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 Maps for iOS Adds 3D Flyover Coverage in Paris
As noticed by iGeneration [Google translation], Apple has added new Flyover imagery and 3D buildings for Paris, France. The new imagery, which extends into the Paris suburbs, marks a significant enhancement for Apple's 3D maps in France given that the only previous coverage in the country was for the city of Lyon.
Apple maintains a list of cities for which it offers 3D building coverage, as...
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Apple's Lightning Connector Detailed in Newly-Published Patent Applications
As noted by AppleInsider, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published three Apple patent applications related to the company's Lightning connector introduced on its iOS devices late last year.
Perspective view of Lightning connector
The first application describes the hardware itself, while two nearly identical applications outline the adaptive technology used to assign pin...
AT&T Launches New Aio Wireless Prepaid Brand, iPhone Plans Start at $55/Month
Aio Wireless, a new prepaid cellular brand from AT&T, today announced that it has launched operations in Houston, Orlando, and Tampa, with additional cities coming over the next year. The brand offers customers access to increasingly popular prepaid cellular services alongside popular devices including the iPhone."We talked with no-annual-contract customers and created our service around what...
Pegatron's Plans to Boost Workforce by 40%, Fueling Lower-Cost iPhone Speculation
Just a day after reporting that its consumer electronics revenue would drop more than expected in the second quarter, perhaps due to weakening iPad mini demand, Apple manufacturing partner Pegatron has announced that it will boost its workforce by 40% in the second half of the year. The significant increase is fueling ongoing rumors of a lower-cost iPhone, as the firm has been reported to be...
'The Loop' Launches New Magazine for iOS
Jim Dalrymple, the veteran Apple journalist behind The Loop, is launching a new magazine for iOS devices today. Rather than simply being an iOS version of the existing site, the magazine version of The Loop is a separate publication hosting longer form writing from a variety of contributors and perspectives. As Dalrymple notes in his welcome message:For many years people have been asking me why...
OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E47 Seeded to Developers
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple today seeded build 12E47 of OS X 10.8.4 to developers. The release comes eight days after the previous build 12E40, and marks the sixth beta iteration of OS X 10.8.4.
As with previous beta releases, Apple continues to ask developers to focus on Wi-Fi, Graphics Drivers, and Safari.
The update is available through the software update tool in the Mac App Store and A...
Surge in Apple's iOS 7 Usage Revealed in Web Traffic Stats
While websites and developers have been seeing low levels of hits from iOS 7 devices for several months, as of last week we noticed a significant surge in such hits in our own logs. The hits come from Apple's block of IP addresses, suggesting that the company may have rolled out a new phase of testing with its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) just a month away.
iOS 7 web traffic at ...
Apple Targets Android Source Code Search Documents in Suit Against Samsung
As the ongoing court battles between Apple and Samsung continue, Bloomberg reports that Apple has become more aggressive in pushing for Google to turn over Android-related documents that may be pertinent to the case. Apple argues that Google's refusal to reveal the search terms it is using to find documents requested by Apple as part of the pretrial discovery phase of the latest lawsuit between...
T-Mobile USA's iPhone 5 Sales Hit 500,000 Units
As part of its first quarter earnings release today, T-Mobile USA revealed that its iPhone 5 sales stand at approximately 500,000 units less than a month after the device debuted on the carrier. The carrier also launched the iPhone 4 and 4S in limited markets where the devices are compatible with its networks, but T-Mobile did not specify how many units of those models it has sold."Our first...
Foxconn's Push Into Televisions Hints at Preparation for Possible Apple Television
The New York Times reports on Foxconn's efforts to diversify its business, recognizing that while Apple is and will remain an important customer currently responsible for about 40% of Foxconn's revenue, it needs to tap into other markets in order to improve its own stability.
One major push for Foxconn has been the television market, where it has invested with Sharp in an LCD panel factory in...
