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
Antivirus Firms Release Free Tools for Cleaning Macs Infected by Flashback
Yesterday, Apple disclosed for the first time that it is working to develop a software tool to detect and remove the Flashback malware from infected machines. We also previously profiled Flashback Checker, a simple app designed to allow users to easily see if their Macs are infected but which provides no assistance with disinfection. While Apple works on its own official solution, other...
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Apple TV's A5 Chip Includes Surprise Die Shrink to 32nm [Updated: Same Chip Found in iPad 2]
While the new 1080p-capable Apple TV has been available for nearly a month, Chipworks has now gotten around to tearing down the device's custom A5 system-on-a-chip, discovering with some surprise that the chip is actually a new design from Apple using a die shrink from the 45-nm process used in the A5 of the iPhone 4S to a new 32-nm process. The teardown also reveals what many had suspected:...
Apple Online Store Updates Sales Chat Support, Testing Screen Sharing Virtual Tours in Brazil
As part of today's Apple online store downtime, the company appears to have rolled out an enhancement of its sales chat support services for those looking to purchase an Apple product. While sales chat has been available for quite some time through individual product pages, the changes include a revamped chat window with a more modern appearance. As has long been the case, sales chat...
Verizon to Initiate $30 Device Upgrade Fee on April 22
Verizon today announced that as of April 22 it will initiate a $30 upgrade fee for current customers moving to new devices.On April 22, Verizon Wireless is implementing a $30 upgrade fee for existing customers purchasing new mobile equipment at a discounted price with a two-year contract. This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to ...
Updated MacBook Pro to See Significant Performance Boost with Ivy Bridge
Amid swirling rumors of an imminent update for the 15-inch MacBook Pro driven by a claimed April 29 launch date for Intel's quad-core mobile Ivy Bridge processors, CPU World reports that benchmarking of one of the chips likely to appear in the new MacBook Pro shows fairly significant improvements in performance, particularly in graphics. The chip being tested was the Core i7-3820QM, a 2.7 GHz...
U.S. Department of Justice Sues Apple and Publishers over E-Book Pricing
Following up on last month's threat to file suit over the Apple-backed agency model of e-book pricing, the U.S. Department of Justice today sued Apple and a number of book publishers over the practice, Bloomberg briefly reports. Settlement talks had been ongoing, but Apple and the publishers were reportedly unwilling to meet the Department of Justice's demands.The U.S. filed a price- fixing...
Apple Could Achieve a 4-Inch iPhone Display by Increasing Height Only
Amid continuing rumors that Apple is looking to increase the size of the iPhone display from the existing 3.5-inch screen to something in the range of 4 inches, one persistent concern has been how Apple would deal with the change in screen dimensions. All models of the iPhone and iPod touch released to date have carried a 3.5-inch screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio, allowing developers to target...
Reseller Shortages Hint at Forthcoming Update for 15-Inch MacBook Pro
As noted by AppleInsider, third-party resellers are beginning to experience shortages of Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro, hinting that a refresh may be coming in the near future.Among those resellers reflecting backorder status on some of the current 15-inch MacBook Pros is J&R, which is now sold out of both the 2.2GHz model, which is listed as "out of stock," and the 2.4GHz variety, which is...
Tim Cook to Headline D10 Conference on May 29
AllThingsD today announced that Apple CEO Tim Cook will be the opening keynote speaker at the D10 Conference scheduled for late May. Cook will appear in an evening interview session on Tuesday, May 29 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.Walt Mossberg and I could not be more thrilled to announce that Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, will be the opening-night speaker at our 10th D: All Things Digital...
Flashback Tidbits: Flashback Checker, OpenDNS Protection, Apple's Low-Visibility Security Team
The Flashback malware affecting OS X systems has gained quite a bit of publicity since it was disclosed last week that over 600,000 Macs have been infected by the malware. Flashback began life last year as a trojan and has morphed into a drive-by download taking advantage of a vulnerability in Java that Apple did not patch until last week, despite Oracle having released patches for other systems ...
