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
T-Mobile USA Blames Lack of iPhone for Customer Loss in 4Q 2011
T-Mobile USA today announced earnings results for the fourth quarter of 2011, revealing a net loss of over 800,000 contract subscribers during the quarter. The carrier, which is now the only one of the four major U.S. carriers to not carry the iPhone, specifically blamed the launch of the iPhone 4S for the defections, mentioning the iPhone by name seven times in its release.Sequentially, the...
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Shanghai Court Denies Injunction Against iPad Sales in Proview Trademark Dispute
Reuters reports that a Shanghai court has declined to issue an injunction that would have barred sales of Apple's iPad in the city, a ruling that is part of the dispute between Apple and Proview Technology over the trademark on the iPad name. Early reports had painted the decision as a significant victory for Apple, but while the company is no doubt pleased that the judge in the case did not...
Apple Seriously Considered Switching to AMD in 2011 MacBook Air
In an upcoming profile of AMD, Forbes reports that the company's Llano family of Fusion combination CPU-GPU systems was under consideration by Apple to be used as the brains behind the MacBook Air for its 2011 revision. AMD lost out to Intel, however, as the necessary parts were late in being delivered to Apple and had unacceptably high failure rates.AMD struggled with its new fabless model...
OnLive Launches Premium 'Desktop Plus' with Flash and PDF-Enabled Web Browser
Last month, OnLive introduced its free OnLive Desktop service that allows users to run virtual instances of Microsoft Office apps streamed from OnLive's remote PCs to the users' iPads. The company has now added Adobe Acrobat Reader support to the service and introduced a paid "Desktop Plus" subscription service to provide enhanced functionality including priority access and a Flash- and...
Apple Begins Hiring for First Swedish Retail Store
Even as Apple is preparing to open its first Dutch retail store in Amsterdam on March 3, the company is moving closer to expanding its international reach even further as it has updated its Swedish jobs site with new postings for the complete range of retail positions. We noted last November that Apple had filed a business registration certificate for Apple Retail Sweden, offering support to ...
Apple and Other Mobile App Distributors Agree to New Privacy Policy Notification Standards
The California Attorney General's office today announced that Apple, Google, and other companies running mobile app marketplaces have agreed to implement new standards for notifying users of privacy policies associated with apps offered in their stores. The provisions will require that developers of apps that collect personal information include privacy policies with their app sthat can be...
Foxconn Accused of Hiding Underage Workers During Audits
AppleInsider reports on an interview with a representative of Hong Kong-based nonprofit Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) claiming that Foxconn used advance knowledge of recent audits by the Fair Labor Association to hide underage workers from auditors. Specifically, the report addresses the issue of 16- and 17-year olds, who are permitted to work under Apple's supplier...
Japanese iTunes Store Enhancements: iTunes Plus, 3G Downloads, Ringtones, Complete My Album
Yesterday, we noted that the music component of iTunes in the Cloud was rolling out to Japanese users, allowing them to freely download any music content previously purchased from the iTunes Store. But as now summarized by 9to5Mac, various reports in the Japanese media reveal that the additions have been much more extensive and have brought Apple's Japanese iTunes Store offerings nearly on par...
Apple and Proview Face Off in Shanghai Court Over iPad Trademark
While Proview has had some success in its battle against Apple's use of the "iPad" trademark in China with minor court decisions against local retailers, the two companies are now going directly head-to-head in a higher-profile case underway in Shanghai. There has been no decision in the case yet, but lawyers for both sides spent four hours today laying out their evidence for the presiding...
The Beatles Launch Exclusive Ringtones Through iTunes Store
Continuing their close relationship with the iTunes Store following a landmark deal to launch their music in the store in late 2010, The Beatles today announced the release of their first official ringtones, available exclusively through the iTunes Store.Beginning today, fans around the world can, for the first time, purchase ringtones for the Beatles’ 27 UK and US #1 hits, exclusively on iTunes.T...
