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
Mac Pro Launch Nears as Apple Business Staff Begin Offering Price Quotes
With potential customers of the new Mac Pro eagerly awaiting any sign of a more concrete launch date than the "December" timeframe announced by Apple at its October media event, increased activity from Apple's business team members suggests that a launch may indeed be very near.
While Apple has publicly remained silent on pricing for various Mac Pro configurations beyond the $2999/$3999 stock ...
Read Full Article • 415 comments
China Mobile Stores Going All Out for iPhone and iPad Promotion
Following the start of pre-orders for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on China Mobile earlier this week, new photos from PRC and ME show just how much the world's largest carrier is emphasizing its launch of Apple's products.
The carrier's relatively small store at the Link City shopping mall in Shenzhen is covered in Apple promotional signage, including wall-mounted banners and a large...
BearExtender Turbo Adds 802.11ac Wi-Fi to Older Macs
BearExtender today announced the launch of BearExtender Turbo, a new USB-based solution for adding faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity to older Macs. Regularly priced at $80 but available through Amazon for $70, BearExtender Turbo can boost Wi-Fi speeds by up to 2-3x for Macs supporting USB 3.0 but not 802.11ac natively.
Using AJA System Test on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks, a 2GB file was...
Fleksy's Predictive Touch Keyboard Comes to iOS Apps with New Developer Tools
Fleksy today announced that its predictive touch keyboard is now available for iOS developers to incorporate into their apps through an SDK, allowing developers to replace the default iOS keyboard with Fleksy's popular alternative keyboard.
Fleksy's keyboard includes a number of features including sophisticated prediction and autocorrection, as well as swipe-based functions such as space and...
Apple TV Roundup: Apple's Plans for Television
Following last week's addition of an iPhone 6 roundup, MacRumors today is publishing a new Apple TV roundup covering not only Apple's current set-top box and rumors for future enhancements, but also long-running rumors of a dedicated Apple television set.
While Apple has been busy increasing the amount of content available through the current Apple TV, there is still uncertainty about timing...
Apple Adds ABC, Bloomberg, Crackle, and KORTV Channels to Apple TV
Apple today added yet another set of channels to its Apple TV set-top box, including a "Watch ABC" channel to allow subscribers to certain cable services to watch content from their local ABC affiliate through Apple TV. Other additions include financial channel Bloomberg, streaming movie and TV show channel Crackle, and Korean channel KORTV.
Today's launches are just a few of the many...
Apple's Work on Video Goggles Highlighted in Newly Granted Patent
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a newly granted Apple patent describing a goggle-like video headset designed to allow users to view media while on the go but with a much larger view than on their mobile device's built-in display (via Patently Apple).
Apple's patent is a relatively straightforward one with a single independent claim outlining a headset that contains...
Siri's Accuracy Continues to Improve as Apple Works to Reduce Reliance on Google
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who has regularly assessed Siri's accuracy in terms of correctly interpreting and answering queries, has issued the latest version of his Siri report card, noting that Siri has continued to improve under iOS 7, particularly in terms of being able to properly interpret questions being asked.The primary improvement between Siri in iOS 6 and iOS 7 came from its...
Apple's '12 Days of Gifts' App for 2013 Now Live, Includes U.S. Customers
Apple today released its annual "12 Days of Gifts" app for iOS devices, setting the stage for the actual giveaway of free content from the company's various digital stores from December 26 through January 6. Apple has offered the giveaway for ">several years in Europe, Canada, and several other countries, and in 2013 U.S. customers will have access for the first time.From 26 December – 6...
Straight Talk and Net10 to Launch iPhone 5s/5c at Walmart on December 13
Tracfone today announced that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will be launching on its Straight Talk and Net10 carrier brands on Friday, December 13. Devices for the two carrier brands, which offer contract-free phones at unsubsidized prices, will be available exclusively through Walmart. Available plans include:Straight Talk Wireless No-Contract Plan Details and Pricing
- $45 – No-Contract...
