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 Patent Application Details Touch-Sensitive Unmounting of External Devices From Computers
In a patent application filed in January 2008 and published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple describes its work on computer peripheral devices that are capable of initiating shut down of communications with the host computer to prepare for removal by sensing a touch or impending touch from the user. As an example, Apple points to the need for USB flash drives to be...
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Apple Claims 91% of $1,000+ PC Market Revenue in June
Betanews reports (via The Loop) that according to market research firm NPD, Apple claimed 91% of the revenue market share for computers costing $1,000 or more in June. While NPD's sales numbers are limited to brick-and-mortar retail stores, the data shows a remarkable continuation of a trend that has been in place for several years now. While Apple's overall unit market share remains below 10%, ...
Apple Updates Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, and Logic Studio
Apple today released updates to its professional video and audio editing applications: Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, and Logic Studio.
The revised Final Cut Studio brings over 100 new features to the application suite including new versions of nearly every component application and is priced at $999, a $300 discount over the previous version. Apple today announced a significant update to...
Apple Legal Reportedly Hinders Reporter's Investigation of iPods Catching Fire
Amy Clancy of KIRO 7 TV in Seattle reports on her investigation of complaints of iPods overheating, smoldering and catching fire. The complaints, made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, amount to over 800 pages of documentation covering 15 incidents that Apple's lawyers repeatedly tried to prevent Clancy from accessing under a Freedom of Information Act request. It took more than...
Apple to Release Subsidized Tablet Through Verizon Later This Year?
The Street's Scott Moritz reports that Apple is planning to release its long-rumored tablet computer "in time for the holidays" later this year. While Apple is reportedly still deciding on a sales model for the new device, Moritz's source reports that initial plans include subsidies from Verizon in order to lock in users for multi-year wireless data contracts while bringing down the upfront cost ...
Navigon Offers Full-Featured iPhone GPS Navigation for a Single Upfront Fee
German GPS firm Navigon has finally released MobileNavigator North America [App Store, $69.99 through August 15th and $99.99 thereafter], one of the first full-featured turn-by-turn GPS navigation applications for the iPhone. While several subscription-based GPS applications, including AT&T's own service have appeared since the release of iPhone OS 3.0, MobileNavigator represents the first...
AIM Messages Sent to Unlocked iPhones Routed to Unintended Recipients
CrunchGear reports that developer Till Schadde has discovered a security flaw that allows AIM instant messages sent to certain unlocked and jailbroken iPhones to be misrouted to unintended recipients. Till tested the service by sending an AIM from the OS X desktop using iChat to his iPhone. He then received a reply back from a random recipient. It is clear that this is a Push problem in the...
Apple Reports $1.23 Billion Profit for Q3 2009, Best Non-Holiday Quarter Ever
Apple today announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009. Apple posted revenue of $8.34 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.23 billion, or $1.35 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $7.46 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.07 billion, or $1.19 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.3 percent, compared to 34.8 percent in the year-ago...
Foxconn Employee Reportedly Commits Suicide Over Lost iPhone Prototype [Updated]
VentureBeat pieces together reports coming out of China regarding the recent apparent suicide of a Foxconn employee after he lost track of an iPhone prototype in his possession. The suicide of 25 year-old Sun Danyong, who was responsible for shipping prototypes to Apple, reportedly occurred in the wake of a potentially illegal search of the his home and possible physical intimidation against him ...
Universal Studios to Launch iPhone Features for Blu-ray Discs
Universal Studios Home Entertainment today announced (via iLounge) that it will begin offering iPhone-enabled features on some of its future Blu-ray video releases. Universal's initial launch for the concept will take place with the release of a special Blu-ray edition of Fast & Furious on July 28th. Utilizing an Internet-connected Blu-ray player and a free companion iPhone application to be...
BlackBerry Desktop Manager Coming to Mac
In a blog post today, Research in Motion announced its plans for BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac, which will provide full-featured media and data syncing. Here are some key features the initial release will include:
- Sync your iTunes playlists, calendars, contacts, notes and tasks
- Add/Remove applications
- Update your device when new software becomes available
- Backup and restore...
Microsoft Office 2008 Update Brings Speed Increases and New Features
Microsoft today announced that it will be releasing Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 later today, a free update bringing speed enhancements and other new features to the application suite. The update is scheduled to launch at 10:00 AM Pacific Time and will be available on Microsoft's Mac download page and through the Microsoft AutoUpdate application. Microsoft Corp.'s Macintosh...
Apple Estimated to Account for 20% of Cellphone Industry Profit
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) on research from Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Modoff showing that Apple and Research in Motion together accounted for approximately 35% of the cellphone industry's total operating profit in 2008 while only representing 3% of total unit sales. Apple's share of industry profits clocked in at approximately 20% while holding only just over 1% of ...
WWDC 2009 Session Videos Now Available for Purchase
Apple today notified registered developers that session videos from Apple's 2009 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) are now available for purchase and download. Individual iPhone and Mac packages are available for $299 each, with a combined package of all videos priced at $499. The packages offer videos of the presentations and Q&A portions of each session, along with corresponding slides ...
Apple Disables Promo Codes for App Store Applications with Mature (17+) Ratings
TUAW reports that with the introduction of age-based ratings for App Store applications in iPhone OS 3.0, Apple has taken the step of preventing developers of applications carrying mature (ages 17+) ratings from issuing promo codes for the affected applications. Developers are typically allowed to distribute up to 50 promo codes for any given application release, allowing developers the...
Apple to Release Q3 2009 Financial Results on July 21st
Apple today issued a media alert announcing details for the July 21st release of its financial results for the third fiscal quarter and second calendar quarter of 2009. The results will cover sales from March 28th, 2009 through June 26th, 2009, and will be released at the close of trading (4:00 PM Eastern / 1:00 PM Pacific) on Tuesday. Apple's conference call discussing the results will follow at ...
Apple Releases iMovie 8.0.4
Apple today released iMovie 8.0.4, improving overall stability and addressing several specific issues. This update improves overall stability and fixes a number of other minor issues. The issues addressed include:
- Fixed a problem with incorrect rotation when working with video created by iPhone 3GS
- Resolved instability when adding multiple beat markers in some languages
- Corrected an...
"Comcast Mobile App" Hits the App Store
U.S. cable TV and Internet provider Comcast has released Comcast Mobile App [App Store, Free], offering integrated access to the company's Digital Voice, Digital Cable, and High-Speed Internet services on the iPhone. Macworld provides an overview of the application's package of features. The Comcast Mobile App lets you access your Comcast e-mail, manage your Digital Voice account, peruse...
Palm Opens Up Mojo SDK to All App Developers
Palm today announced that it has released the Mojo Software Development Kit to all interested developers, opening the door for a broader offering of applications for the Palm App Catalog. The initial response to Palm webOS apps -- from both developers and customers -- has been enthusiastic. Even in its initial beta stage, over 1.8 million apps have been downloaded from the beta App Catalog since...
Google Brings "Search With My Location" to Safari on iPhone 3.0
Google yesterday announced that it has added the ability for iPhone users to utilize the device's built-in GPS to set their location as part of the customization of the Google homepage. Setting their location allows users to receive search results specifically tailored for their location. As of today, when you visit www.google.com from Safari on your iPhone 3.0, you can choose to turn on My...
