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.

Eric Slivka's Articles

Java Web 165

Apple Updates Java for Lion and Snow Leopard in Sync with Oracle

Wednesday June 13, 2012 12:09 pm PDT by
Apple yesterday released a pair of software updates for Java, issuing versions for both Lion and Snow Leopard. The update in part builds upon an earlier Java update for Lion that disabled automatic execution of Java applets in an attempt to minimize the impact of Java-based malware threats like Flashback.This update configures web browsers to not automatically run Java applets. Java applets may...
magsafe 2 converter

Apple Including Free MagSafe 2 Converter with Thunderbolt Display

Wednesday June 13, 2012 11:15 am PDT by
As we noted on Monday, Apple's new MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro use a new MagSafe 2 charging standard that is thinner and wider than the previous MagSafe. In order to assist people using the new machines with older equipment like chargers and displays, Apple released a small MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter for $9.99 to ensure continued compatibility. Apple has not updated its Apple...
retina macbook pro window display

Apple Retail Stores Rolling Out New Retina MacBook Pro Window Displays

Wednesday June 13, 2012 8:59 am PDT by
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple's retail stores have begun installing new window displays showing off the new Retina MacBook Pro mounted on a pedestal with a massive model of the machine as a background. As we reported earlier today, Apple retail stores have been receiving display models of the new Retina MacBook Pro, but shipments of stock are just starting to trickle in. Those looking for a...
dot apple application

Apple Applies for '.apple' Domain Name Suffix

Wednesday June 13, 2012 8:46 am PDT by
As noted by the Associated Press, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has published a list of nearly 2,000 applications it has received as part of an expansion of the domain naming system that is planned to add new suffixes, including some based on brands to allow companies to simplify URLs for their sites and enhance their branding. Apple is included in the list, ...
retina macbook pro 3 4 weeks

Retina MacBook Pro Shipping Estimates Slip to 3-4 Weeks as Initial Shipments Begin

Wednesday June 13, 2012 7:52 am PDT by
Shipping estimates for the Retina MacBook Pro continue to slip, with new orders now estimated to ship in 3-4 weeks across Apple's online stores. The slip to 3-4 weeks comes roughly 24 hours after they slipped to 2-3 weeks. But while new orders will take some time to arrive, some of those who were able to order their machines soon after the online store came back up on Monday are beginning...
retina macbook pro teardown

Teardown of Retina MacBook Pro Finds Low Repairability with Custom Components

Wednesday June 13, 2012 7:27 am PDT by
Following yesterday's teaser teardown of the updated MacBook Air, iFixit has now given Apple's new Retina MacBook Pro the same treatment. Apple of course showed off a fair bit of the machines internals during the keynote in order to promote all of the innovations included inside, but iFixit's teardown still provides an interesting hands-on look at the internals. Unsurprisingly, the Retina ...
macbook pro retina hand

Apple Releases 'Every Dimension' TV Commercial for Retina MacBook Pro

Tuesday June 12, 2012 8:52 pm PDT by
Apple has just released a new TV ad for the Retina MacBook Pro, naturally focusing on the breakthrough Retina display included in the machine unveiled yesterday.The radical new MacBook Pro with Retina display. Innovation in every dimension. While Apple has had several high-profile Mac ad campaigns such as "Get a Mac" and "Switch" , the company only rarely advertises specific Mac products in...
macpro

Apple Spokesperson Confirms New Mac Pro Designs Likely Coming in 2013 [Update: Not iMac]

Tuesday June 12, 2012 3:08 pm PDT by
Yesterday, David Pogue of The New York Times vaguely stated in reference to Apple's desktop Mac lines that an unnamed Apple executive had informed him that "new models and new designs are under way, probably for release in 2013." That information was taken to include both Mac Pro and iMac models, but was not explicitly clear. Soon after we posted the article, we received a report from a...
geekbench mid 2012 macbook pro

Benchmarks for Mid-2012 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Tuesday June 12, 2012 1:47 pm PDT by
With the first Mid-2012 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models reaching the public, Primate Labs has collated some data from its Geekbench 2 benchmarking database to assess the raw performance of these systems compared to their predecessors. For the MacBook Pro, Primate Labs has data on four different models: the new Retina model with 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz processors and the non-Retina model with...
apple mac lineup 061112

Apple Admits 'New' Mac Pro Isn't All That New

Tuesday June 12, 2012 1:02 pm PDT by
Amid all the excitement of the notebook updates and OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6 news yesterday, Apple quietly updated the Mac Pro, but surprisingly continued to use older Westmere processors instead of Intel's latest Sandy Bridge E offerings. The company also decided not to add Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 to what is supposed to be its top-of-the-line professional workstation, leaving customers who...
retina macbook pro display preferences

