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
Google Close to Acquiring WhatsApp for $1 Billion?
Digital Trends reports that Google is on the verge of acquiring WhatsApp, the company behind the popular cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp Messenger.While the deal started four or five weeks ago, we’ve been told that WhatsApp is “playing hardball” and jockeying for a higher acquisition price, which currently is “close to” $1 billion right now.WhatsApp Messenger is currently a $0.99 app in ...
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U.S. Patent Office Withdraws Primary Objections to Apple's 'iPad Mini' Trademark Application
Last week, we noted that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had issued an initial office action denying Apple's application for a trademark on the term "iPad mini".
The examiner's primary objection to Apple's application related to all of the elements of the "iPad mini" name having been judged as descriptive rather than contributing to a unique product name. A second objection...
T-Mobile USA Rolling Out Software Update for Existing Unlocked iPhone Customers
In line with a report from earlier this week, TmoNews reports that T-Mobile USA has begun rolling out software updates for existing customers running unlocked iPhones on its network.
As the carrier notes in its support forum, the update enables a number of features, including LTE support where available, ahead of the official launch of new iPhone 5 sales for the carrier next week.Enables the...
Apple to Alter VPN On Demand Behavior in iOS 6.1 and Later Due to VirnetX Lawsuit
The Loop points to a new Apple support document disclosing that the company will be changing the behavior of the VPN On Demand feature on iOS devices running iOS 6.1 or later through a software update to be released later this month. The changes have been necessitated by a $368 million judgment against Apple late last year in a patent lawsuit brought by VirnetX.Devices using iOS 6.1 and later...
Apple Updates Online Store With Touch-Friendly Navigation and Search Result Tweaks
Apple today rolled out a few minor tweaks to its online store (via Mac Otakara), making it easier to navigate the store on touchscreen devices such as the iPhone and iPad.
One change involves a new sliding navigation bar for product categories. From the main store page, once users select one of the four main shopping categories (Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod), the navigation bar at the top of...
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 ...
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...
