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
MacBook Air's PCIe-Based Flash Storage Approaches 800 MB/s Read and Write
Aside from the "all-day" battery life that comes alongside the upgrade to Intel's Haswell processors in the new MacBook Air, one of the other major improvements is the adoption of PCIe-based flash storage for much faster performance. The new PCIe flash will also be coming to Apple's radically redesigned Mac Pro later this year, and undoubtedly other Macs as well.Available in capacities up to...
Read Full Article • 115 comments
iOS 7's 'Activation Lock' Delivers Cautious Optimism to Officials Concerned Over Mobile Device Thefts
One of the new iOS 7 features introduced by Craig Federighi at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote yesterday was Activation Lock, which aims to reduce the appeal of Apple devices to thieves by preventing stolen phones from being activated by new users.There's one feature I want to talk about in a little more detail, which is Activation Lock. So, hundreds of millions of use Find My...
Apple's New Ad Campaign Focusing on Branding and Enriching Lives
At the end of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote yesterday, CEO Tim Cook introduced a new TV ad focusing on how Apple's products and services enrich lives. The ad's tagline is "Designed by Apple in California", leveraging the statement displayed on every Apple product to make an emotional connection with consumers over the care the company puts into its products.This is it. This is...
Haswell-Based MacBook Airs See Minor Speed Boosts Alongside Battery Life Focus
With the introduction of its new Haswell-based MacBook Air models yesterday, Apple revealed a strong emphasis on battery life, pushing the rated operating time from five hours to nine hours on the 11-inch model and from seven hours to 12 hours on the 13-inch model. Even with the focus on battery life, Apple was also able to bring some minor performance improvements, as seen in Geekbench 2...
WWDC 2013 Keynote Live Video Stream Available via Apple's Website
A short time ago, Apple brought back its "Apple Events" channel for Apple TV, confirming that it will be offering live video streaming of today's media event. Apple has now updated its site to promote a live stream available online, making the broadcast available to a much broader audience. The teaser text on Apple's main page reads: "View streaming video from today's big event starting at...
Apple to Stream Live Video of WWDC 2013 Keynote to Apple TV
With just hours to go before today's keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off, the company has brought back its "Apple Events" channel on the Apple TV, indicating that it will be streaming live video of the event. A similar channel appeared before Apple's iPad mini media event last October, and the company later revealed that it would also be streaming the event through its ...
Description and Mockup of Apple's Flatter iOS 7
9to5Mac reports that it has "been given a quick peek" at an early beta version of iOS 7, and while the report's source would not allow screenshots to be posted, 9to5Mac is able to share a description of the new design and has created a mockup (at right) highlighting some of the main features. Among the details: - Skinny font as seen on the iOS 7 banner at WWDC. - Carrier signal in status...
iMac Update to Haswell Expected in June or July as Shipments Sink
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a brief research note today highlighting the status of the iMac, which he says will see shipments fall to roughly 650,000 units this quarter from 1.75 million units in the first calendar quarter. The drop is due in part to seasonality and in part to a natural decline from the pent-up launch demand during the first quarter. Most importantly for...
Adobe Releases Photoshop Lightroom 5 With New Healing Brush, Radial Gradient, and Straightening Tools
Following the release of a public beta nearly two months ago, Adobe today announced immediate availability of the official release of Photoshop Lightroom 5, the company's professional photo management and manipulation software. Lightroom 5 Advanced Healing Brush (Click for larger) Adobe highlights six major new and improved features found in Lightroom 5, as well as a number of other smaller...
iOS 7: 'All the Leaks Are Wrong'
On this week's episode of his The Talk Show podcast, Daring Fireball's John Gruber shares (via The Tech Block) a few tidbits he's heard about Apple's plans for its new software being unveiled at WWDC tomorrow. Gruber, who has a number of times in the past been able to share bits of information due to his connections within Apple, notes that he has heard very little about Apple's plans this...
iRadio Announcement at WWDC Looking Likely After Sony Signs On
AllThingsD briefly reports that Sony Music has agreed to a deal to bring its content to Apple's rumored streaming radio service, informally dubbed "iRadio". The development comes following word that Apple was pushing hard to complete deals in time for an announcement at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote next Monday.Sony Music has signed on to Apple’s forthcoming iRadio...
