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 Store' iOS App Update Coming Tuesday with Free iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore Deals
9to5Mac reports that Apple will be releasing an updated version of its Apple Store app for iOS devices on Tuesday, bringing a minor redesign and new tie-ins with iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore content. Through the updated app, Apple will offer special deals, making paid content free of charge for users of the app. As you can see in the photo of the upcoming app update (to the right), the ...
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Closeup Photos of Alleged Lower-Cost Plastic iPhone Rear Shell Compared to iPhone 5
Over the past several weeks, an increasing number of photo leaks of what has been claimed to be the rear shell of Apple's rumored upcoming lower-cost plastic iPhone have surfaced, showing a device just slightly larger than the iPhone 5 and carrying the same layout of physical features, albeit with simplified microphone and speaker grille designs along the bottom edge. Japanese magazine Weekly...
Rovio Expands 'Accounts' Cross-Device Game Progress Syncing to Original 'Angry Birds'
Back in May, Rovio announced a new "Rovio Account" feature that would allow users to sync their progress on games such as Angry Birds across devices. At the time, the feature launched with limited availability, arriving worldwide for The Croods and only in Finland and Poland on the original Angry Birds game. Rovio today announced that the new Accounts feature is now available worldwide on...
Apple Acquires Crowdsourced Local Business Search Firm Locationary for Improved Maps
AllThingsD reports that Apple has acquired Locationary, a Canadian company focused on crowdsourcing location and other data on local businesses for improved accuracy.Apple has acquired the Toronto-based Locationary, a small Canadian startup, backed by Extreme Venture Partners and Plazacorp Ventures. Multiple sources familiar with the deal tell AllThingsD it closed recently and includes...
Comparing the New Frequent Device Upgrade Programs from U.S. Carriers
Earlier today, Verizon became the third major U.S. iPhone carrier to announce a program designed to allow customers to upgrade their handsets more frequently. Verizon's "Edge" program, which launches August 25, will join AT&T's "Next" program introduced earlier this week and T-Mobile's "Jump" offering announced last week. While the new frequent upgrade plans may seem appealing to some users, Th...
Verizon Officially Announces 'Edge' Frequent Device Upgrade Program
In line with a leaked document from earlier this week, Verizon today announced the upcoming launch of its new "Edge" handset upgrade program. Similar to AT&T's "Next" program introduced earlier this week and T-Mobile's "Jump" offering, Edge is designed to allow users to upgrade their handsets more frequently. Here’s how it works: Choose the phone you want and sign up for a month-to-month...
Apple Reportedly Talking to LG About 55-65 Inch Ultra HD TV Panels
While rumors of an Apple television set have quieted down in recent months, the company's living room ambitions remain at the forefront amid new Apple TV offerings and continued reports of talks with content providers. In a brief report today, Digitimes claims that Apple has been talking to LG about the possibility of securing display panels in the range of 55-65 inches for a future television ...
Apple Taps New Hires in Health Sensors, Broad Array of Internal Experts for 'iWatch' Team
Following a report from earlier this week indicating that Apple is still "aggressively" hiring new employees to support its smart watch project, 9to5Mac has published a lengthy feature highlighting a number of the company's recent hires. In particular, the report focus on Apple's hiring in the health sensor field.Based on new hires, it seems that Apple’s interest in sensors focuses on the...
Verizon Tops Expectations with 3.9 Million iPhone Activations in Q2 2013
Verizon today became the first of the major U.S. iPhone carriers to report financial results for the second quarter of 2013, revealing during its conference call that the carrier activated approximately 3.9 million iPhones during the quarter. The number represents a little over half of Verizon's 7.5 million total smartphone activations during the quarter and is up approximately 44% from the year-a...
Apple Edging Further Into the Living Room by Cooperating with TV Content Providers
Following a report from earlier this week describing how Apple has approached cable companies and networks with a proposal to allow viewers to pay to skip over ads, The New York Times weighs in with a broader look at Apple's strategy for taking over the living room. The report highlights how Apple has chosen to cooperate with content providers rather than attempt to replace traditional cable...