Apple Supports 'Hour of Code' Campaign for Students with Free Workshops in U.S. Retail Stores
Apple today announced that it will be participating in the "Hour of Code" initiative this Wednesday by offering free workshops in its U.S. stores introducing students to computer programming. Apple is setting aside the 5:00-6:00 PM hour at all of its retail stores for its workshops, and reservations are required.
The broader initiative is sponsored by the non-profit Code.org with the backing...
iPhone 5s Nears 100% Availability in Apple's U.S. Retail Stores
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today issued a new research report claiming that supplies of the iPhone 5s in Apple's U.S. retail stores have reached "100% availability", showing that his survey of 60 locations revealed full availability of all color/capacity/carrier combinations.
Based on our own check of 120 stores, supplies are just slightly short of 100%, as we were able to find...
MacRumors Roundup: What We Expect for iPhone 6
The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c have only been out for a few months, but attention is already turning to Apple's plans for the next generation of iPhone, likely to appear in late 2014. Rumors have indicated that a larger, perhaps curved, display may be one of the key features of the next iPhone, which is generally being referred to as the "iPhone 6" by the rumor community.
Rumors about the iPhone...
Early Experiences with Apple Retail Store iBeacon Technology Prove Mixed
Earlier today, Apple launched its "iBeacon" initiative in its U.S. retail stores, allowing users of the company's iPhone app to opt in to receiving location-specific notifications and access to other information while browsing in the stores.
Following the announcement of the new system, ISI analyst Brian Marshall headed over to Apple's Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan for a first-hand look, and ...
Supply Chain Performance Points to Blockbuster Holiday Quarter for Apple
In a new research note published today, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White shares data from his "Apple Barometer" for the month of November, with strong increases hinting that Apple will see blockbuster performance for the holiday quarter. White's metric, which tracks performance of Taiwanese suppliers known to be heavily reliant on Apple, has seen record performances for both October and...
Apple's Stock Hits New 52-Week High as Roller Coaster 2013 Nears Its End
With just a few weeks left in 2013, Apple's stock has finally rebounded to set a new 52-week high of $575.14 earlier today, although it has since pulled back by a few dollars. Apple's stock price peaked at just over $700 back in September 2012 before beginning a slide that took the price to under $400 by mid-April of this year.
Apple's march back to yearly highs began in late June and has...
German Retailer Begins Taking Mac Pro Pre-Orders, Claims December 16 Availability [Updated]
At its October media event, Apple narrowed down the launch window for its redesigned Mac Pro to "December", but with the month having already begun the company has yet to announce a more specific launch date.
"Jetzt vorbestellen" = "Pre-order now"
German retailer Conrad Electronic has, however, now begun taking pre-orders [Google Translate] for the two stock configurations of the new Mac...
iPad Air Receives 50% Boost in Activations Over Black Friday Weekend
A number of retailers have noted that the iPad Air was a top seller over the Black Friday shopping weekend, and new data from Localytics indeed shows that to have been the case. Localytics, which tracks the number of new devices showing up through its analytics network of over 20,000 apps and over one billion devices, saw a 51% increase in new iPad Air devices compared to the previous weekend.
...
Refurbished Late 2013 21.5-Inch iMac Debuts in Apple's Online Store
Yesterday, Apple began offering refurbished models of the current 27-inch iMac in its online store for the first time, and while two of the three available models quickly sold out, the company is clearly working to expand availability by adding not only another 27-inch configuration but also a pair of 21.5-inch models today. The newly listed models, all of which ship in 1-5 business days,...
Honda Boosts iOS Car Integration with New HondaLink Services for 2014 Civic, 2015 Fit
Following last week's announcement of Siri "Eyes Free" integration for select Honda and Acura vehicles, Honda today held a Google Hangout to announce even deeper integration for the 2014 Honda Civic and 2015 Honda Fit.
The new Civic, which goes on sale tomorrow, and the upcoming Fit, which launches early next year, will offer an all-new Display Audio interface featuring a 7-inch touchscreen...