BlueStacks' GamePop Console Bringing iOS Games to TVs
While we've covered work by BlueStacks to bring Android apps to Macs and PCs, the company has an even more interesting announcement to make today, revealing that its upcoming GamePop set-top box designed to offer subscription mobile gaming on TVs will also include support for iOS games. 9to5Mac has more on the developments, which include word that Fieldrunners developer Subatomic Studios will be...
OS X 10.9 Build Number Suggests Extensive Internal Development
While many had expected Apple to follow last year's pattern and release a developer preview of OS X 10.9 early this year ahead of a summer public launch, the company has so far remained essentially silent about its plans for its next-generation Mac operating system. That silence does not, however, mean that Apple has not been working hard on the project since it first started showing up in web...
Apple Looking to Boost iPhone Sales With New Retail Store Trade-In Program
Bloomberg reports that Apple will for the first time begin accepting trade-ins on iPhones in its retail stores, encouraging users to upgrade to the latest models and seeking to boost sales. Apple will be partnering with recycling firm Brightstar to offer the program.Used iPhones collected in the U.S. will only be resold in emerging markets, where Apple’s share is lower and demand for cheap...
BlackBerry Messenger Reportedly Coming to iOS June 27 [Updated]
Last month, BlackBerry announced that it would be bringing its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service to iOS and Android this summer, seeking to strengthen its existing network of 60 million monthly active users with a broader cross-platform messaging solution. SlashGear now points to a Tweet from T-Mobile UK claiming that BBM will be launching on iOS and Android on June 27.Great news - BlackBerry ...
Dropbox Beta for Mac Adds Automatic Screenshot Sharing and More
As noted by MacStories, Dropbox yesterday unveiled new beta versions of its desktop clients, bringing several new features to Mac users including a streamlined method for storing and sharing screenshots.The first one, an automatic screenshot sharing feature, is somewhat reminiscent of tools like Droplr and CloudApp: once enabled in the Preferences, it will allow Dropbox to redirect every...
Case Maker Bets on Unlikely iPad 5 Launch at WWDC
While quite a few low-cost cases based on the alleged design of the fifth-generation iPad have been circulating for a number of months, bigger names are now getting into the act. The news comes from CNET, which reports that Gumdrop Cases has developed its own $35-$65 cases and is in fact betting that the new iPad will make an appearance at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).[Gumdro...
Apple Retail's New Machines for Calibrating Replacement iPhone 5 Displays
Earlier this week, we noted that Apple had begun in-store repairs of iPhone 5 displays, a $149 procedure that is part of an effort by Apple to revamp its AppleCare and warranty services. We had been told that Apple had sent new equipment to the stores in order to allow Geniuses to calibrate the replacement displays once they had been installed, and 512 Pixels has now shared a photo of one of...
Apple Releases Aperture 3.4.5 with Import and Memory Card Bug Fixes
Apple today released Aperture 3.4.5, bringing fixes for several issues related to the handling of memory card and camera import and handling, as well as general stability improvements.What's New in Version 3.4.5 - Addresses an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when deleting items from a camera or memory card after import - Memory cards are now ejected correctly when using...
WWDC 2013 Rumor Roundup: iOS 7, OS X 10.9, iRadio, and New Macs
With Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicking off next Monday, June 10 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time with a keynote address, it's time for a roundup of rumors about what we might see at the event. In announcing the conference back in late April, Apple unsurprisingly revealed that it will be delivering "new versions of iOS and OS X" to developers, undoubtedly referring to iOS 7...
