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

greenpeace cloud protest ireland

Greenpeace Activists Protest at Apple's Irish Offices over Data Center Energy Use

Wednesday April 18, 2012 8:07 am PDT by
As documented by Corkipedia, four Greenpeace activists climbed to the roof of Apple's offices in Cork, Ireland today, posting signage and distributing leaflets in an attempt to push Apple to adopt cleaner energy sources for its data centers. The protest, which lasted approximately an hour, came a day after Greenpeace blasted Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft for relying heavily on dirty coal power...
flashback sinkhole infections

Flashback Malware Still Affecting over 100,000 Macs

Wednesday April 18, 2012 7:36 am PDT by
While Apple has pushed out several software updates to detect the Flashback malware and remove it from infected systems, Symantec noted late yesterday that over 100,000 machines remain afflicted by the issue as detected by their sinkhole operation to redirect server traffic. Symantec pegged the number at approximately 142,000 as of Monday, listing a rough estimate of "over 99,000" as...
autodesk inventor fusion

Autodesk Releases Preview of Inventor Fusion for Mac

Tuesday April 17, 2012 2:24 pm PDT by
Back in January at Macworld, we noted that Autodesk was planning to bring its Inventor Fusion mechanical design software to the Mac. At the time, the company promised the a free technology preview of Inventor Fusion for Mac would be available in the coming weeks, with an official release to follow later. Autodesk today announced that the free software preview is now available for download...
apple samsung logos

Apple and Samsung CEOs to Meet for Court-Moderated Settlement Talks over Patent Issues

Tuesday April 17, 2012 12:53 pm PDT by
FOSS Patents reports that the chief executives of Apple and Samsung, along with their respective general counsels, will meet within the next 90 days at a San Francisco courthouse for a court-moderated discussion aimed at settling the long-standing patent dispute between the two companies. As outlined in a joint statement before the court:As directed by the Court, Apple and Samsung are both...
ipad lte signal

Verizon's LTE Network to Reach Two-Thirds of U.S. Population This Week

Tuesday April 17, 2012 11:16 am PDT by
Marking yet another milestone in its rollout of 4G LTE connectivity, Verizon today announced that with another major expansion coming later this week, the carrier's LTE network will now cover two-thirds of the United States population. This week's expansion, officially going live on Thursday, will see coverage in 27 new markets and expansion of coverage in 44 existing markets.Verizon Wireless,...
greenpeace data centers

Greenpeace Takes on Apple and Other Tech Companies over Coal-Powered Data Centers

Tuesday April 17, 2012 8:58 am PDT by
Activist group Greenpeace today issued a new report entitled How Clean is Your Cloud?, targeting major Internet companies including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft over their heavy use of coal-derived power for their massive data centers.Given the energy-intensive nature of maintaining the cloud, access to significant amounts of electricity is a key factor in decisions about where to build these...
apple store porta di roma barrier

Apple's Second Retail Store in Rome Opening April 21

Tuesday April 17, 2012 8:18 am PDT by
The first half of each year is a slow time for Apple retail store openings, but the company does continue to schedule sporadic additions to its network of stores as new locations come online. For its latest addition, Apple will be holding a grand opening for its second store in Rome, Italy this Saturday, April 21 at 10:00 AM. The new Porta di Roma store is located in the shopping center of the...
iwork trial discontinued

Apple Discontinues Free Trials of Aperture and iWork

Monday April 16, 2012 1:00 pm PDT by
As noted by MacStories, Apple has discontinued its free trials of Aperture and iWork, directing users to the Mac App Store where the apps are available for purchase. The discontinuation of the Aperture trial is not particularly recent, as discussion forum reports indicate that it has been missing for at least a month, but the removal has gone mostly unnoticed. It is not entirely clear when...
apple shop walmart 1

New Dedicated Apple Product Displays Showing Up at Walmart

Monday April 16, 2012 9:21 am PDT by
ifoAppleStore shares some photos of a newly-revamped Apple product display section in an Arkansas Walmart store near the retail chain's headquarters. Coming with dedicated wood display surfaces and lighted signage, the new displays mark a distinct improvement over the previous Apple product displays that had simply been integrated into existing display shelving. The displays feature tall,...
apple environmental impact

Apple Partners with Chinese Environmental Group for Supplier Audit

Monday April 16, 2012 9:01 am PDT by
While Apple has received much publicity for its partnership with the Fair Labor Association to audit working conditions at several of its manufacturing partners' facilities in China, Financial Times reports that the company has now also partnered with the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) for an environmental audit of a supplier's facilities.Apple has agreed to a jointly...
iPad Mini comparison t

