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
Apple TV Launches in Brazil
As noted by The Next Web, Apple has launched its Apple TV set-top box in Brazil, offering users the ability to stream content from iCloud, iTunes, computers, and iOS devices. The addition comes alongside the roll-out of iTunes Store music and movie content in 16 Latin American countries including Brazil. Brazil is also the first country outside of the United States to see iTunes Match go live,...
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Android and iOS Now Control Over 80% of Smartphone Sales in U.S.
Market research firm NPD today issued a press release discussing some of the trends in U.S. smartphone sales in 2011 compared to previous years, noting the strong growth in Android and iOS that has led the two platforms to now represent a commanding 80% of the market between them.“The competitive landscape for smartphones, which has been reshaped by Apple and Google, has ultimately forced every ...
iTunes Music and Movies Debut in 16 Latin American Countries, Brazil Gets iTunes Match
Following closely after a previously-rumored launch date of December 8th, Apple has now turned on new iTunes Store music and movie content in 16 Latin American countries. The countries seeing the new iTunes Store content include: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. ...
Apple Releases iTunes 10.5.2 with iTunes Match and Audio Distortion Fixes
Apple today released iTunes 10.5.2, an update bringing improvements to iTunes Match and fixes for an audio distortion issue experienced with certain CDs.About iTunes 10.5.2 iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.The download is currently available via Apple's downloads page and the dedicated iTun...
Apple Obscures Future Device Hints in iOS 5.1 Beta 2 with Fake References
One popular hobby of those interested in discovering hints of Apple's future iOS devices has been the examination of various configuration files in each beta and public version of iOS for new entries referring to future iOS devices. While the references provide essentially no information on the new devices themselves, as they simply appear in the form of "iPhone4,1" for what ultimately became...
Apple Posts Gyroscope-Friendly Panorama of Grand Central Retail Store Opening
As noted by The Next Web, Apple has posted a 360-degree panorama of its new Grand Central Terminal retail store on opening day, showing the large crowds and the new store in the context of the massive terminal building. The panorama supports gyroscope input on compatible iOS devices, allowing users to experience the panorama simply by rotating the device. The panorama is accessible by...
Share of Tablet Owners Utilizing Cellular Connectivity Declining
Research firm NPD today announced the results of its latest survey of tablet and notebook usage trends, finding that the share of tablet users taking advantage of cellular connectivity for their devices has declined compared to earlier this year. According to NPD's numbers, 60% of users reported using their tablets on Wi-Fi only back in April, but that number has risen to 65% over the past six...
Apple TV Set-Top Box Predicted to Sell 4 Million Units, Grab 32% Market Share in 2011
Market research firm Strategy Analytics today reported on the release of its new research report covering "connected TV players" such as the current Apple TV and Roku boxes. According to the report, Apple is predicted to reach sales of four million Apple TV units for 2011, leading the way in a rapidly-growing market with a 32% share.“Apple is leading this nascent market, which it still...
'Steve Jobs' Tops Amazon's List of Best-Selling Print and Kindle Books for 2011
Last week, we noted that Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs had become Amazon's top-selling book of 2011, a feat all the more notable due to the fact that the book was not released until late October. But that ranking only encompassed print sales, and with digital books now representing a majority of book sales at Amazon, rankings including Kindle e-book sales need to be...
Apple Pulls App for Creating Fake Driver's Licenses Following U.S. Senator's Complaint
The Coalition for a Secure Driver's License today announced that U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has sent a letter to Apple requesting the removal of a free app that allows users to easily create digital fake IDs from the App Store.The "License" application by DriversEd.com for Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad allows users to electronically insert any digital photo and the biographic...
Mac App Store Hits 100 Million Downloads
Apple today announced that its Mac App Store has surpassed 100 million downloads in less than one year of availability.“In just three years the App Store changed how people get mobile apps, and now the Mac App Store is changing the traditional PC software industry,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With more than 100 million downloads in less...
