Articles on MacRumors by Eric Slivka
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Eric Slivka

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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.

Eric Slivka's Articles

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Rogers Wireless Web Page Appears to Confirm 8 GB iPhone 3GS [Updated]

Sunday August 9, 2009 8:45 pm PDT by
A Rogers Wireless web page appears to confirm last week's alleged screenshots of the company's internal retail software revealing a forthcoming 8 GB iPhone 3GS model. The "iPhone Comparison" tab on Rogers' iPhone 3GS page contains a chart listing the features of the iPhone 3G and 3GS, noting near the bottom that the 3GS is available in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB capacities. Portion of "iPhone ...

iTunes 9 to Include Blu-ray Support and iPhone App Organization?

Saturday August 8, 2009 5:39 pm PDT by
Boy Genius Report has received a tip from a "pretty reliable source" claiming to have knowledge of several new features to be included in iTunes 9. The rumored features include support for Blu-ray media and visual organization of iPhone and iPod touch applications within iTunes, as well as some form of social networking/media integration. One of the new additions to iTunes is said to include...

KT to Offer iPhone in South Korea

Friday August 7, 2009 1:04 pm PDT by
Telecoms Korea reports (via MacNN) that Korean wireless carrier KT has confirmed that it will be carrying the iPhone in that country, although pricing and timing for the launch have yet to be revealed. Yeon-hak, Kim, KT, CFO, said in the conference call on Friday, "Apple iPhone will be in our smartphone line-up. [We expect that the] iPhone will help to expand the smartphone market and will...

Next-Generation iMac to Offer Two 'Compelling' New Features?

Friday August 7, 2009 10:21 am PDT by
AppleInsider reports that the next-generation iMac will see the inclusion of two "compelling" new features, although sources refuse to provide anything more than suggestions as to what those features might be. One of those features is said to have long been on the wish-lists of many Mac users while the other is expected to cater to the semi-professional audio/video crowd. This is according to...

Google CEO Eric Schmidt Accepted No Salary or Stock for Apple Board Service

Friday August 7, 2009 8:01 am PDT by
BusinessWeek reports that Google CEO Eric Schmidt received no salary or stock compensation for his service on Apple's Board of Directors, accepting only Apple gear and a "commemorative gift" in exchange for his services. Schmidt recently resigned from Apple's Board due to limitations on his effectiveness as the two companies have become competitors in an increasing number of areas. Schmidt's...
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New Analyst Mockup and Sales Estimates for Apple's Tablet

Friday August 7, 2009 6:28 am PDT by
Image from Piper Jaffray Fortune summarizes a new research report from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who estimates that Apple could sell two million of its rumored tablet computer in 2010 at $600 each, adding a small but not inconsequential 3% to Apple's revenue stream for the year. Munster also provides a mockup (above) of what he believes the device will look like. The device, as he...

Microsoft Releases Office for Mac 2008 Updates to Address Open XML Bug

Thursday August 6, 2009 12:50 pm PDT by
Microsoft today released a pair of updates to address a bug introduced in Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 released last month that prevented users from opening some Office documents saved in Microsoft's Open XML format. A description of the issue is included on Microsoft's support document regarding the update. Compatibility is improved. This update fixes an issue that causes...

Phil Schiller Comments on 'Ninjawords Dictionary' iPhone App Rejection

Thursday August 6, 2009 10:08 am PDT by
Yesterday, we reported on Daring Fireball's coverage of Apple's lengthy approval process for the Ninjawords Dictionary iPhone application that ultimately resulted in the application not only receiving a "17+" age rating but also having removed a number of "objectionable" words, including some with non-objectionable definitions, from the application. In a follow-up post, Daring Fireball's John...

Apple Researching Methods to Detect 'Consumer Abuse' in Portable Devices

Thursday August 6, 2009 8:01 am PDT by
New Scientist points out an Apple patent application published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that discloses techniques for digitally "detecting whether consumer abuse has occurred in an electronic device." The application cites as examples assessing exposure to liquids, extreme temperatures, or excessive shock, as well as unauthorized tampering, all conditions which could cause...

Apple Rejecting All e-Book App Store Submissions? [Updated]

Thursday August 6, 2009 7:27 am PDT by
TUAW reports that Apple is now rejecting all e-book iPhone application submissions under the rationale that such applications are commonly used to distribute content to which the applications' authors do not hold publication rights. Rather than taking on the daunting task of assessing publication rights for each application submitted, Apple has apparently chosen to exclude all such applications. T...