Apple Reportedly Looking to Launch ‘iPad Mini’ Priced at $249-$299 in Q3

Monday April 16, 2012 7:22 am PDT by
Kotaku reports on claims [Google translation] from Chinese web portal NetEase regarding Apple's plans for the launch of a smaller "iPad mini" in the third quarter of this year. According to the report, Apple is planning to launch with six million units of the device at a price of either $249 or $299 in order to combat forthcoming Windows 8 products, although smaller Android tablets such as...
ipad 3 hand2

New iPad Launches in 21 More Countries by End of April

Monday April 16, 2012 6:59 am PDT by
Apple today officially announced two more rounds of launches for the new iPad, with the first round coming on Friday, April 20 and including twelve markets led by South Korea. The second round comes on Friday, April 27 and includes nine more countries.Apple today announced the new iPad, the third generation of its category defining mobile device, will arrive in South Korea and 11 additional...
flashback malware removal tool

Apple Releases Flashback Removal Tool for Macs Running OS X Lion without Java

Friday April 13, 2012 9:30 pm PDT by
Following yesterday's release of fresh Java updates to remove the Flashback malware system from Macs running OS X Lion and Snow Leopard, Apple today released a standalone Flashback malware removal tool to clean infections from OS X Lion systems without Java installed.About Flashback malware removal tool This Flashback malware removal tool that will remove the most common variants of the...
apple cirque totem ticket

Apple Treats Employees to Performances of Cirque du Soleil's 'Totem'

Friday April 13, 2012 3:11 pm PDT by
MacRumors has learned that Apple has bought out two performances of Cirque du Soleil's traveling show Totem, currently playing in San Jose, California. According to our source, Apple purchased the entire block of 2,500 tickets for each of two shows yesterday and today for employees and their guests, with Apple also picking up the tab for food and drink. Scanning Twitter and other social...
wedge too starck yacht

Philippe Starck's Project With Apple is Steve Jobs' Yacht

Friday April 13, 2012 2:25 pm PDT by
In the wake of a claim from French designer Philippe Starck that he has been working with Apple on a "revolutionary" new project, Apple has issued a statement to AllThingsD specifically denying the assertion.Reached for comment, an Apple spokeswoman said the company is not working on a new product with Starck. And while she declined to speculate about what the designer might have been referring...
valve logo

Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Headquarters of Video Game Firm Valve

Friday April 13, 2012 12:30 pm PDT by
AppleInsider reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit today to the the headquarters of Valve, the video game firm behind the Steam digital distribution platform and a number of popular PC and Mac games. While the purpose of Cook's visit is unknown, his presence at the company's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington suggests that it may have been of some importance potentially relating to...
mbp 2011 lion oblique

Sharp Begins Mass Production of Retina-Resolution IGZO Displays

Friday April 13, 2012 10:11 am PDT by
IDG News reports that Sharp has announced the start of mass production of new ultra high-resolution displays based on IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) materials. Early rumors had suggested that Apple might use the IGZO displays in the new iPad, but whether due to later-than-expected availability or other considerations, Apple elected not to do so. Apple has, however, also been claimed to be co...
icloudicon

Ban on Push iCloud Email Upheld in Germany as Fight over 3G Devices Continues

Friday April 13, 2012 9:22 am PDT by
Back in February, Apple announced that it was suspending push functionality for iCloud and MobileMe email users in Germany following a victory by Motorola Mobility in a patent lawsuit. As noted by Dow Jones Newswires, an appeals court has upheld that ruling, requiring that Apple continue to refrain from offering push email in the country and that the company pay unspecified damages to Motorola.Th...
philippe starck

Designer Philippe Starck Says Working on 'Revolutionary' Product with Apple, Release in 8 Months

Friday April 13, 2012 7:51 am PDT by
As noted by Mac4Ever [Google translation], legendary French designer Philippe Starck revealed on a radio show today that he has been working with Apple on a "revolutionary" new product, with the product set to launch within the next eight months. Philippe Starck (Source: Flickr/jikatu) French newspaper Le Figaro has more on Starck's comments [Google translation], noting that he met with...
intel retina displays 2013

Intel Looking Toward Retina Display PCs by 2013

Thursday April 12, 2012 3:05 pm PDT by
As reported by Liliputing (via Electronista), Intel is envisioning the high-resolution "Retina" displays pushed by Apple in its iOS devices as the future of PCs, with comments at its Intel Developer Forum in Beijing noting that the company is supporting those plans with its chips. Specifically, Intel sees handheld and tablet devices targeting resolutions in the range of 300 pixels per inch...