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

lucky bag ipad 2 2012

Japanese Apple Fans Line Up for Annual 'Lucky Bag' Discounts

Monday January 2, 2012 9:08 am PST by
Tech in Asia reports on the Japanese tradition of "lucky bags" in which retailers celebrate the new year by offering customers grab bags filled with unknown items at a substantial discount from their retail prices. In exchange for the substantial discounts, customers must simply accept whatever products are in the bags. Apple lucky bag with iPad 2, Smart Cover, Camera Connection Kit, ...
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Apple's Internal 'GameStore' Testing App Accidentally Appears in App Store [Update: Pulled]

Monday January 2, 2012 6:13 am PST by
As noted by German sites Flo's Weblog [Google translation] and iFun.de [Google translation], a curious new iOS application that seems to be from Apple has appeared in the App Store. The new app, known as GameStore [App Store], debuted on December 31st and seems to be a test app of some sort, offering several racing-themed in-app purchases but without any actual functionality. GameStore ...
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Apple's Continued Patent Offensive Poses Risks for Shareholders

Wednesday December 28, 2011 10:07 am PST by
Bloomberg takes a look at the ongoing patent battle between Apple and a number of manufacturers of Android-based mobile hardware, suggesting that continued offensive action seeking to block competitors from using Apple's intellectual property may prove riskier for shareholders than licensing the technology.“A scorched-earth strategy is bad news because it doesn’t optimize the value of their...
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Foxconn Likely to Win Contract for Building Apple Television Set

Wednesday December 28, 2011 7:21 am PST by
Following up on yesterday's report claiming that Apple's supply chain is set to begin gearing up for the introduction of 32-inch and 37-inch television sets in 2012, Digitimes now claims to have received more information about companies likely to play roles in supplying components for the products. Among the highest-profile companies involved in the rumors is Apple's primary iOS device...
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Ivy Bridge Processors Launching as Early as April 8?

Wednesday December 28, 2011 6:27 am PST by
Earlier this month, leaked information suggested that Intel's next-generation mobile Ivy Bridge processors would debut in May, with a few models perhaps becoming available in April. The mobile Ivy Bridge processors are expected to be used in Apple's MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini lines. A new report from Digitimes indicates, however, that the first Ivy Bridge processors may launch as...
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Holiday Gifts Drive New iOS Device Activations Sharply Higher

Tuesday December 27, 2011 10:32 am PST by
While it seems obvious that the holiday gift-giving season is a strong driver for iOS device sales, as evidenced in part by past history and Apple's forecast of a blockbuster quarter, it is generally difficult to quantify that holiday boost before Apple reports device sales as part of its quarterly earnings or makes public statements about App Store milestones. A couple of analytics firms...
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Apple Planning Completely Redesigned iPhone for Fall 2012 Launch?

Tuesday December 27, 2011 8:08 am PST by
BGR reports that Apple is planning to launch a completely redesigned iPhone in the fall of next year, following the trend set by the iPhone 4S of new hardware being released later in the year as opposed to the mid-year timeframe used previously. According the report, the next iPhone will utilize an aluminum back panel rather than the glass found on the iPhone 4 and 4S. The new design will...
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Foxconn Investing $1.1 Billion to Boost iPhone Production Capabilities

Tuesday December 27, 2011 6:49 am PST by
China Daily reports (via Electronista) that Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is investing $1.1 billion to nearly double the size of a recently-opened iPhone manufacturing facility in Zhengzhou, China, banking on continued strong growth of iPhone sales.The base will be centered on the Foxconn Science Park in Zhengzhou, provincial capital of Henan, increasing its current production lines to...
applecare box

Apple Fined $1.2 Million in Italy Over Warranty Disclosure Issues

Tuesday December 27, 2011 6:00 am PST by
Reuters reports that Apple has been fined the equivalent of $1.2 million in Italy over issues related to warranty disclosures. According to the report, Italy's antitrust regulators ruled that Apple has not been providing adequate disclosures about the two free years of product warranty assistance required under Italian law, while also pushing customers to purchase AppleCare extended warranties ...
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Suppliers to Begin Preparing 32" and 37" Apple Television Sets in Early 2012?

Tuesday December 27, 2011 5:14 am PST by
Digitimes reports that Apple's suppliers are set to begin preparing materials for the new Apple television set during the first quarter of 2012, with the company reportedly targeting a launch for the second or third quarter of the year. Apple is said to be initially working on 32-inch and 37-inch sizes.The supply chain of Apple will start preparing materials for iTV sets in the first quarter of...
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Apple Pushing to Introduce iPad 3 on Steve Jobs' February 24th Birthday?

