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 Retail Stores Continue to Buck Economic Sluggishness
Bloomberg reports on Apple's retail store performance amidst the current economic situation, noting that Apple's retail sales have held up remarkably well as other merchants have seen sales slip. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, increased revenue at its stores by 2.5 percent in the first six months of the year to $3 billion as the rest of the retail industry suffered. During the same period, ...
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Mac Mini Purchaser Receives Snow Leopard Restore Disc? Up-to-Date Orders "Prepared for Shipment"?
The Japanese version of Engadget reports [Google translation] that a Mac mini purchaser appears to have received a Mac OS X Snow Leopard restore disc along with the computer. The source has provided a photo of the DVD, as well as several screenshots showing the Snow Leopard installer.
Meanwhile, several readers report that the status of their OS X Snow Leopard Up-to-Date...
Comments on Google Voice Rejection Filed Today, Google Under Scrutiny for Similar Actions?
USA Today reports that Apple, AT&T, and Google are expected to file comments with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission today regarding Apple's rejection of the official Google Voice iPhone application. Apple (AAPL) and AT&T (T) Friday are expected to tell the Federal Communications Commission why Google's free voice application, called Google Voice, is banned from the Apple iPhone. Google is ...
Sirius XM to Release iPhone Accessory Receiver Next Week?
Satwaves reports that satellite radio company Sirius XM will be releasing a dock connector accessory receiver for the iPhone and iPod touch at a media event next Wednesday, allowing access full Sirius XM service via their devices. Sources familiar with the situation are now confirming that Sirius XM will be unveiling the iPhone/iPod Touch accessory docks that I speculated about three months ago...
SlingPlayer Mobile 1.1 Appears in App Store
Several readers have informed us that SlingPlayer Mobile 1.1 [App Store, $29.99] has appeared in the App Store. As we profiled last week, the update adds several new features, including support for 16x9 widescreen video and remote control integration with DISH Network. What's New in this Version
- Full 16x9 widescreen support (Slingbox SOLO, PRO, and PRO-HD only)
- DISH Remote Access...
Apple Begins Shipping Logic Express 9
The Loop notes that Apple has begun shipping Logic Express 9, an updated version of the company's middle-tier audio suite positioned as offering additional tools to GarageBand users. Logic Express fits between GarageBand at the low-end and Logic Pro at the high-end, in Apple's music software line-up. Logic Express is more like Logic Pro in its look and feel than GarageBand.Announced last month...
Apple's UK Online Store Lists August 28th Ship Date for Snow Leopard Up-to-Date Program [Updated]
Apple's UK online store is now listing a shipping date for the OS X Snow Leopard "Up-to-Date" program of "by August 28th". The listing comes on the heels of reports from several sources in recent days that Snow Leopard would see an August 28th launch, ahead of Apple's previously-announced September launch window.
A brief survey of the equivalent page at Apple's online stores for a number of ...
Apple Releases Apple Remote Desktop 3.3 Updates
Apple today released a pair of updates to its Apple Remote Desktop management system aimed at administrators who oversee large numbers of computers, allowing them to assist users remotely, administer their systems, and deploy software updates.
Apple Remote Desktop 3.3 Admin (51 MB) and Apple Remote Desktop 3.3.1 Client (4.1 MB) address several reliability and security issues with the system....
Apple Begins Training Support Staff for Mac OS X Snow Leopard
Macenstein claims to have received information from sources claiming that support training for OS X Snow Leopard has begun and that Apple's new operating system will very likely launch on Friday, August 28th. According to reliable sources, support training for Snow Leopard has begun, signaling an imminent release of the next major release of OS X. Sources claim a date of Friday, August 28th is...