Apple Confirms March 3 Opening for Amsterdam Retail Store
Following reports yesterday that Apple would open its first Dutch retail store in Amsterdam on March 3, the company has confirmed that date today with emails to customers and a new dedicated store page on its website. The new store will open at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 3, with press reportedly having been invited to a preview event two days earlier. With the opening, the Netherlands will ...
$16,000 Worth of iPhones Stolen from Charlotte Apple Store in Apparent Inside Job
The Charlotte Observer reports that a total of 25 iPhones valued at over $16,000 have been reported stolen from Apple's Northlake Mall retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina. While smash-and-grab robberies are not terribly unusual at Apple retail stores, this case has an unusual twist in that the suspect appears to have been an employee of the store.“The iPhones were stolen from the Genius...
Qualcomm's Next-Generation Gobi Platform Consolidates Mobile Standards Support for Future iOS Devices
Qualcomm today announced the launch of its fifth-generation Gobi reference platform that seeks to pack support for nearly all of the major worldwide mobile standards into a single chip. While the reference platform is not ready in time for inclusion in the iPad 3, it does pave the way for future world-mode iOS devices and is targeted at ultra-thin notebooks and tablets.Based on Qualcomm’s Gobi ...
U.S. Mac Demand Soft in January as Customers Wait for Updated Models
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is out with a new report today citing data from research firm NPD on U.S. sales of Macs. According to the data, Apple's U.S. Mac sales were up only 1% year-over-year in January, tracking behind predictions that have called for roughly 20% year-over-year growth for the full quarter. Munster believes, however, that continued strength in international markets and ...
Apple Extends Deadline for Sandboxing of Mac App Store Apps to June 1
Apple today announced that it has extended the deadline for Mac App Store apps to implement sandboxing until June 1. The requirement had been set to go into effect on March 1 after already having been delayed from last November, but continued uncertainty about implementation and its effects on app functionality has caused Apple to again slow down the transition.We have extended the deadline for...
Microsoft Denies Claims of Imminent Launch of Office for iPad [Updated x4]
Earlier today, a report from The Daily claimed that Microsoft has a "working prototype" of its Office suite for iPad, with the app reportedly set to be submitted to Apple for App Store approval "soon". The New York Times now reports that Microsoft has issued a statement denying at least some of the claims made in the original report, although the company offered no detail on what specific...
iPad 3 Launching in Germany on March 23?
German site iFun.de reports [Google translation] that has it has received information from a source "to be taken seriously" claiming that the iPad 3 will debut there on Friday, March 23. No other details on the claim are offered, although the report does conflict with an Asian report from earlier today claiming that the iPad 3 would begin appearing in Europe in April following a mid-March...
iTunes in the Cloud for Music Rolling Out in Japan, iTunes Match Coming Soon?
It has been just over a month since Apple's last round of expansion for its iTunes Match service, but it appears that the company may be preparing to add Japan to the mix. As noted by Mac Otakara, the "iTunes in the Cloud" music component has gone live in Japan, with the "Purchased" tab within the desktop iTunes Store and the iOS music application now allowing users to access their...
iPad 3 Front Glass Reveals No Significant Changes: Round Home Button, Camera and Sensor Holes
While a number of alleged iPad 3 parts have leaked in recent weeks, one piece that has so far remained unseen is the device's front panel. But now Apple.pro points to a posting (registration required) on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo showing what is claimed to be the front glass and digitizer assembly from the iPad 3. The part appears nearly identical to that of the iPad 2, with the ...
Proview Willing to Discuss Settlement with Apple in iPad Trademark Case
AFP reports that Proview Technology has expressed a willingness to work toward a settlement with Apple in the "iPad" trademark dispute in China, even as the company continues to press forward with current lawsuits and plans for new ones seeking as much as $2 billion in damages."We are now preparing for negotiations," Proview's lawyer, Xie Xianghui, told AFP. "The court cases will continue until...