Leaked 'iPhone 5S' Rear Shell Likely for iPhone 5, Rumored Specs Equally Suspect
Earlier this week, a user on China's microblogging service Sina Weibo posted a pair of photos showing what many observers have concluded must be the rear shell of the iPhone 5S, despite the user simply commenting "What is this?" alongside the photos. The photos were quickly picked up [Google translation] by Chinese site EXPreview, which paired them with specific claims about the specs of the ...
Apple-Liquidmetal Collaboration Awarded Patent on Process for Mass Production of Amorphous Metals
Back in 2010, Apple signed an agreement with Caltech spinoff Liquidmetal Technologies, giving Apple exclusive access to the firm's unique metal alloys for consumer electronics applications. Liquidmetal's "amorphous metal alloys", sometimes referred to as "metallic glass" due to their non-crystalline molecular structures, offer several advantages over many other metals, including superior strength ...
Sketchy Report Claims iPhone 5S Delayed Until Late 2013 Over Switch to 4.3-Inch Display
Bloomberg highlights a new report from Taiwan's Commercial Times claiming that Apple may be pushing back the launch of the iPhone 5S to the end of this year in order to increase the size of the device's display from the current 4 inches to 4.3 inches.Apple Inc. (AAPL) may delay the introduction of the iPhone 5S until the end of the year after the design was changed to feature a bigger 4.3-inch...
OS X Users Hit by Ransomware Websites Posing as FBI Notices
Malwarebytes takes a look at a method cyber-criminals have begun using to target Mac users with "ransomware", hijacking the user's browser with a notice demanding payment of $300 in order to release control of the application. While similar malware has affected Windows systems for a number of years, Mac users have only rarely seen such efforts targeted at themselves.The ransomware page is being...
Apple Launches Logic Pro X with Virtual Drummer and Flex Pitch
Apple today announced the launch of Logic Pro X, the next-generation version of its professional audio software. The release brings a completely revamped Logic Pro application including a new virtual drummer and integrated pitch editing, as well as an iPad companion app.Apple today unveiled Logic Pro X, the most advanced version of Logic Pro to date, featuring a new interface designed for pros,...
Apple Looking to Acquire PrimeSense, Israeli Firm Behind Kinect's Original 3D Body Sensing Technology
Israeli business newspaper Calcalist reports [Google translation, via 9to5Mac] that Apple is in early-stage negotiations to acquire 3D body sensing firm PrimeSense, with any deal likely to command a price in the range of $280 million. PrimeSense is the firm that developed the original technology behind Microsoft's Kinect motion sensing and control system. The report indicates that a...
'Angry Birds Star Wars II' Launching September 19 Alongside 'Telepods' Interactive Toys
Rovio today announced the Septmeber 19 debut of "Angry Birds Star Wars II", building on the success of the original partnership between Rovio and Lucasfilm.The new game will tackle the prequels, introducing a wide roster of never-before-seen Angry Birds Star Wars characters. The best part? You’ll get to play with over 30 of them! At this point we will not comment on rumors or speculation...
Apple Pledges Investigation After Chinese Woman Reportedly Electrocuted Using a Charging iPhone 5
The Next Web summarizes a series of reports from out of China relating an incident in which a 23-year-old Chinese woman was allegedly electrocuted while answering a call on her iPhone 5 as it was plugged in and charging. Details on the incident are somewhat sketchy, but the woman's family insists that the iPhone was purchased from Apple in December and that the woman was using Apple's official...
'Almost Bezel-Free' Redesign for iPad Mini Coming, but Still No Retina Until Early 2014?
In the wake of continuing reports suggesting that Apple's Retina iPad mini may not be ready to launch until early next year, Digitimes has now added its thoughts on the matter, claiming that Apple will be releasing a slightly redesigned non-Retina iPad mini later this year before launching the Retina iPad mini early next year. According to the report, the Retina iPad mini will see an...
Apple Reportedly Signs Deal with Samsung for 14-nm A9 Chips Starting in 2015
The Korea Economic Daily reports that Apple and Samsung today officially signed an agreement that will see the two companies working together on future A-series chips for Apple's iOS devices, with the deal specifically covering A9 chips based on a 14-nanometer process node starting in 2015. The claim comes just weeks after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) confirmed a deal with Apple to...
