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

apple optical stylus patent

Apple Researching Stylus Concepts with Optical Tracking and Haptic Feedback

Thursday May 24, 2012 10:35 am PDT by
While Steve Jobs famously panned the idea of a stylus for the iPhone at the device's unveiling in January 2007, Apple has continued researching ideas for stylus-based input, if only as part of continued reevaluation of how users interact with their devices and how technology will change those interactions over time. Toward that end, Unwired View highlights a pair of Apple patent applications...
iphone 4s retina display

Sharp and Foxconn Teaming Up for New iPhone Display Plant in China

Thursday May 24, 2012 8:46 am PDT by
Following a March agreement that saw Foxconn and Sharp entering into a partnership to advance LCD technology, Reuters reports on a new article from Japan's Nikkei business newspaper indicating that the two companies are specifically teaming up on a new plant in Chengdu, China to produce displays for the iPhone.Japan's Sharp Corp will supply technological know-how to Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision...
tim cook ipad portrait illustration

Apple's Evolution Under the Leadership of Tim Cook

Thursday May 24, 2012 7:45 am PDT by
Back in November, The Wall Street Journal took a look at how Tim Cook was putting his stamp on Apple just two months after officially being elevated to the position on Chief Executive Officer. But with Cook now having been on the job for nine months, Fortune examines in a lengthy profile how the company and its culture have continued to evolve under his leadership.A 14-year veteran of the...
safari reading list offline

OS X Mountain Lion Adding Offline Safari Reading List Mode and Dictation to Mac

Wednesday May 23, 2012 1:57 pm PDT by
In the week since Apple's last developer update of OS X Mountain Lion, several new features including hints of automatic app downloads have been discovered in the next-generation operating system. The discoveries are still continuing, with signs of two new features: offline Reading List mode and iOS-like dictation. Gear Live highlights the offline reading list option, which is an augmentation ...
022112 tech apps office ss

Microsoft Office for iOS and Android Arriving in November?

Wednesday May 23, 2012 10:42 am PDT by
BGR reports that Microsoft is planning to launch Office for iOS in November this year, with the source claiming first-hand knowledge of the software running on an iPad. With the app's splash screen referring to it as "Office for iOS", the source also speculates that the app may also be coming to the smaller screens of the iPhone and iPod touch. In addition to its iOS effort, Microsoft is also...
siri icon

Siri and iCloud Banned at IBM Headquarters over Security Risks

Wednesday May 23, 2012 8:00 am PDT by
Wired points to a recent Technology Review interview with IBM chief information officer Jeanette Horan highlighting the issues of the "bring your own device" trend in which employees choose their own mobile devices to bring to the workplace and use for company business. But even when employees wish to use their own devices, IBM locks down a number of features for security reasons, cutting off...
apple samsung logos

Patent Talks Between Apple and Samsung Chief Executives Yield Little Progress

Wednesday May 23, 2012 7:45 am PDT by
Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with his counterpart from Samsung, Choi Gee-sung, as part of court-mediated talks seeking to find common ground in the ongoing patent battles between the two companies. Unsurprisingly, the talks seems to have been relatively unproductive, with the U.S. case underway in California all but certain to proceed to trial. Apple has been silent on the...
jonathan ive knighted

Apple Design Chief Jonathan Ive Knighted in Buckingham Palace, Says 'Best Work' is Underway Now

Wednesday May 23, 2012 7:29 am PDT by
BBC reports that Apple's design chief Jonathan Ive was knighted today in Buckingham Palace, with Princess Anne performing the honors. Ive's knighthood was announced in December, but the official ceremony was not held until today. Ive's knighthood was accompanied by a rare extensive profile and interview with The Telegraph in which he shares details on his background and philosophy.“All...
brandz 2012 rankings

Apple Again Ranked as World's Most Valuable Brand

Tuesday May 22, 2012 2:27 pm PDT by
Studies of "brand value" are always difficult to compare, as widely differing methodologies used by those measuring such data yield markedly different results. But tracking year-to-year movements using a consistent methodology can offer some interesting perspectives, and so Millward's Brown's latest BrandZ study (via The Next Web) makes for a good look at trends in marketing and branding....
apple retail quatre temps plan

New Paris Apple Retail Store Opening Friday, May 25

Tuesday May 22, 2012 1:03 pm PDT by
As noted by ifoAppleStore, Apple is continuing its trickle of retail store openings this week with a new location opening on Friday, May 25 in Paris. The new Les Quatre Temps store will be Apple's sixth in the Paris metropolitan area. The huge store will be located on Level 1 adjacent to the Gap store. The five-level mall is located in the La Défense district of Paris, along the north...
tall ipod touch front panel front

New Part Leaks Include Taller iPod Touch Front Panel, 'iPhone 5' Cameras

Tuesday May 22, 2012 10:02 am PDT by
In line with today's claims of taller iPhone prototypes with 3.95-inch displays, one of our sources has provided us with images of what are claimed to be new next-generation iOS device parts being carried by a supplier. The most significant of these parts is a claimed front panel from the next-generation iPod touch, with the supplier claiming that the display would be taller than the current...
iphone 4in 4s bw ciccarese

Apple Testing Taller iPhone Prototype with 3.95-Inch 1136x640 Display?

