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
Nuance Launches 'Dragon Express' in the Mac App Store
Nuance Communications, which provides the speech recognition technology included in Siri on the iPhone 4S, has announced the Mac App Store launch of Dragon Express, a new application that offers some of the same speech recognition and system control features found in the company's more expensive Dragon Dictate software.Dragon Express is an easy and fun speech recognition utility that introduces ...
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iPhone-Related Customer Churn an 'Area of Concern' for T-Mobile USA
As highlighted by AllThingsD, T-Mobile USA acknowledged yesterday in discussion of its third quarter earnings that the lack of an iPhone 4S offering for the carrier may have an impact on customer retention, labeling churn rates as an "area of concern".“Earnings improved as we continued to focus on making smartphones affordable to all Americans through our unlimited Value plans, improvements...
Apple Researching Integrated Speaker for iPod Nano and Shuffle
Patently Apple reports on a newly-published patent application from Apple describing the integration of a speaker into the clip of the iPod nano or shuffle. Apple's proposed design includes a recessed portion within the device's clip that would house a piezoelectric speaker. Exploded view of iPod nano or shuffle case with speaker integrated into clip As part of the invention's description, ...
iOS and Android Grab 58% of U.S. Portable Gaming Revenue
Mobile analytics firm Flurry today reports on the continuing shift in portable gaming from dedicated devices to smartphones and other multipurpose devices. According to results compiled by Flurry from NPD market research and Flurry's own mobile app data, Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile operating systems will account for 58% of portable gaming revenue in the United States for 2011, an...
iPhone 4S Incorporates Revamped IR Sensor for Siri's 'Raise to Speak' Feature
Apple's new Siri personal assistant feature on the iPhone 4S includes a "raise to speak" feature that allows Siri to be activated whenever an active iPhone is raised to the user's ear. The device is able to sense the raising action using a proximity sensor capable of detecting how close the user's face is to the screen. The iPhone has always incorporated proximity sensors in order to turn off...
Apple Required to Reveal Australian iPhone Carrier Contracts to Samsung
Last week, we noted that as part of its case seeking to have sales of the iPhone 4S banned in Australia, Samsung had requested access to both the iPhone 4S source code and Apple's agreements with the country's wireless carriers. Samsung's interest in the carrier contracts related to device subsidies, with the company curious about whether the amount of subsidies paid to Apple by the carriers...
Apple Releases iAd Producer 2.0 for Developers
Apple yesterday announced the release of version 2.0 of its iAd Producer software that help developers create ads for use in the company's iAd program for mobile devices. The new release brings a number of enhancements to the software first deployed last December.New tools and animation effects in iAd Producer 2.0 make it even easier to build great iAds. Create sophisticated animations with...
Amazon Preparing to Take on Apple's Siri with Acquisition of Speech Recognition Firm?
The Atlantic reports that a Securities and Exchange Commission filing reveals Amazon has quietly acquired voice recognition firm Yap, perhaps signaling intentions to take on Apple and Google in the market.Though the acquisition was apparently completed in September, no public announcement has been made by either company. The filing does not mention Amazon by name, but Yap merged with a company...
Apple Jumps to Fourth in Greenpeace's Environmental Rankings of Electronics Companies
Fortune notes that Apple has risen to fourth place in Greenpeace's annual ranking of electronics manufacturers by environmental criteria, as published in the organization's annual Guide to Greener Electronics. Apple moved up to fourth place this year from ninth place in last year's survey, making gains in the greenness of its products and sustainability efforts in its operations, but remaining ...
Gallery of Storefront Photos from Apple's 357 Retail Stores
Thomas Park has put together an interesting gallery of storefront photos from all 357 of Apple's retail stores around the world. While the photos are simply pulled from the individual retail store pages on Apple's site, the gallery format ordered by date of opening makes for easy browsing and examination of the evolution of Apple's store designs. Some of the stores have of course been renovated ...
