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
Chrome for iOS Adds Data Compression and Translation Tools [Updated]
Google today announced an update to its Chrome web browser for iOS, bringing data compression functionality that can reduce data usage by up to 50%.To start saving data and turn on an even more secure browsing experience, visit “Settings” > “Bandwidth management” > “Reduce data usage.” Then simply turn the toggle to “On.” From this menu, you’ll also be able to track how much...
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Apple Begins Hiring for Arizona Sapphire Plant with Focus on iPhone and iPod
Apple yesterday posted a trio of job listings (via 9to5Mac) for positions located in Mesa, Arizona where the company is building a sapphire manufacturing plant. The facility is to be owned by Apple and run by sapphire producer GT Advanced Technologies, although the new job listings confirm that Apple will have some of its own staff on hand as well.
Furnaces for sapphire production
Sapphire is ...
iPhone 6 Fingerprint Sensor Production Set to Gear Up in Q2 with Increased Efficiency
Apple's iPhone fingerprint sensor supplier TSMC is preparing to begin production on sensors for the iPhone 6 in the second quarter of this year, according to a report from Digitimes. The report claims that TSMC will be shifting to a larger 12-inch fab from the current 8-inch fab, a move that should increase production efficiency. TSMC will also handle the packaging process for the sensors itself...
Apple's Back to School Promo Kicks Off in Australia and New Zealand
Apple has launched its annual back to school promotion in Australia and New Zealand, offering education customers free gift cards for the company's digital content stores with the purchase of a new Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Gift cards can be used in the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore, and are available in the following amounts:
- Purchase a new Mac except Mac mini or Mac...
China Mobile Stocks 1.4 Million iPhone 5s Units Ahead of Friday's Launch
Apple's iPhone 5s assembler Foxconn has shipped roughly 1.4 million iPhone 5s units to China Mobile in advance of Friday's launch for the carrier, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. After several years of negotiations, Apple finally announced last month that the iPhone would be coming to the world's largest carrier on January 17.While the initial shipment volume doesn’t...
Apple Interested in Liquidmetal Alloys for Home Buttons, Touch Sensors, and Tamper-Resistant Screws
Back in 2010, Apple signed an exclusive agreement with Caltech spinoff Liquidmetal Technologies, providing Apple with the rights to use Liquidmetal's advanced metal alloys for consumer electronics purposes. Liquidmetal's amorphous metal alloys or bulk metallic glasses posses a number of characteristic properties such as high strength and corrosion resistance while remaining relatively light and...
Refurbished Late 2013 15-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Now Available in Apple's Online Store
Apple has added a number of models of the current 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro to its online store for refurbished products, marking the their first appearance in the store since their October launch. All six of the currently available configurations are listed as shipping in 1-5 business days and are available at a roughly 15% discount compared to brand-new machines. Available models include:
- ...
Apple Wins Another Legal Battle with Google's Motorola Unit Involving Push Notifications
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today issued a decision (PDF) upholding a previous ruling by the International Trade Commission (ITC) that Apple did not infringe upon a patent held by Google's Motorola unit. The ITC had ruled in Apple's favor last May, but Google/Motorola appealed that decision to the federal courts.
The item in question, Claim 12 of Patent Number 6.272,333,...
Apple Taps UK Engineer for New Optical Image Stabilization System for iOS Device Cameras
In line with yesterday's report claiming that the iPhone 6 will retain an 8-megapixel rear camera while focusing on other aspects such as image stabilization to improve performance, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office yesterday published an Apple patent application (via Unwired View) outlining a system for implementing optical image stabilization (OIS) with improved autofocus (AF) capabilities...
Seven Years Ago Today, Steve Jobs Introduced the iPhone
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the introduction of the iPhone, a presentation that took place as part of the keynote of Macworld Expo 2007 in San Francisco. While the device would not launch until over six months later, that presentation offered the public the first glimpse of what Steve Jobs introduced as three devices in one: a touchscreen iPod, a phone, and an Internet communicator.Toda...
iPhone 6 Rear Camera to Retain 8-Megapixel Sensor, Offer Improved Image Stabilization?
iPhone camera module supplier Largan Precision saw its stock take a significant dip yesterday amid rumors that Apple will not be upgrading the resolution of the rear camera for the iPhone 6 later this year, reports The China Post.