Apple Selling Refurbished First-Generation 5 GB iPods
TUAW notes that Apple is currently selling refurbished 5 GB first-generation iPods for $129 in its online store. Originally released in October 2001 and only compatible with Macs, the first-generation iPod utilizes Firewire connectivity and a mechanical scroll wheel. This is the very first iPod model, introduced in 2001. I don't know how they ended up there, or why they're selling them, but...
iPhone 3GS Capable of High-Definition Video Playback?
iLounge reports on a forum posting [Google translation] at Chinese site WeiPhone in which a user claims to demonstrate 720p and 1080p high-definition video playback on the iPhone 3GS. The poster conducted a series of test using the FileAid iPhone application to transfer video files of increasing resolution and bitrate to the iPhone 3GS, finding acceptable performance on video playback up to 1980 ...
Palm Reportedly Rejected Jobs' Proposal Not to Poach Each Others' Employees
Bloomberg reveals that Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly approached then-Palm CEO Ed Colligan in August 2007 with a proposal that the two companies refrain from hiring each others' employees. Colligan rejected the proposal, claiming that the tactic was wrong and "likely illegal." Colligan, who stepped down as CEO in June, discussed the matter with Jobs in August 2007, as the mobile-phone war heated ...
Apple Releases Bluetooth Firmware Update 2.0.1
Apple today released Bluetooth Firmware Update 2.0.1, offering bug fixes and compatibility improvements for Apple peripheral devices. This update provides bug fixes and better compatibility with the Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse and Apple Wireless Keyboard.
It installs on all Macintosh systems with Bluetooth based on the Broadcom chipset.The update weighs in at 1.78 MB and requires OS X 10.5.7 or ...
Apple Releases Fix for MacBook Pro Hard Drive Issues
Apple today released Hard Drive Firmware Update 2.0, addressing issues with certain hard drives on the latest MacBook Pros models. Apple had been reported last week to be working on the issue, which involves intermittent "beeping" noises and occasional brief system freezes on machines using 500 GB, 7200 rpm hard drives. MacBook Pro Hard Drive Firmware Update 2.0 reduces certain infrequent noises...
Snow Leopard Box Set Briefly Appears in Apple Online Store [Updated]
MacRumors has received word that a listing for the Mac Box Set version of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard briefly appeared in Apple's online store earlier today. While the page, which listed the box set as shipping within 24 hours, is no longer available on Apple's site, an entry for it is retrieved in Google searches for the product number, MC209Z/A.
The Mac Box Set bundles Mac OS X with iLife '09...
iPhone in Short Supply in Canada and Australia
The Globe and Mail reports that Rogers Wireless, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Canada has run out of stock of all iPhone models, notifying potential customers that they may have to wait several weeks before availability resumes. Rogers is advising shoppers that it is out of stock of Apple's latest device, the iPhone 3GS, which was launched in June, as well as earlier models introduced...
More Purported iTunes 9 Screenshots Surface [Updated]
Earlier this week, MacRumors received several purported screenshots of iTunes 9, as well as a screenshot of a user's Facebook page demonstrating how the rumored social networking integration would automatically post iTunes track and playlist information to Facebook. Interestingly, the screenshots also appear to depict support for third-party media players, in this case a 30 GB Samsung YH-J70.
...
Rumors of The Beatles Coming to iTunes Renewed Yet Again
A recent report that Apple has scheduled a music-focused media event for September 9th has once again sparked speculation that The Beatles may finally be coming to iTunes. The speculation is primarily driven by the scheduling of several other Beatles-related events on the same day.
In March, EMI Group announced that a Beatles version of the popular Rock Band music-themed video game would be...
Apple's North Carolina Data Center to Focus on Cloud Computing?
Cult of Mac posts an interview with Rich Miller, editor of Data Center Knowledge, regarding possible plans for Apple's $1 billion data center due to open in rural Maiden, North Carolina in 2010. At approximately 500,000 square feet and roughly five times the size of the company's existing center in Newark, California, Apple's new data center will be among the largest in the world, sparking...
Analyst Claims Two Apple Tablets Coming, One With 6-Inch Screen
In a report on the increasing hype surrounding tablet computers focused on Apple's much-anticipated tablet offerings, BusinessWeek cites market researcher Richard Doherty, who claims that Apple has developed two protoype tablet computers: one essentially an oversized iPod touch carrying a 6-inch screen and a second one with a larger screen. "There's no hotter topic [than tablets] in Asia right...