Friday December 23, 2011 8:17 am PST by
FocusTaiwan reports (via 9to5Mac) that Apple pushing its manufacturing partners to meet deadlines that would allow the company to launch the iPad on Steve Jobs' birthday, February 24th.A local Chinese-language newspaper reported Friday that iPad3 might be launched on Feb. 24 to mark the anniversary of the birth of Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs. Citing sources close to Taiwanese makers in ...
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Newsstand in iOS 5 Fueling Growth of New Magazine Subscriptions

Friday December 23, 2011 7:44 am PST by
AllThingsD takes a look at how the launch of Apple's Newsstand feature as part of iOS 5 has affected subscription sales for Popular Science magazine, revealing that the prominent placement of the Newsstand app and easy access to updated content has driven a substantial increase in new subscriptions.The chart comes to us courtesy of Mag+, Bonnier’s tablet-publishing software business. And as...
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Lion-Compatible Quicken 2007 for Mac Promised in 'Early Spring'

Thursday December 22, 2011 10:30 am PST by
Intuit today sent out an email to its Quicken for Mac customers providing an update on the company's efforts to develop a version of Quicken 2007 compatible with OS X Lion. We noted earlier this year that Intuit was looking for a way to make Quicken 2007 compatible with Lion following Apple's discontinuation of Rosetta support for PowerPC-based applications like Quicken. According to today's...
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AMD Announces New Mac Pro-Suitable Radeon HD 7970 Graphics Card

Thursday December 22, 2011 10:05 am PST by
Earlier this month, we noted that developer builds of OS X 10.7.3 were showing evidence of AMD's forthcoming "Tahiti" graphics card family, the first to be built using 28-nanometer technology. The evidence suggested that Apple was at least preparing for the possibility of the cards being used in a Mac Pro update next year, an update that is reportedly still in question given uncertainty about...
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iPhone Sales Strong in U.S., U.K. and Australia, Weaker in Much of Europe

Thursday December 22, 2011 7:16 am PST by
Reuters reports on new data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel showing strong sales for the iPhone over the last three months in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, driven by the debut iPhone 4S. The company has, however, seen weaker sales in much of continental Europe in the face of economic difficulties and strong competition."In Great Britain, the U.S. and Australia, Apple's...
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'Real Racing 2' Hits Mac App Store with iPhone Controls

Thursday December 22, 2011 6:43 am PST by
Australian developer Firemint, acquired by Electronic Arts earlier this year, has moved its highly-acclaimed iOS game Real Racing 2 to the Mac, launching the title in the Mac App Store. Among the notable features of the Mac version is the ability for owners of iOS versions of the game to control the Mac version using the touch and tilt capabilities of their mobile devices.- Test your racing...
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German Court Unlikely to Award Apple Injunction Against Galaxy Tab 10.1N

Thursday December 22, 2011 6:00 am PST by
Last month, Samsung released a revised Galaxy Tab 10.1N design in Germany in hopes of avoiding an injunction barring the sale of the device under its original design over claims of infringement from Apple. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1N Arguing that the design changes did not go far enough, Apple quickly filed suit in an attempt to bar the new design as well. But according to Bloomberg, the...
steve jobs diana ross glen campbell grammy

Steve Jobs Honored with Special Trustees Grammy Award

Wednesday December 21, 2011 6:32 pm PST by
The Recording Academy today announced the winners of its annual Special Merit Grammy Awards, with Steve Jobs being named a recipient of a Trustees Award for 2012. The Trustees Award category is designed to recognize those who have made significant contributions to music in areas other than performance.As former CEO and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs helped create products and technology that...
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Apple's 'Complete My Album' Feature Drops 180-Day Deadline for Upgrading

Wednesday December 21, 2011 12:34 pm PST by
Yesterday, we noted that Apple had launched a new "Complete My Season Pass" feature for TV shows purchased through the iTunes Store, offering users who purchased individual episodes of a TV show season the ability to upgrade to a Season Pass at a discounted rate based on the amount of their individual purchases. Apple today posted a new support document outlining an FAQ for the new service and ...
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Amazon's Kindle for iOS Adds Magazines and Print Replica Textbooks for iPad

Wednesday December 21, 2011 9:38 am PST by
Amazon today updated its Kindle app for iOS, taking on Apple's Newsstand feature by adding compatibility with hundreds of magazines on the iPad. In addition, Kindle for iPad can now handle "print replica" textbooks, preserving the original formatting and layout from print editions for improved usability.- New Design for Magazines: Kindle for iPad customers now have access to the huge selection ...