Apple's Market Capitalization Hits $600 Billion
Apple's stock has continued its remarkable run in 2012, moving up another 1% today to briefly hit a market capitalization of $600 billion. The milestone comes just under six weeks after hitting $500 billion, and Apple's stock is now up nearly 60% since the beginning of the year. If some analysts are to be believed, the $600 billion mark is just a brief stop on the company's way to a trillion...
Major U.S. Carriers Agree to Develop Centralized Database to Track Stolen Mobile Phones
The Wall Street Journal reports that the four major U.S. wireless carriers have reached an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission to work toward a centralized database to track and disable stolen mobile phones.The database, which the wireless companies will build and maintain, will be designed to track phones that are reported as lost or stolen and deny them voice and data service....
Supplier Chatter Pointing to Redesigned iPhone with 4-Inch Display, 'Sleek Look'
Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has released a new research report today outlining some of the takeaways from a recent trip to Asia to talk with companies in Apple's supply chain. According to White, chatter from those suppliers is pointing toward a larger 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5, which will also include a redesign bringing a "new, sleek look".In our view, this will be the most...
Apple Testing A5X Variant in iPhone Prototype Disguised in iPhone 4/4S Body?
9to5Mac claims that Apple is internally testing new iPhone hardware that is based on a variant of the A5X system-on-a-chip used in the new iPad, with the company disguising the hardware in existing iPhone 4/4S bodies in order to keep its potential plans for a new form factor a secret.Much like they did last year, Apple has internally seeded a prototype next-generation iPhone with the iPhone 4...
Foxconn Human Resources Chief Claims October Launch for iPhone 5
Proving that Foxconn employees, even those associated with worker hiring, aren't necessarily privy to information on launch schedules for Apple products, Kotaku reports on an article from Maeil Business Newspaper offering new claims on an iPhone 5 launch date. The report notes that the newspaper contacted the chief of human resources at Foxconn's facility in Taiyuan, China to ask about hiring...
Rumors of June Launch for Updated iMacs Begin to Build
Digitimes points to a report in Taiwan's Economic Daily News claiming that Apple is planning to introduce updated iMac models in June, a bit later than some had initially hoped given Intel's Ivy Bridge launch schedule that would see quad-core desktop processors launch at the end of this month.PC ODM Quanta Computer and chassis supplier Foxconn Technology are expected to benefit from the launch of ...
Charges Filed After Chinese Teenager Sells Kidney to Purchase iPhone and iPad
Reuters reports that five people have been charged with intentional injury in southern China after a teenager sold one of his kidneys in order to purchase an iPad and iPhone. According to the report, those charged include the surgeon who removed the kidney and another person who arranged for the transplant into an undisclosed recipient.The boy, identified only by his surname Wang, now suffers...
Facebook and Dropbox Apps for iOS Vulnerable to Credential Theft
Earlier this week, Gareth Wright disclosed his recent work showing that Facebook's app for iOS contains a security vulnerability that could allow malicious users to access login credentials held in a .plist file associated with the app. Obtaining a copy of that .plist file could allow a malicious users to automatically login in to the affected user's account on another device. The flaw...
Lack of Hardware Updates Leading to Lighter-Than-Expected Quarterly Mac Sales
Previously-released data from NPD on U.S. Mac sales for January and February have demonstrated relatively anemic year-over-year growth, with January sales tracking only 1% above the previous January's performance and February sales coming in 4% higher. Still, analysts have suggested that ongoing growth in international markets could compensate for stagnation in the U.S. market as consumers...
Apple Apparently Reached Settlement over Search for Lost Prototype iPhone 4S
While Apple's lost iPhone 4 that surfaced on Gizmodo back in 2010 made the biggest headlines, a similar situation reportedly played out ahead of the iPhone 4S launch last year, with an Apple employee having apparently lost a prototype of the device at a San Francisco bar more than two months before it was publicly introduced. Apple responded relatively quickly to the loss of the prototype...
