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
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Updated for MacBook Pro Retina Display
Microsoft today announced the release of Office for Mac 2011 version 14.2.4, which brings support for the Retina display on the new MacBook Pro released in June.We’re happy to announce that Office for Mac 2011 (version 14.2.4) now supports Retina display for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Text everywhere is incredibly crisp and all key areas of the interface are now sharper than ever. We ...
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Apple Releases MacBook Pro Retina EFI Update 1.0
Among its slew of software updates released today, Apple has also pushed out MacBook Pro Retina EFI Update 1.0, which brings several fixes for Apple's new professional notebook released in June.This update is recommended to MacBook Pro with Retina display (mid 2012) models. This update resolves an issue which can cause the system to hang during heavy processor loads, and resolves an issue where...
Apple Releases OS X 10.7.5 with Gatekeeper
With Apple having released both iOS 6 and OS X 10.8.2 today, the company is also taking care of OS X Lion users with the release of OS X 10.7.5.
The update includes a number of enhancements, including the activation of the Gatekeeper feature from OS X Mountain Lion that allows users to limit for security reasons what types of apps can be installed on the user's computer. The feature has...
Apple Releases OS X 10.8.2 with Facebook Integration and Game Center
Alongside today's launch of iOS 6, Apple has also released OS X 10.8.2 to the public. The update is currently available via the Software Update functionality in the Mac App Store.
The update includes a number of enhancements, most notably Facebook integration and Game Center. It also includes support for several features integrating with iOS 6, such as Passbook passes and iMessage/FaceTime ...
Samsung Releases New Galaxy S III Ad Poking Fun at iPhone 5 Launch
As noted by The Tech Block, Samsung has released its latest smartphone commercial taking aim at the iPhone, this time promoting its flagship Galaxy S III by parodying Apple fans waiting in line for the iPhone 5.
The 90-second ad highlights several Galaxy S III features including S Beam file transfers accomplished by bumping phones together and the larger display. The ad parodies Apple fans' ...
Apple Releases iOS 6 with New Maps App, Facebook Integration, Siri Improvements, and More
As expected, Apple has just released iOS 6 to the public, making the download available to users of recent iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch models. Users can obtain the update either by connecting their devices to iTunes and clicking the "Check for Update" button or checking for over-the-air updates on their devices via Settings -> General -> Software Update. It may, however, take a few minutes for...
First iPhone 5 Unboxing Videos Posted as Reports of Premature Deliveries Begin
Following yesterday's publication of the first unboxing photos of the iPhone 5, several unboxing videos have now begun appearing. Among the first is one from UK gadget site T3, which received an official review unit from Apple and published its review as the embargo lifted late yesterday.
T3 has also posted a number of other videos showing off features of the iPhone 5.
A second video has ...
Time Warner Willing to Cede Control of User Interface in Potential Deals for Apple TV Products
Two weeks ago, Bloomberg reported on Apple's struggles to reach television content deals that would enable the company to broaden its living room reach by providing set-top boxes to blend live and recorded material. The report noted that cable companies have generally been reluctant to work with Apple as they seek to retain control over the software and other aspects of their businesses, with...
Hands-On Video with 'iPad Mini' Physical Mockup
Physical mockups of Apple's rumored "iPad mini", presumably based on leaked design specs from case manufacturers, have appeared with increasing frequency in recent weeks, and Gizchina.com has now obtained one of the dummy units to share new photos and a video giving an impression of how the device might look and feel. The dummy units are widely available through Chinese online marketplace Taobao ...
iPhone 5 Component Costs Estimated to Begin at $199
IHS iSuppli has released its estimate of the component costs involved in building the iPhone 5, performing a virtual teardown based on information revealed by Apple and industry knowledge. The estimate, which does not include numerous other costs involved in product development, manufacturing, and sales, such as research and development, software, patent licenses, marketing, and distribution...