Rovio Introduces 'Accounts' for Cross-Device Syncing
Following last week's introduction of Angry Birds Friends for iOS, Rovio yesterday announced a new "Rovio Account" feature that will allow users to synchronize game progress across devices.Some of you may have noticed a new feature in your Rovio games called Rovio Account. Our fans have been asking for a way to play their game on different phones or tablets without losing their progress when...
RunKeeper Updated With Pebble Smart Watch Support
Just over a year ago, popular workout tracking app RunKeeper announced that it was working on support for the Pebble smart watch, which ultimately broke a number of records in raising over $10 million on Kickstarter. With Pebbles having started shipping earlier this year, RunKeeper today announced the availability of updated versions of its iOS and Android apps to provide Pebble integration.
...
Mass Production of Retina Displays for iPad Mini Expected to Start in June or July
Following a somewhat confusing report earlier this week in which NPD DisplaySearch analysts first indicated that a Retina iPad mini would not appear until the first quarter of 2014 before quickly issuing a correction stating that a third quarter refresh would bring the Retina display to the line, the firm has now told CNET that production on those Retina display panels should begin in June or...
Apple Leaps to #6 in Latest Fortune 500 Rankings
Fortune today released its annual "Fortune 500" list, a high-profile ranking of the largest companies in the United States ranked by revenue. In the new rankings, Apple has risen to #6 from its #17 spot in last year's rankings.Apple is bigger than ever -- the company cracked the Fortune 10 this year. But it’s a high-pressure job, being king of the hill. At Apple's press event this past October, ...
Display Analysts See Retina iPad Mini Updates Coming in 3Q 2013 and 1Q 2014
In a bit of a confusing sequence of events, CNET reports on claims from NPD DisplaySearch analysts who see Apple having two Retina iPad mini devices in the pipeline, including an initial launch in the third quarter of this year followed by a second update in the first quarter of next year."We see two refreshes coming. One in the second half of this year, then one in Q1 [first quarter] of 2014,"...
EU Antitrust Ruling Says Google Abusing Patent Position in German Lawsuit Against Apple
The New York Times reports that Google and its Motorola Mobility unit have been found to be abusing their patent dominance in 3G wireless networking technology by the European Commission. The ruling, which comes in the form of a preliminary finding that could lead to formal antitrust charges but has yet to do so, addresses Motorola's efforts to bar European sales of Apple's 3G mobile devices over ...
Apple's Lower-Cost iPhone As a 'Mid-End' Device
AllThingsD shares details on a new report from J.P. Morgan analysts Gokul Hariharan and Mark Moskowitz, who unsurprisingly argue that Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone will still be a "mid-end" device rather than competing against the true low end of the smartphone market. The analysts point to Apple's previous introductions of the iPod nano and iPad mini as cheaper versions of their parent...
U.S. Cellular to Begin Offering Apple Products Later This Year
As part of its quarterly earnings release today, U.S. Cellular announced that it will begin carrying Apple products later this year, although the carrier offered no additional details on its plans."We have a number of strategies in progress to increase loyalty and attract more customers, including our announcement today that we will begin offering Apple products later this year. By further...
Apple Releases iOS 6.1.4 for iPhone 5 With New Speakerphone Audio Profile
Apple today released a minor iOS 6.1.4 update, bringing an updated audio profile for speakerphone. The new version, which arrives as Build 10B350, appears to only be for the iPhone 5.
The update did not involve a beta testing period for developers and follows the release of iOS 6.1.3 in...
Intel Shares Details on New 'Iris' Integrated Graphics for Haswell Chips
As noted by The Verge, Intel late yesterday released details on its next-generation integrated graphics offerings arriving as part of the company's Haswell processor lineup. The new graphics options consist of three primary levels: an Intel HD Graphics 5000 to be packaged as part of 15-watt chips destined for ultrabooks, an Intel "Iris" Graphics 5100 to be paired with 28-watt mid-range chips...
