the mobile phone rumor community, but has rarely turned...
Chrome for Mac Beta Nearly Matches Safari in JavaScript Benchmarking
SunSpider JavaScript Benchmarks of Mac Browsers
(Shorter bars represent faster performance)
One of the touted features of Google's Chrome browser, which finally saw the release of an official beta version for Mac yesterday, has been its speed in loading and rendering pages. In investigating that aspect of its performance, Computerworld has found that, while Chrome performs extremely well in...