RadioShack Offering $30 Off AT&T iPhone 4S and 4 Next Week
RadioShack today informed MacRumors that it will be launching a $30 discount program for AT&T iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models on Sunday, bringing pricing down to $69.99/$169.99/$269.99/$369.99 after the instant savings. The sale will run through Saturday, December 17th. In addition, trade-in credits of up to $200 for customers' used iPhones can bring the price down even further and in some...
Peter Oppenheimer Serving as Interim Head of Apple's Retail Division?
With Apple still searching for a new head of retail operations in the wake of Ron Johnson's departure to become CEO of department store chain J.C. Penney, 9 to 5 Mac claims that Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer is overseeing the division on an interim basis.Oppenheimer, a financial guru has been put in charge of Apple’s retail operations according to sources familiar with the...
HP Turns WebOS Open Source, Could Offer Manufacturers Alternative to Android
HP today announced that it will be open sourcing its webOS mobile operating system acquired when it purchased Palm last year. The fate of webOS has been unclear since the company's August announcement that it would be spinning off its PC division and exiting the tablet and smartphone markets. HP later reversed course on its planned PC unit spinoff, but has continued to weigh its options for...
The Beatles' 'Yellow Submarine' Hits iBooks as Free Animated e-Book
The Beatles today announced the debut of a free animated version of the band's Yellow Submarine book as an exclusive on Apple's iBookstore. Apple is also prominently promoting the release on the main iBookstore page within iTunes and in emails to iTunes users, showing off some of the capabilities of iBooks on the company's mobile devices.The iBookstore's exclusive 'Yellow Submarine' book takes ...
Apple Cuts Prices on Refurbished iPad 2 Models by $30-$50
Apple today dropped prices on its refurbished iPad 2 models, cutting $30 off of 16 GB models and $50 off of 32 GB and 64 GB models. Pricing is now as follows: - 16 GB Wi-Fi: $419, down from $449. Pricing for brand-new is $499. - 32 GB Wi-Fi: $499, down from $549. Pricing for brand-new is $599. - 64 GB Wi-Fi: $599, down from $649. Pricing for brand-new is $699. - 16 GB Wi-Fi+3G:...
Grand Central Terminal Packed for Apple Retail Store Opening
Following Wednesday's media preview event, Apple's massive new retail store in Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal opened to the public today at 10:00 AM. As noted by Fortune, the main concourse of the terminal was filled with hundreds of people waiting for the store to open as hundreds more red-shirted Apple employees prepared to welcome them. As is traditional for Apple retail store...
iPhone 3GS Production Pegged at Two Million Units This Quarter, CDMA iPhone 4 at One Million
While much has been made of Apple's strong iPhone sales this quarter with estimates now pushing toward 30 million units, what hasn't been known is the mix of iPhone models contributing to that number. The significant majority of sales are almost certainly from the current iPhone 4S, but the company continues to offer lower-end 8 GB iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS models in some markets. Higher-capacity ...
Motorola Wins Preliminary Injunction, Could Bar Sales of iPhone and 3G iPad in Europe [Updated x2]
FOSS Patents reports that Motorola Mobility has won an initial ruling in Germany that could allow the company to bar Apple from selling the iPhone and 3G-capable iPad models throughout the European Union. The court found that Apple's products violate a patent related to the GPRS data service used over cellular networks. Interestingly, the patent in question is one that Apple had argued was...
Logic Pro 9 ($199.99) and MainStage 2 ($29.99) Debut in Mac App Store
Following our report from earlier today regarding Apple having discontinued the boxed versions of Logic Studio and Express, Logic Pro 9 and MainStage 2 have now appeared for sale in the Mac App Store. Logic Pro [Mac App Store] is priced at $199.99 and arrives as version 9.1.6 in a 413 MB download.Logic Pro 9 is a complete set of creative tools for any musician who wants to write, record,...
