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
Foxconn Workers Reportedly Strike over iPhone 5 Quality Control Demands
China Labor Watch reports (via Gizmodo) that thousands of Foxconn workers responsible for assembly of the iPhone 5 have gone on strike today, objecting to strict enforcement of increased quality control standards.China Labor Watch (CLW) announced that at 1:00PM on October 5 (Beijing time), a strike occurred at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory that, according to workers, involved three to four...
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Apple's 3D Maps and Imagery See Incremental Improvements
Following last week's open letter from Tim Cook in which he promised that Apple "will keep working non-stop" until the iOS 6 Maps app meets customers' standards for quality, Apple has indeed been making improvements to the service. While there is certainly a ways to go, it is clear that the company is indeed moving quickly to address issues and improve coverage for the flagship 3D mapping and...
Apple Preparing to Begin Shipping Fifth-Generation iPod Touch to Customers
At last month's media event, Apple introduced the fifth-generation iPod touch, a revamped version of the device offering the same 4-inch display found in the iPhone 5 and a number of different color options. While Apple immediately began taking pre-orders for the device, availability was set for a rather vague "October" timeframe. As of earlier today, some of those early pre-order customers...
Apple Marks One-Year Anniversary of Steve Jobs' Death
On the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs' death, Apple has posted a new remembrance on its website. Visitors to apple.com are presented with a nearly two-minute photo slideshow of Jobs paired with some of his famous audio clips. Once the slideshow is completed, the website transitions to a simple letter of remembrance from Tim Cook below the standard site navigation bar.A message from Tim...
Apple Releases OS X 10.8.2 Supplemental Update with Japanese Character, Safari and Other Bug Fixes
Apple today released OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update 1.0, a minor software update bringing a handful of fixes to the latest version of OS X Mountain Lion.The OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users running OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2 and includes the following fixes: - Resolves an issue that may cause certain Japanese characters to appear incorrectly in Mail - Allows...
'iPad Mini' Launch Supplies Reportedly Challenged by Component Yield Issues
In the lead-up to major Apple product launches, there are almost inevitably reports of production problems that result in the company having lower stocks on hand than it initially hoped for, sometimes leading to extended shortages as the company's supply chain works to catch up to demand. The iPhone 5 was no different, with yield issues on the new in-cell displays used in the device reportedly...
Google Adds Street View to Web-Based Google Maps for Mobile Devices
As noted by iPhoneinCanada.ca, Google today added its Street View functionality to the web-based version of its Google Maps product available to iOS and other mobile device users. With Apple's transition to its own Maps app in iOS 6, users still wishing to use Google Maps have been able to do so through the maps.google.com web app, but the web version has been missing some features compared to...
Third-Party Thunderbolt Docking Stations Remain Vaporware as Shipping Dates Pushed Back
More than a year after the debut of the Apple Thunderbolt Display, which incorporates a docking station function offering three USB ports, one Firewire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port, and a second Thunderbolt port to enable daisy chaining, consumers are still looking for a similar product in a cheaper, standalone format that forgoes the expensive display included in the Apple product....
Insiders Detail Steve Jobs' Role in Apple's Mapping Effort, Desire to Replace Google as iOS Search Engine
Bloomberg Businessweek's profile of Apple one year after the death of Steve Jobs includes an interesting glimpse of Steve Jobs' role in Apple's mapping effort, a project that has been a number of years in the making but which only now has made its way into the public's hands. Unsurprisingly, the report notes that Apple's mapping effort was Jobs' idea, stemming from his concern over Google's...
Tim Cook Faced an 'Insurrection' Following Announcement of Bob Mansfield's Retirement
Earlier this year, Apple announced that hardware chief Bob Mansfield would be retiring, staying on for several months as iPad hardware engineering chief Dan Riccio transitioned into the broader role overseeing the company's entire hardware effort. But just two months later, Apple announced that Mansfield would be staying on, retaining his senior vice president title but without a specific role...
