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
T-Mobile USA Begins Taking Pre-Orders for iPhone 5 Ahead of April 12 Launch
In line with its previously announced timeline, T-Mobile USA today began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 ahead of its April 12 launch.
Under T-Mobile's new payment model, the 16 GB iPhone 5 requires a down payment of $99.99 with the customer also responsible for an additional 24 monthly payments of $20, bringing the total cost of the device to $579.99. The 32 GB and 64 GB models carry the ...
Read Full Article • 166 comments
Zuckerberg: Android's Openness Offers Opportunity for 'Way Better' Experience Than iPhone
Following today's introduction of Facebook Home, a new people-focused integration layer for Android devices, Fortune has published an interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in which he discusses a number of topics including the rivalry between Apple and Google in the mobile market.
In Zuckerberg's view, the open nature of Google that has allowed Facebook to build Home offers a great...
'Samsung Experience Shops' Coming to 1,400 Best Buy Locations
Last week, we noted that Samsung was rumored to be launching a new "store-within-a-store" concept inside Best Buy stores, taking on the dedicated "Apple Shops" that have been located in many Best Buy locations for a number of years.
Samsung and Best Buy have now officially announced the partnership, with "Samsung Experience Shops" focused on the company's mobile products coming to 1,400 Best ...
Apple Highlights Age Ratings in iOS App Store With New Icons
Apple yesterday rolled out another tweak for its iOS App Store, adding age rating icons to the top section of each app's information page. While the ratings have long been included in app details at the bottom of the pages, the new icons are much more prominent to help parents quickly assess whether a given app might be age appropriate for their children.
The change comes roughly two weeks...
Steve Jobs' Requirements for 'Fit and Finish' Leading to Massive Cost Overruns for Apple's New Campus
In a lengthy report today, Bloomberg Businessweek takes a look at Apple's upcoming "spaceship" campus in Cupertino, noting that the project is currently one year behind schedule and roughly $2 billion over budget.Since 2011, the budget for Apple’s Campus 2 has ballooned from less than $3 billion to nearly $5 billion, according to five people close to the project who were not authorized to speak ...
EVGA Announces GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Mac Pro
Just two weeks after Sapphire introduced the Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition graphics card for the Mac Pro, EVGA today announced the launch of its GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition. Based on the popular year-old card for PCs, the new GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition carries 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and adds another high-end graphics option for current Mac Pro users.The EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition graphics card...
SkyDrive 3.0 Appears in App Store Following Apple-Microsoft Conflict Over Subscription Options
As noted by The Verge, Microsoft today launched version 3.0 of its SkyDrive iOS application for accessing and managing files stored in the company's cloud service.New in version 3.0
- Updated to support iPhone 5 and iPad Mini
- Download full resolution photos to your iPhone or iPad
- Improved support for opening SkyDrive files in other iOS apps
- Improved support for uploading files to...
Lodsys Targets Disney's 'Where's My Water?' and Others in New Round of Lawsuits Over In-App Purchasing
For nearly two years, we've been following the saga of patent troll Lodsys, which has been demanding licenses from and filing lawsuits against developers over in-app purchasing and related functionalities in their apps.
Apple quickly stepped in on behalf of iOS developers when the situation first arose in May 2011, claiming that its existing license with Lodsys covered developers using iOS...
Analyst Claims 60-Inch 'iTV' Could Launch in Late 2013 With 'iRing' Motion Control and iPad-Like Auxiliary Screens
Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White is out with a new research note today outlining a remarkable set of features for Apple's rumored television set product, claiming that the TV could launch later this year. White believes that the television will be available as a 60-inch model, with 50-55 inch models also potentially being available.
In a new addition to the Apple television rumor...
Apple to Begin Production of Next iPhone This Quarter, Summer Launch Possible
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will begin production on the next iPhone this quarter, setting the stage for a potential launch this summer.Apple Inc. plans to begin production of a new iPhone similar in size and shape to its current one in the second quarter of the year, according to people familiar with the device's production, teeing up a possible summer launch for the next version...