Apple's Entire Design Team Travels to London for Award Acceptance
The London Evening Standard reports that Apple design chief Jonathan Ive and his entire team made a trip to London yesterday in order to accept a prestigious award from Design and Art Direction (D&AD). The acceptance of the award, which recognized Apple's design team as "the best brand and the best design studio of the last 50 years", was reportedly the first time the entire team attended such a ...
Shipping Estimates for New iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Through Apple Slip to 3-4 Weeks
The iPhone 5 does not officially launch until Friday, but pre-orders are clearly continuing to roll in through Apple's online store as the company has now bumped shipping estimates for new pre-orders to 3-4 weeks. Apple sold out of its launch day pre-order stock in just about an hour last Friday, with shipping estimates quickly moving to two weeks and then drifting to 2-3 weeks, where they have...
Apple's EarPods Receive the Teardown Treatment
The teardown experts at iFixit are undoubtedly itching to get their hands on the iPhone 5 later this week, and in the meantime they've decided to bide their time by taking apart Apple's new EarPods to see how the earphones compare to their predecessors. Overall, the teardown reveals a significantly revamped design with greater durability in the form of better-sealed components and increased cord ...
First iPhone 5 Unboxing Photos Reveal Packaging Layout and EarPods Travel Case
BGR shares a few photos of what seems to be the first publicly-revealed unboxing of the iPhone 5. It is unclear how the source was able to obtain an iPhone 5, but the photos show the box itself and the rear of the device, as well as the trio of accessories that are included in the box: EarPods, power adapter, and Lightning to USB cable.
The EarPods appear to be packaged identically to the...
Overview of Apple's A6 Chip Development and Future Plans
Semiconductor analyst Linley Gwennap has posted an interesting overview (via CNET) of the series of events that led to Apple's A6 system-on-a-chip, the company's first entirely custom ARM chip design. The report notes that Apple has likely spent in excess of $500 million on the project when including the purchase prices of chip firms P.A. Semi and Intrinsity.At this point, Apple has spent about...
'iPad Mini' Physical Mockup Surfaces Again...in Black
Nowhereelse.fr shares some new photos of an "iPad mini" that appeared on Chinese site Bolopad.
Despite reports from other sites indicating that is likely to be an actual iPad mini, it is clearly a physical mockup and is simply the black version of a white mockup that appeared last week.
The mockup is consistent with leaked case designs and other mockups, pointing to a somewhat rounded...
AT&T to Face Net Neutrality Complaint Regarding FaceTime Over Cellular Limitation
Late last month, we noted that net neutrality organization Public Knowledge had accused AT&T of violating Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules in limiting use of the forthcoming FaceTime over Cellular feature in iOS 6 to customers on the carrier's new Mobile Share plans. AT&T responded to note that it was within its rights to block FaceTime over Cellular for customers on other plans...
Five New Apple Retail Stores Opening for iPhone 5 Launch Week
In support of the initial launch of the iPhone 5 this Friday, Apple has announced five new grand openings for its retail store chain. The first opening of this week will take place on Thursday, when the new Rio Shopping store in Valladolid, Spain opens its doors. The somewhat unusual Thursday opening stems from the fact that the brand-new Rio Shopping mall itself is opening on that date....
iPhone 5 Sales Predicted to Hit 8 Million Units in Launch Weekend
Following Apple's announcement earlier today that it took two million iPhone 5 pre-orders in the first 24 hours of availability, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has published a new research note predicting that Apple will achieve sales in the range of 6-10 million units for the opening weekend, with the mid-range number of 8 million units being used for modeling purposes. Munster bases his...
Retina MacBook Pro Users Still Complaining of Image Persistence
Back in late June, we reported that some early purchasers of Apple's Retina MacBook Pro were experiencing image persistence or "ghosting" issues in which remnants of previously-displayed windows remain visible on the screen for sometime afterward.
Apple was reportedly replacing the affected machines and DisplayMate's Ray Soneira had indicated that it was likely to be an early production issue, ...