The report cites analysts from Nomura Securities who indicate that while the iPhone 6 should see some camera improvements such as enhanced optical image...
'iPhone 6 Frame' Shown in New Photos Unlikely to Be Genuine
Earlier today, Chinese site C Technology posted a pair of photos of what was claimed to be an internal frame for Apple's next-generation iPhone, a device said to be carrying a display measuring at least 4.7 inches, significantly larger than the current 4-inch standard for Apple's most recent iPhones. The photos were picked up by GizChina.com and have since made their way to increasingly prominent ...
28-Inch '4K' Display from Dell Priced at $699, Launches January 23
Last month, Dell announced several new "4K" displays for its lineup, including a teaser for an upcoming 28-inch model to be priced at "under $1000". While the pricing range was considered a breakthrough at the time, several other display manufacturers announced their own offerings at CES this week with pricing in the $800 range.
But as highlighted by Forbes, Dell has now revealed that its...
CES 2014: Air Conditioner Debuts as First Smart Appliance 'MFi Licensed' for iOS Compatibility
Chinese appliance manufacturer Haier today announced that it has become the first such company to be accepted into Apple's MFi licensing program to certify compatibility with iOS devices. Haier's Tianzun cabinet air conditioning unit is the first appliance to carry the MFi designation, with expansion to other Haier appliances coming in the future.Haier's Tianzun air conditioner is the first air...
Imagination Technologies Announces PowerVR Series6XT Successor to Apple's A7 Chip Graphics
Imagination Technologies yesterday announced a new Series6XT generation of its PowerVR graphics architecture, representing a successor to the Series6 graphics used in Apple's A7 chip for the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and Retina iPad mini.Series6XT cores achieve up to a 50% performance increase on the latest industry standard benchmarks compared to equivalent configurations of previous generation...
CES 2014: WiTricity Announces New Wireless Charging System Design for iPhone 5/5s
Wireless power firm WiTricity today announced the release of a reference design for its new wireless charging system aimed at the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s. Moving beyond existing induction power transfer technologies such as Powermat that require direct contact with a charging pad, WiTricity's system supports power transfer over short distances using magnetic resonance, allowing charging pads to be ...
CES 2014: Corning Announces Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass to Fight Germs on Mobile Devices
Following its announcement late last week regarding new "3D" curved Gorilla Glass for smartphones and other products, Apple's glass supplier Corning today officially announced its antimicrobial Gorilla Glass, incorporating ionic silver into the glass to inhibit growth of bacteria and other organisms.“Corning’s Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass inhibits the growth of algae, mold, mildew, fungi, and...
Apple Said to Be Targeting Fall 2014 Launch for 12-Inch iPad Focused on Enterprise
Amid rumors of a larger "iPad Pro" perhaps arriving in 2014 with a larger display in the range of 12-13 inches, Evercore analyst Patrick Wang yesterday released a research report indicating that supply chain sources are indeed supporting the circulating claims.
According to Wang's sources, Apple is looking to launch a 12-inch iPad in the fall of this year, targeting enterprise with a new...
AT&T Hits Back at T-Mobile with Up to $450 in Credits for Switchers
Over the past year, T-Mobile US has been shaking up the U.S. carrier market with its "Un-carrier" plans, the addition of the iPhone to its device lineup, and a frequent device upgrade program, enticing several other major carriers to make changes to their own services to align with T-Mobile's offerings.
Going beyond recent moves to uncouple device and service costs as T-Mobile has done, AT&T...
Early 'iWatch' Production Seeing Poor Yields Due to Issues with Body Finish Treatments?
While Apple's long-rumored "iWatch" may be one of the products to look for in 2014, several rumors have suggested that the device is unlikely to launch until the latter half of the year as the company works to address technical challenges.
A new report from DigiTimes claims that one of those issues involves surface finish treatments for the body of the device, with both Apple and Qualcomm...
