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
Source Claims Hands-On Experience with iPhone 5 Prototype
While the redesigned "iPhone 5" form factor failed to surface with last month's update that saw the introduction of the iPhone 4S, reports have suggested that the next-generation iPhone expected to debut next year will indeed carry a significant redesign.
Business Insider now reports that it has received word from a source who has claimed to have had access to an iPhone 5 prototype and...
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Apple Tweaks Phil Schiller's Title: Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing
As noted by The Next Web, Apple has quietly tweaked the title of marketing chief Phil Schiller, dropping "Product" from his previous title of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing. As the report notes, however, it is unclear whether his new title of Senior Vice President for Worldwide Marketing reflects a change in responsibilities or if it simply more accurately reflects what he...
Apple Once Again Deleting Developers' iTunes Match Libraries on November 12th
As it has a number of times during developer testing, Apple has just sent out an email to registered developers indicating that it will once again be deleting their iTunes Match libraries. The latest deletion is scheduled for tomorrow, November 12th.As we prepare for the launch of iTunes Match, we will be deleting all current iCloud libraries on Saturday, November 12th at 10 AM PST.
Please...
Apple Continuing to Investigate iOS 5 Battery Issues
Yesterday, Apple released iOS 5.0.1, the first update to the company's latest iOS 5.0 mobile operating system and one designed in large part to address complaints of battery life issues. But even with the update, a number of users are still reporting significant issues with battery life on their iOS devices.
Apple has now provided a statement to AllThingsD indicating that it is continuing...
Logitech Acknowledges Google TV Set-Top Box a 'Big Mistake'
Google made waves last year for its introduction of Google TV, new software intended to integrate the Internet with television content and revolutionize the TV-watching experience. One of the key hardware launch partners for Google TV was Logitech, which offered its "Revue" set-top box for Google TV at a price of $299.
Google TV failed to catch on with consumers, and by July of this year...
Sony Seeking to Beat Apple in Revolutionizing Television
Much has been made of Steve Jobs' revelation in his authorized biography about having "cracked" how to develop a revolutionary interface for an integrated television set, a disclosure that has led to claims of Apple working to launch a Siri-enabled television set by 2013.
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how seriously Sony is taking the Apple threat, sharing comments from Sony CEO...
Apple Avoids Sharing Australian Carrier Contracts with Samsung
Earlier this week, it was reported that Apple had been ordered to share with Samsung terms of the contracts it held with Australian carriers. As part of its lawsuit attempting to have sales of the iPhone 4S halted in the country, Samsung sought information about subsidies being paid to Apple by carriers and whether the amounts of those subsidies might somehow result in anti-competitive behavior.
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Apple Begins Offering Unlocked iPhone 4S in U.S. Online Store
Alongside today's round of international iPhone 4S launches, Apple also began offering unlocked iPhone 4S models for sale in the United States. Orders placed through the company's online store are currently listed with estimated shipping of 1-2 weeks.
Pricing for the unlocked, contract-free iPhone 4S comes in at $649/$749/$849 for the 16/32/64 GB models respectively. The unlocked device is ...
iPhone 4S Launches to Long Lines in Hong Kong and South Korea
The iPhone 4S officially launched in fifteen new countries today, with Hong Kong and South Korea being two of the highest-profile new markets.
M.I.C gadget followed the opening in Hong Kong, noting that over 3,000 people showed up at Apple's massive new flagship store in the IFC Mall. But Apple staff reportedly allowed only 1,250 of those people to line up for the device, resulting in a...
Apple Releases Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.9
Apple today released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.9, bringing RAW image support to Aperture and iPhoto for a number of new cameras.This update adds RAW image compatibility for the following cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11:
- Canon PowerShot S100
- Nikon 1 J1
- Nikon 1 V1
- Nikon COOLPIX P7100
- Olympus PEN E-PL1s
- Olympus PEN E-PL3
- Olympus PEN E-PM1
- Panasonic...
Apple Releases iOS 5.0.1 to Address Battery Life Issues [Updated]
Apple has just released iOS 5.0.1 to the public, bringing fixes for battery life issues introduced with iOS 5. The release also brings several other enhancements including multitasking gestures for the original iPad.This update contains improvements and other bug fixes including:
- Fixes bugs affecting battery life
- Adds Multitasking Gestures for original iPad
- Resolves bugs...
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 ...
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 ...
