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
HP Releases Classic Calculator iPhone Apps
Macworld reports on Hewlett Packard's recent release of two iPhone app versions of classic HP calculators, the HP 12C Financial Calculator [App Store, $14.99] and the HP 15C Scientific Calculator [App Store, $29.99]. HP is reportedly also working on an iPhone version of its 12C Platinum calculator, which is expected to be released in early August and priced at $19.99.
While the price points ...
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Sprint Directly Targeting iPhone and AT&T in New Palm Pre Ad
PreThinking points out a new print ad posted to Sprint's Facebook page that directly targets iPhone customers on AT&T whose original two-year contracts are just now expiring.
The ad touts the Pre's ability to run multiple applications at the same time and Sprint's claim that users can save $1200 over two years by switching from AT&T. The $1200 savings is based on Sprint's $99.99/month...
Michael Jackson Dominates Top Ten Album List in U.S. iTunes Store
Legendary music artist Michael Jackson, who passed away yesterday at the age of 50, is currently dominating the U.S. iTunes Store's list of top albums. Jackson's albums currently hold the top seven spots, led by the greatest hits compilation The Essential Michael Jackson [iTunes Store, $16.99] and Thriller [iTunes Store, $9.99], the biggest selling album of all-time with worldwide sales figures...
iPhone Marketing Director Leaves Apple for Venture Capital Firm
The Wall Street Journal reports that Bob Borchers, Apple's senior director of worldwide product marketing for the iPhone, has left the company to become a general partner at venture capital firm Opus Capital. Borchers, 43, had been at Apple since 2004 working on products such as the iPod and iPhone and had even appeared in some company videos about the iPhone. A former executive at Nokia and Nike, ...
YouTube Daily Mobile Uploads Have Increased 400% Since Launch of iPhone 3GS
Google today announced that daily YouTube uploads directly from mobile devices have increased 400% since the release of the iPhone 3GS last Friday. The iPhone 3GS includes the ability to record video and provides for easy uploading directly to YouTube from within the Camera Roll section of the Photos application.
YouTube also notes, however, that the spike generated by the release of the...
AT&T On Track for Femtocell Deployment By End of 2009
Unstrung reports that AT&T is on track for deployment of its 3G MicroCell femtocell technology by the end of 2009. Femtocell technology connects to a user's existing broadband Internet service and provides enhanced 3G voice and data coverage within a 5000 square foot range. According to AT&T's executive director for radio access network delivery, Gordon Mansfield, who was speaking at the...
Apple's Share of U.S. Smartphone Ad Requests Grows, iPhone OS 3.0 Adoption Mixed
In its May 2009 Mobile Metrics report released today, mobile advertising firm AdMob revealed that the iPhone and iPod touch now account for 69% of the U.S. smartphone traffic on its ad network. The figure is up from 59% in April and 50% in March. Worldwide, the iPhone and iPod touch now account for 49% of smartphone ad requests.
In a separate report issued earlier this week, AdMob...
iPhone OS 3.0 Adoption Rate Soars
Tapbots, creator of the popular unit conversion iPhone app Convertbot, has published data showing the rate of adoption of iPhone OS 3.0 by its users. Notably, as of June 22nd, 75% of users running the latest version of Convertbot were using iPhone OS 3.0.
Demonstrating the effect of the $9.95 upgrade fee for the iPod touch on adoption rates, only just over 50% of iPod touch users were...
iPhone 3GS Tops T-Mobile G1 and Palm Pre in JavaScript Benchmarks
Medialets today released the results of JavaScript benchmark tests performed using the SunSpider test suite on the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the T-Mobile G1 running Android, and the Palm Pre running webOS. The use of the SunSpider suite for benchmarking studies enables cross-platform comparisons among the devices, as they all utilize WebKit-based Web browsers. In the Medialets study, the iPhone 3GS...
16 GB iPhone 3GS Teardown Reveals $178.96 Parts and Manufacturing Cost
Research firm iSuppli today announced the results of its teardown of the new 16 GB iPhone 3GS, estimating the device's parts cost at $172.46, with an additional $6.50 in manufacturing costs bringing the total cost to $178.96. The data compares to a total cost of $174.33 for the 8 GB iPhone 3G at its launch in July 2008.