Kindle Fire Seen Slowing Some Previously-Planned iPad Purchases
With Amazon's forthcoming Kindle Fire tablet staking out a new position at the bargain end of the tablet market with its $199 price tag, some have wondered how significantly the device will eat into Apple's potential iPad sales. A new survey from RBC Capital Markets and ChangeWave Research now puts some numbers to that impact, revealing that 26% of those surveyed customers who have either...
Apple Cutting Fourth Quarter iPhone Component Orders?
Digitimes shares a report from Taiwan's Commercial Times claiming that Apple has cut orders for iPhone components during the fourth quarter by 10-15%. The report claims that sales of the device have slowed significantly since the pre-order and launch phase and that shortages of a few components have also been impacting overall production. iPad production may also be seeing some cutbacks.Accordi...
Apple Releases Java 6 Updates for Lion and Snow Leopard
Apple today released a pair of Java 6 updates for users of OS X Lion and Mac OS X Snow Leopard, patching vulnerabilities and increasing reliability and compatibility. - Java for OS X Lion Update 1 (62.53 MB)Java for Mac OS X 10.7 Update 1 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_29.- Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 6 (75.45 MB)Java for Mac OS X...
Work on iOS 5 Battery Issues Continues with Customer Testing, Internal Support Notices
Last week, Apple confirmed that some iOS 5 users are experiencing battery life issues on their devices due to some bugs in the operating system, issues that Apple is working to address with iOS 5.0.1 currently in developer testing. 9to5Mac reports that Apple has now expanded its testing to include some of those users who have reported problems with their devices, reaching out to them through...
Settlement Reached in Lawsuit over Frayed MagSafe Connectors
Apple today posted a new support document outlining procedures users should follow if they experience strain relief problems with their "T" style MagSafe power cables on various notebook products. Long-standing issues with fraying on those cables resulted in Apple redesigning the MagSafe several years to adopt an "L" style connector that puts less strain on the cable. While Apple has for...
Oregon and Apple Test Vote-by-iPad with Disabled Voters
The Associated Press reports that Apple has donated five iPads to the state of Oregon in support of a pilot program to help disabled voters more easily fill out their election ballots. Combined with a $75,000 investment by the state for software development, the iPads allow voters to adjust font size and screen colors to help them read the ballots, among other accessibility improvements made...
Australian Retailer Ready for 'Cat and Mouse' Game with Apple over Galaxy Tab Sales
Late last month, we noted that Apple had begun notifying Australian resellers of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 of the injunction prohibiting the sale of the device in that country. While the injunction applies only to Samsung, Apple's notice of infringement would make it easy for the company to target the retailers with separate suits. dMavo's note of defiance on its Galaxy Tab 10.1 order page ...
China Unicom Eyeing iPhone 4S Introduction Before Year-End
As noted by CapitalVue, China Unicom is planning for an introduction of the iPhone 4S before the end of 2011, hoping that official certification of the device from regulatory authorities comes through in time to meet the timeframe.China Unicom (600050, 0762.HK) will endeavor to introduce the iPhone 4S into the Chinese market by the end of 2011, reports sohu.com, citing company president Lu...
'Consumer Reports' Satisfied that iPhone 4S Fixes Antenna Issues
Influential ratings and reviews magazine Consumer Reports, which famously refused to recommend both the GSM and CDMA iPhone 4 models due to antenna issues, has now determined to its satisfaction that the iPhone 4S does not suffer from the same issue. The determination means that Consumer Reports is now willing to list the iPhone 4S as a "recommended" device.Apple’s newest smart phone...
'Apple Store' App for iOS Updated to Support New Self-Checkout System for Retail Stores
In line with our report from the previous weekend, Apple has updated its Apple Store application for iOS [App Store] with new support for self-checkout at the company's retail stores. What’s New in Version 2.0 - Personal Pickup: Buy in the app and choose to pick up your order at any Apple Retail Store. Most in-stock orders are available for pickup within an hour. (U.S. only) - EasyPay:...