T-Mobile to Release Software Update With LTE and Visual Voicemail Support for Unlocked iPhones on April 5
TmoNews reports that T-Mobile USA has issued an internal memo announcing that it will release a new carrier update on April 5 that will add LTE support for unlocked iPhones running on its network. The update will also bring Visual Voicemail and other features to the devices.The T-Mobile Carrier Update is a minor iOS software update that enables official iPhone support by T-Mobile. When installed, ...
Key Claim of Apple's 'Rubber Banding' Patent Once Again Found Invalid by U.S. Patent Office
Last October, a court filing in the U.S. lawsuit between Apple and Samsung revealed that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had issued a preliminary decision ruling that all of 20 claims of Apple's "rubber banding" patent were invalid.
The patent, which addresses the ability for content displayed on iOS devices to "bounce back" when the user scrolls to the top or bottom of the page,...
Samsung's Exclusive Contract for iOS Device Chips Expiring in June as A7 for iPhone 6 Heads to TSMC?
Taiwan's Economic Daily News reports [Google translation, via Mac Otakara] that "high-ranking officials" at Samsung have disclosed that the firm has yet to receive orders for an A7 chip to be used in the iPhone 6 next year. The lack of contact with Apple about an A7 chip is reportedly leading to speculation at Samsung that Apple has shifted its orders for the chip to Taiwan Semiconductor Company...
Funny or Die Releases Teaser Trailer for 'iSteve'
Last month, comedy site Funny or Die announced that it will be releasing iSteve, a 60-75 minute movie based on the life of Steve Jobs, on April 15. The film stars Justin Long, who gained fame among Apple fans for playing the role of "Mac" in the popular "Get a Mac" advertising campaign, in the role of Jobs.With less than two weeks to go before the film's debut, Funny or Die has now released a t...
Apple Slashes Prices on iPhone 4/4S by 15-25% in Brazil
As noted by O Globo, Apple today made significant cuts to its pricing for the iPhone 4 and 4S in Brazil, lowering the price of the 8 GB iPhone 4 from R$ 1499 (US$741) to R$ 1099 (US$544) while dropping the 16 GB iPhone 4S from R$ 1999 (US$989) to R$ 1699 (US$840).
New iPhone 4/4S pricing in Brazil
Apple's standard sales arrangement in Brazil includes financing of 12 monthly payments, but...
Happy April Fools' Day 2013: RunKeeper for iPad, iPlay Game Console, and More
As happens every year on April 1, today is April Fools' Day, and readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites. Today also represents Apple's 37th anniversary, with their partnership having officially been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
As has become tradition, a number of today's pranks have focused on Apple, and here are a few of the...
Tim Cook Posts Letter to Chinese Apple Customers Announcing Changes to iPhone 4/4S Warranty Policies
Over the past several weeks, state-run media and other outlets in China have criticized Apple over the company's warranty practices in the country.The company had posted a letter to customers defending its practices as going above and beyond requirements of Chinese law, but as noted by Business Insider, Apple has now posted a new letter from CEO Tim Cook [Google translation] announcing changes...
Apple's 'iPad Mini' Trademark Application Initially Denied, but Resolution Should Be Simple
Over the weekend, Patently Apple reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had refused Apple's trademark application for the term "iPad mini". While some such as The Verge's Nilay Patel were quick to note that the refusal was simply a first office action that is nowhere near final, the refusal does offer an interesting glimpse into the thinking of patent examiners.
The examiner's prima...
Apple Has No Plans for Dedicated iOS Gaming Controller
Following today's rumor that Apple was quietly polling developers at this week's Game Developers Conference about support for a forthcoming gaming controller for iOS devices, the ever-reliable Jim Dalrymple has quickly quashed that report.
As usual, Dalrymple provides no additional comment beyond a simple "Nope", but his selective quoting of the source material suggests that he is denying any...
Unlikely Rumor Claims June 20 Media Event to Introduce iPhone 5S
Mac Otakara reports that the long-running Japanese magazine MacFan has claimed that Apple will be holding a special media event on June 20 to introduce the iPhone 5S. According to the report, the iPhone 5S will actually launch in July with the rumored lower-cost iPhone following in August.
Various analysts and other sources have been indicating that the iPhone 5S could launch as soon as June...