BusinessWeek provides a full analysis of the iSuppli report, noting that...
Wireless Charging for the iPhone and iPod Touch
A company called WildCharge yesterday announced that it is set to begin offering the first wireless charging cases for the iPhone and iPod touch. This allows the devices to be charged by simply placing them on a special charging pad without the need for any cables. The iPod touch skin is available for order immediately, while the iPhone skin, compatible with all iPhone models, will be available ...
'Find My iPhone' Reunites Owner With His iPhone
While many users have tested out the iPhone OS 3.0's "Find My iPhone" feature, which allows MobileMe customers to track the location of their lost iPhone, send alerts to the device in order to assist with recovery, and to perform remote wipes for data security, few have had the need to activate the system in hopes of finding a truly lost iPhone. MacRumors member happywaffle, whose real name...
Methodist University Hospital Confirms Steve Jobs Liver Transplant
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare today issued a brief press release confirming that Steve Jobs did receive a liver transplant at the Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute. The release was issued with Jobs' permission several days after The Wall Street Journal reported that Jobs received the transplant in Tennessee two months ago.
Addressing speculation that Jobs' fame and wealth...
Apple Releases Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.4.2
Apple today released Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.4.2, addressing several networking issues. The Time Capsule, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n* Firmware 7.4.2 update provides several fixes, including:
- Fixes some problems with extending and maintaining connectivity with extended networks
- Fixes an issue with clients that enable 802.11 ...
Apple Releases Final Cut Pro 6.0.6
Apple today released Final Cut Pro 6.0.6, which addresses issues with real-time playback in Early 2009 Mac Pros and Xserves. The release notes specify that the issue occurs when working with "complex sequences or high-bandwidth media formats."
The update weighs in at 19.15 MB and requires OS X 10.5.5 or later and an existing installation of Final Cut Pro...
"iPod3,1" References in iPhone OS 3.0 Point to iPod Touch Refresh
A recent posting at iPod touch Fans has gained some publicity for the re-discovery of references to an "iPod3,1" model in the public release of iPhone OS 3.0. The current iPod touch is termed "iPod2,1", so the references suggest that Apple will be releasing a revised iPod touch model at some point in the relatively near future. The news is unsurprising, as Apple appears to be following a yearly ...
New York Times Reports on Apple's Obsession With Secrecy
In a feature article today, The New York Times reports on Apple's history of secrecy regarding its product plans and other company matters. While Apple's long history guarding of its product pipeline has fostered the growth of dedicated rumors sites such as MacRumors, the company's unwillingness to share details related to Steve Jobs' medical leave of absence has cast renewed attention on...
AT&T Unleashes Turn-by-Turn GPS App
Yesterday, we profiled several turn-by-turn GPS applications that have appeared in the App Store over the past few days. Today sees the addition of a new GPS app for U.S. customers, this time from AT&T. AT&T Navigator [App Store, Free plus $9.99/month subscription] offers full-featured turn-by-turn GPS navigation with traffic data, automatic map updates, and advanced search functions. Features ...
Apple Releases MacBook Pro Firmware Update to Address SATA Interface Speeds
Last week, we reported on a discussion in our forums regarding Apple's apparent downgrade of the SATA hard drive interface to 1.5 Gbps in the latest 13" and 15" MacBook Pros when compared to previous-generation MacBook Pros running at 3.0 Gbps. While users were unlikely to max out the 1.5 Gbps transfer rate unless they had installed an aftermarket fast solid state drive (SSD), concern remained...
'Cameras': Customizing OS X Automatic App Launching for Multiple Cameras [Updated]
Cameras, a new application for Mac OS X from Flexibits, allows users with multiple cameras to customize OS X's automatic application launches on a camera-by-camera (and even iPhone) basis. Do you have multiple cameras?
Do you spend time quitting iPhoto every time you connect your iPhone?
Wish you could have your DSLR open Aperture and have iPhoto launch when you connect your point-and-shoot...