Tuesday May 22, 2012 8:10 am PDT by
9to5Mac reports that Apple is currently testing two prototypes of the next-generation iPhone that offer a taller screen while maintaining the existing 640-pixel width. According to the report, the two prototypes carry a display with a height of 1136 pixels, up from the current 960-pixel height and leading to an increase in the diagonal size of the display from 3.5 inches to 3.95 inches.These...
mountain lion automatic download

OS X Mountain Lion Bringing Automatic App Downloads to Mac

Monday May 21, 2012 2:52 pm PDT by
As noted by Zach Kahn (via 9to5Mac), the latest developer build of OS X Mountain Lion released last week sets the stage for bringing iOS-like automatic app downloads to Mac App Store purchases. Like on the iPhone and iPad, when you buy and install an app on one of your Macs, all of your other Macs logged into the same App Store account will automatically install the app too. Unfortunately,...
apple campus 2 brochure 1

Apple Reaches Out to Cupertino Neighbors Regarding 'Campus 2' Plans

Monday May 21, 2012 12:01 pm PDT by
Apple last week sent out a mailing to neighbors of its planned Apple Campus 2, a massive new facility on the site of an old HP campus in Cupertino that is set to host 13,000 workers. The mailing offers details on the project, solicits feedback, and asks whether neighbors will support the project either in person at public meetings or by writing letters of support. Click for larger In the...
apple samsung logos

Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung Meeting Today to Discuss Patent Issues

Monday May 21, 2012 8:34 am PDT by
Following last month's announcement that Apple and Samsung had agreed to high-level talks involving the two companies' CEOs in an attempt to resolve ongoing patent litigation, Reuters provides a preview of the session set to begin today in San Francisco. The talks, which will be mediated by a federal judge, are scheduled to take place over the next two days. Commenting before his departure...
foxconn ipad polishing

Foxconn Building New $210 Million Production Line for Apple Products

Monday May 21, 2012 8:13 am PDT by
China Daily reports that Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn continues to expand its operations in support of Apple's strong growth in product sales, investing $210 million to build a new production line for unspecified components. The new production line is said to be set to come on line in October of this year and will be located in the Chinese city of Huai'an in the eastern province of...
elcomsoft phone password breaker

ElcomSoft's Phone Forensics Software Offers Near Real-Time Access to iCloud Backups

Friday May 18, 2012 2:11 pm PDT by
Russian forensics firm ElcomSoft earlier this week announced that it has discovered a way to easily access iCloud backups of iOS devices, incorporating the functionality into its Elcomsoft Phone Password Breaker software. While the Apple ID and password must be known in order to access the iCloud data, once that information has been obtained the software makes it easy for investigators to...
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Apple in Talks to Open R&D Facility in Russia's Skolkovo Innovation Centre?

Friday May 18, 2012 11:15 am PDT by
Russian newspaper Izvestia reports [Google translation] that the organizers behind the Skolkovo technology park near Moscow are currently in talks with a number of high-profile companies including Apple, Google, and Facebook about locating research and development facilities in the area. Skolkovo has already landed agreements with Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, Cisco, and others, with the...
itunes festival 2012

Apple's Annual iTunes Festival in London Moves to September

Friday May 18, 2012 9:21 am PDT by
Each July since 2007, Apple has held its iTunes Festival in London, offering a month's worth of free concerts from some of the industry's top performers. Apple is now beginning to unveil this year's plans, and the most notable change for 2012 is a move to the month of September. For the fourth consecutive year, the iTunes Festival will be held at The Roundhouse in London, with at least 60...
jobs white iphone 4

Steve Jobs 'Worked Closely' on Design of Next-Generation iPhone with Larger Display

Thursday May 17, 2012 6:50 pm PDT by
Bloomberg reports that Steve Jobs was intimately involved in the design work for the next-generation iPhone scheduled for release later this year, reiterating claims that the device will be a substantial change from previous designs in part because of a larger display.Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has placed orders from suppliers in Asia for screens that are bigger than the 3.5- inch...