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 Begins Offering Free Content in 'Apple Store' iOS App with 'Color Zen'
Following an update to its Apple Store iOS app late last month, Apple has now begun offering the reported free iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore content through the app (via Flo's Weblog [Google translation]).
As in the leaked sample screenshot, the initial offering is Color Zen, a puzzle game typically priced at $0.99. The free content is accessed by visiting any of the pages for...
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Silver iPad 5 Rear Shell Appears in New Photos with iPad Mini Styling
Back in January, a handful of photos of what was alleged to be the fifth-generation black iPad's rear shell surfaced, showing how the device would take design cues from the iPad mini to offer a smaller form factor with narrower side bezels and more rounded rear edges. An additional photo appeared in late April, but otherwise leaks of the device's rear shell have been scarce. A variety of cases...
Apple Reminds Customers in Some U.S. States of Upcoming Sales Tax Holidays
With a number of U.S. states preparing to host "sales tax holidays" in which certain items can be purchased without being subject to sales taxes, Apple has begun sending out emails to customers in those states reminding them of the potential to save significant amounts of money on purchases such as computers and accessories.
Sales tax holidays are typically held in early August as back to...
iOS 7 Beta 4 Code Points to Home Button Fingerprint Sensor for iPhone 5S
Following its 2012 acquisition of mobile security firm AuthenTec, which specialized in fingerprint sensors, Apple has been rumored to be looking to incorporate its technology into its future products. Rumors have indicated that such a sensor could be a differentiating feature for Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S, although there has so far been little in the way of solid evidence that such a feature is...
Apple Seeds iOS 7 Beta 4 to Developers
In line with hints and rumors from earlier today, Apple has just pushed out a fourth beta version of iOS 7 to developers for testing purposes. The update is arriving as both an over-the-air update to existing beta testers and through the iOS Dev Center.
As expected, the new beta arrives as build 11A4435d. Apple has also released Xcode 5 Developer Preview 4 and a third beta of the Apple TV...
Pegatron Employee Describes Role in Producing Apple's Lower-Cost Plastic iPhone
Earlier today, labor rights group China Labor Watch issued a report making claims of poor working conditions at Apple's assembly partner Pegatron. As pointed out by Computerworld, the 60-page report (PDF) confirms that Apple is working on production of a plastic iPhone, a device that has been rumored for some time and seen in a number of recent part leaks.
Photo of alleged lower-cost plastic ...
Companies Lining Up in Support of Apple Ahead of Potential Older Model iPhone/iPad Ban in U.S.
Following last week's opinion piece from Verizon attorney Randall Milch outlining why the carrier objects to the impending U.S. ban on imports of older iPhone and 3G-capable iPad models, The Wall Street Journal notes that a number of other companies and regulators are lining up in support of Apple in the case.
Rather than taking a position on the details of the case, which revolve around a...
Apple's iPhone Activation Servers Experiencing Extended Outage
While Apple is still working to bring its developer site back up a week after taken offline due to a security breach, the company appears to be experiencing another problem with its systems today, as a number of MacRumors readers have reported they are unable to activate their new iPhones. Other reports are showing up on Twitter as the problems continue.
According to one tipster who called...
Ashton Kutcher Talks More About Playing the Role of Steve Jobs
Last week, Ashton Kutcher took to Quora to explain some of the reasons why he decided to take on the role of Steve Jobs in the upcoming film JOBS, noting his admiration for Jobs, the challenge of the role, and his interest in the convergence of technology and entertainment.
With the film set for wide release on August 16, Kutcher is now beginning to hit the publicity circuit to talk about the...
Apple to Dump AU Optronics as Display Supplier for Next-Generation iPad Mini?
ETNews.com reports that Apple is discontinuing its relationship with AU Optronics to supply display panels for the iPad mini as production on displays for the second-generation models is expected to ramp up in the coming months. According to the report, LG Display is already onboard and Sharp is in solid position given its technological advantage in energy efficiency, while other display...
Researcher Takes Credit for Security Breach of Apple's Developer Center
The Next Web points to a comment on a TechCrunch article taking credit for last week's unauthorized access of Apple's Developer Center last week. The comment comes from independent security researcher Ibrahim Balic, who claims that his effort was not intended to be malicious and that he reported his findings to Apple just hours before the developer site was taken down by the company.In total I...
'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 ...
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...