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.8 and Tiger Security Update 2009-003

Wednesday August 5, 2009 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple today released Mac OS X 10.5.8 for both consumer and server versions of Leopard via Software Update. The 10.5.8 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac, as well as specific fixes for: - compatibility and reliability issues when joining AirPort networks. - an ...

Apple Alerts Customers About Upcoming 'Sales Tax Holidays'

Wednesday August 5, 2009 12:24 pm PDT by
Apple has been sending out e-mails to customers in a number of U.S. states alerting them to upcoming "sales tax holidays" that may entitle them to tax-free purchases of qualifying Apple products. A number of states sponsor these programs on an annual basis, lifting state sales taxes on limited items for a brief period to stimulate retail sales. The programs are frequently billed as...

Apple Censors 'Ninjawords Dictionary' iPhone Application

Wednesday August 5, 2009 12:07 pm PDT by
Daring Fireball's John Gruber reports on the case of Ninjawords Dictionary [App Store, $1.99], a dictionary application for the iPhone based on Wiktionary offering a high-quality user experience and information content that was recently approved by Apple for inclusion in the App Store. Unfortunately, Apple's approval process for the application required several months and multiple rounds of...

UK Retailer Offering TomTom Car Kit for Pre-Order

Wednesday August 5, 2009 10:51 am PDT by
NaviGadget reports based on several other European sites that UK retailer Handtec is listing the TomTom GPS car mount kit for pre-order at a price of 99 plus tax. While Handtec's product page seems to claim that that the TomTom iPhone application is included in the price, it remains to be seen how the software will be accessed from the App Store after purchase. Interwebs on the other side of...
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Apple to Launch 8 GB iPhone 3GS?

Wednesday August 5, 2009 10:10 am PDT by
Boy Genius Report has received several tips that Rogers Wireless, Apple's Canadian iPhone partner, is in the process of shipping an 8 GB version of the iPhone 3GS to its retail stores. BGR has also received several photos of what appear to be an internal memo in Rogers' retail computer system announcing the transition to the new model to staff members. We've had a number of unconfirmed tips over...

O2 iPhone Exclusivity in the UK to End October 9th?

Wednesday August 5, 2009 7:52 am PDT by
Mobile Entertainment claims to have viewed documentation revealing that UK wireless carrier O2's exclusivity contract for the iPhone will expire on October 9th. Rumors of the expiration surfaced last month, but this new report is the first to offer a supposed date for the expiration. Both reports do indicate, however, that O2 may retain exclusivity for the iPhone 3GS, leaving competitors with...

Palm Hires Another Former Apple Employee for its Management Team

Wednesday August 5, 2009 7:17 am PDT by
PreCentral reports that Palm has recently hired former Apple employee Jeff Zwerner as its Senior Vice President of Brand Design. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Zwerner, according to his LinkedIn page, has twice been in the employ of Apple - once as the Creative Director for Packaging in 2001-2003 and earlier as a Senior Art Director from 1995-1996. Sure, it's probably likely that some...
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Apple's Share of Cellphone Industry Profit Estimated at 32% for First Half of 2009

Wednesday August 5, 2009 6:53 am PDT by
All Things Digital reports on research from analyst Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research that shows Apple holding 32% of the cellphone handset industry's operating profits for the first half of 2009. Apple's profit share is driven by high average selling prices and high margins on the iPhone, which accounts for only 8% of industry revenue and under 2% of industry unit sales. "Our analysis...
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New 'iProd1,1' Reference Found in iPhone OS 3.1 Beta Configuration File

Tuesday August 4, 2009 1:45 pm PDT by
Image from Ars Technica Ars Technica reports that the latest version of the iPhone OS 3.1 beta seeded to developers last week contains an updated configuration file that references two mysterious products known as "iProd0,1" and "iProd1,1". A reference to "iProd0,1" was initially spotted back in March in a version of the same configuration file in an iPhone OS 3.0 beta, but this latest...

Apple Investigating a Range of Tablet Screens From 4 to 12 Inches?

Tuesday August 4, 2009 10:40 am PDT by
AppleInsider reports on a research note from analysts at Kaufman Bros. claiming that Apple has investigated a range of tablet screen sizes from 4 to 12 inches over the past several years. Many of the orders have reportedly been large enough to account for small production runs of corresponding devices rather than merely a handful of prototypes each. In a research note issued Tuesday, Kaufman...