A Closer Look at the New MacBook Pro's Retina Display

Tuesday June 12, 2012 11:45 am PDT by
AnandTech takes a closer look at the new MacBook Pro's 2880x1800 Retina display, revealing just how well the display stacks up against its predecessor and other notebook displays and delving into the details of how it handles various resolutions. In looking at scaling, the report explains the new slider option in System Preferences that allows users to select from a spectrum of resolutions...
macbook air 2012 ssd

Teardown of Mid-2012 MacBook Air Reveals Tweaked SSD Connector

Tuesday June 12, 2012 11:28 am PDT by
The teardown experts at iFixit are currently in the process of taking apart the new 13-inch MacBook Air released yesterday, and while the machine appears to be only a minor update to the previous model, there are undoubtedly some changes that are worth noting. The most notable change so far is with the solid-state storage. Apple has tweaked the connector design on the MacBook Air's integrated ...
thunderbolt software update 1 2

Thunderbolt Software Update 1.2 Causing Boot Failures for Some Users

Tuesday June 12, 2012 10:02 am PDT by
Among the many software updates Apple has been pushing out associated with yesterday's keynote announcements, Thunderbolt Software Update 1.2 is a relatively minor 537 KB download offered to provide support for the company's new Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. The adapter is intended for use with Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Air models and the new Retina MacBook Pro, which do not come...
messages icon

Apple Removes Links to Messages Beta for OS X Lion, Still Available via Direct Link

Tuesday June 12, 2012 9:45 am PDT by
As noted by Cult of Mac, Apple has removed references to the Messages for Mac beta that the company released for OS X Lion in mid-February to provide a preview of the functionality coming in OS X Mountain Lion.There’s still a Messages for Mac link at the bottom of Apple’s Downloads page — as you can see below — but again, it just redirects to the Mac OS X page, where a Messages beta...
imovie mac screen

iMovie 9.0.6 Released to Support Retina MacBook Pro

Tuesday June 12, 2012 9:09 am PDT by
Following the release of a number of software updates yesterday to add support for the new Retina MacBook Pro to Apple's Mac apps, the company has rolled out one more today with the release of iMovie 9.0.6 [Mac App Store].This update provides general stability and compatibility improvements, including: - Enhancements for the MacBook Pro with Retina display - Language support for Catalan,...
amazon cloud player iphone

Amazon Launches Cloud Player App for iPhone

Tuesday June 12, 2012 9:00 am PDT by
More than a year after Amazon introduced its Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services as it was racing to beat Apple's iCloud services to market, the company has now announced the release of a native Cloud Player app [App Store] for iPhone and iPod touch.Customers using the Amazon Cloud Player App can stream, download, and manage their music in the cloud, eliminating the need to download files...
retina macbook pro 2 3 weeks

Shipping Estimates on New Retina MacBook Pro Slip to 2-3 Weeks

Tuesday June 12, 2012 8:45 am PDT by
While Apple announced at yesterday's introduction of the MacBook Pro with Retina display that the new models were shipping immediately, those who failed to move quickly to place their orders have seen shipping estimates quickly lengthen. Early estimates came in at 5-7 business days yesterday before moving to 7-10 business days and finally settling late yesterday at 2-3 weeks. The same 2-3...
ios 6 maps tomtom

TomTom Confirms Mapping Deal with Apple

Tuesday June 12, 2012 8:25 am PDT by
While Apple has worked hard to build its in-house mapping expertise, the company still needs to rely on some outside partners to assist it with the massive project of developing its own mapping and turn-by-turn navigation services. A number of observers noted references to "TomTom and others" in various locations within Apple's new Maps app for iOS 6, and now the mapping company has confirmed in ...
verizon share everything matrix

Verizon Introduces 'Share Everything' Service Plan for Up to Ten Devices

Tuesday June 12, 2012 7:42 am PDT by
Verizon today announced the launch of a new "Share Everything" pricing structure designed to allow users to share monthly data allotments across multiple devices. The plan, which is rolling out on June 28, includes unlimited voice and messaging across all devices, with an overall data cap and number and type of devices being the only differentiating factors among pricing tiers. Each device...
back to school 2012

Apple Launches 2012 Back to School Promotion

Monday June 11, 2012 4:41 pm PDT by
In line with our report from earlier today, Apple has launched its annual Back to School promotion, offering educational customers a $100 iTunes Store gift card with the purchase of a Mac or a $50 card with the purchase of an iPad. As detailed in the official terms and conditions (PDF), the promotion is valid on the purchase of a new (non-refurbished) iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, ...