Apple Keeping Tight Control Over Lightning Connector, Requiring Approval of Third-Party Factories
iLounge reports that Apple is continuing to keep strict control over its new Lightning connector found on the iPhone 5, moving to tighten its Made For iPad/iPhone/iPod (MFi) program policies for accessory manufacturers relative to the previous 30-pin dock connector design. According to the report, Apple is demanding that all MFi vendors seeking to launch Lightning-related accessories manufacture ...
Apple Turning to Select Retail Store Employees to Help Improve Maps for iOS 6
MacRumors has learned that Apple is piloting a program to tap into its vast number of retail store employees to help improve the company's new Maps app for iOS 6. Details on the initiative remain unclear, but multiple sources have indicated that participating stores will dedicate 40 hours of staff time per week, distributed among a number of employees, to manually examine Apple's mapping data in ...
Apple Reportedly Working with Australian Firm Microlatch on Fingerprint Recognition
Even as AuthenTec's board of directors appears to moving toward approval of Apple's $356 million acquisition of the fingerprint sensor chip company, a new report suggests that Apple is also drawing on other expertise to assist with its mobile payments effort. According to The Australian (subscription required), Apple has signed a deal to work with Australian firm Microlatch on similar...
Photos of Purported 'iPad Mini' Parts Include Rear Shell and Front Panel
UkrainianiPhone shares several photos (via 9to5Mac) of what its source claims are parts from Apple's forthcoming "iPad mini". The parts include a black rear shell demonstrating cellular capabilities, as well as a white front panel/digitizer assembly. The photo set also includes a purported LCD from the iPad mini, but the part actually appears to be a Kindle Fire display. The site...
Previously Untold Recollections of Steve Jobs: 'Scuffgate' 2004, 'Hide the Porsches', and More
Years before the iPhone 5 scuffing and scratching controversy, Apple CEO Steve Jobs played a role in another scuffing incident at the company's then brand-new Stanford Shopping Center mini retail store. According to Forbes' Connie Guglielmo, who relates the anecdote as part of a series of previously untold stories and recollections of Jobs, he initially refused to step outside the store to greet ...
Samsung Requests to Add iPhone 5 to U.S. Patent Lawsuit
Making good on its stated intent to file a patent lawsuit against Apple over the iPhone 5, Samsung has filed a request to have the device added to an existing lawsuit underway in U.S. Federal Court, according to FOSS Patents.The October 1 filing now says that "as soon as [the] iPhone 5 was available for purchase, Samsung began its investigation of the product and within a week "determined that...
Apple Removes Chomp Website and App, Shuts Down Existing App Installs
Following the introduction of the new Chomp-styled App Store layout in iOS 6, built upon Apple's acquisition of the app search and discovery platform earlier this year, Apple over the weekend shut down the standalone Chomp service. iOS 6 App Store (left) and Chomp app for iOS (right) Chomp had previously been available as both website and app tools for iOS and Android, but Apple killed...
Apple and Virgin Mobile USA Planning to Launch iPhone 5, But Timeframe Unknown
While the three major U.S iPhone carriers launched the iPhone 5 on September 21 and prepaid carrier Cricket and a number of regional carriers followed suit on September 28, one U.S. brand has been curiously silent about its plans for the iPhone 5: Sprint's prepaid Virgin Mobile unit. Virgin launched the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 in late June, offering prepaid plans for as low as $30 per month to...
'iPad Mini' Production Reportedly Underway in Brazil
Japanese blog Mac Otakara reports that it has received information from a source indicating that Apple's assembly partner Foxconn has begun production on the forthcoming "iPad mini" at its facilities in Brazil. The report seems to be a follow-up on the site's July report claiming that production would begin ramping in Brazil in September.According to my source, iPad mini was started production...
Apple's iOS Developer Guidelines Now Targeting Third-Party App Discovery and Promotion Tools
PocketGamer.biz highlights a recent addition to Apple's iOS developer guidelines revealing that the company is now specifically targeting third-party apps intended to serve as repositories of information on other App Store apps, whether it be in the form of curated app discovery, promotional listings, price drops, or other similar app directory features. The new guideline was added in a...
