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
Steve Jobs Didn't Want an iBookstore, but the iPad and Eddy Cue Changed His Mind
Testifying in court yesterday as part of the ongoing e-books price fixing trial, Apple senior vice president for Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue offered some perspective on the history of iBooks and the iBookstore, noting that Steve Jobs was initially opposed to such a project. As shared by AllThingsD, Cue noted that it wasn't until just prior to the launch of the iPad that he was able to ...
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Microsoft Brings 'Office Mobile for Office 365 Subscribers' to iPhone
Microsoft today announced the launch of Office Mobile for Office 365 subscribers, a new iPhone-only app that allows users to view and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. The free app requires a subscription to Microsoft's Office 365 service in order to function.
Similar to our free Office Mobile for Windows Phone that ships with every handset, the iPhone app enables great Office content...
MacBook Pro Updates Still to Come, But What Can We Expect?
Earlier this week, many observers were surprised that Apple did not announce updated MacBook Pro models at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. Sources such as KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had indicated that updated Retina MacBook Pro models based on Intel's new Haswell processors were likely to appear at WWDC, but questions arose when model number leaks ahead of the event...
Apple's Mac Pro to Be Assembled by Flextronics in Fort Worth, Texas?
Last December, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple would be bringing some Mac production back to the United States. He offered more details on the effort last month, and earlier this week the company announced that its radically redesigned Mac Pro coming later this year will be the product line assembled in the U.S.
Apple had been presumed to be working with current manufacturing partner...
Apple Considering 4.7" and 5.7" Screens for 2014 iPhone Models, iPhone 5S and Low-Cost iPhone Due in September
Reuters reports that Apple is looking closely at larger screens for upcoming iPhone models, indicating that the company is specifically testing display sizes of 4.7 inches and 5.7 inches for iPhone models that could launch next year. The iPhone 5 carries a 4-inch display, up from the 3.5-inch displays found in prior models.Apple is looking at introducing at least two bigger iPhones next year -...
Steve Jobs' Personal NeXTcube Shown at Cartoon Art Museum Fundraiser
Monday evening following Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, Pixar's Michael Johnson hosted a fundraising event for the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, where he serves as a board member.
As noted by The Mac Observer, one particularly interesting part of the event was a display of Steve Jobs' personal NeXTcube, loaned for the event by Pixar.Speakers this year included Wil...
Apple Claims 20% of U.S. E-Book Market, Double Previous Estimates
Publishers Weekly reports (via paidContent) that testimony from Apple executive Keith Moerer in the ongoing e-book price fixing trial has revealed that Apple holds approximately 20% of the e-book market in the United States, roughly double many of the previous estimates made by third parties.The government also focused on the relative success of the iBookstore asking Moerer what marketshare the...
iOS 7 Beta Warns Users When Using Unauthorized Lightning Cables and Accessories
As noted by Life On My Mobile, the first beta version of iOS 7 includes a system for warning users when they are using unauthorized cables or accessories with their devices. The software does not, however, prevent the cables or accessories from functioning.Apple has added a warning when you plug an unauthorized charge / sync Lightning cable into your iPhone 5. The popup message states “This...
Teardown of Apple's New AirPort Extreme Reveals Hard Drive Slot, but No Connectors
While iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks drew most of the attention at this week's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, another one of Apple's introductions also generated a significant amount of discussion and controversy: redesigned AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule Wi-Fi base stations.
The new vertical designs take up considerably more volume than their predecessors, although footprints...
Ashton Kutcher's 'Jobs' Film to Launch on August 16
The Wrap reports that Ashton Kutcher's film "Jobs" will now debut on August 16 in the United States. The film, which premiered at the Sundance Music Festival in late January to mixed reviews, had been scheduled for an April 19 wide release, but was delayed.Five Star Institute's Mark Hulme financed and produced the movie, which Open Road acquired in a service release deal prior to this year's...
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...
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...
