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
T-Mobile USA Announces Trade-In Offer for Existing iPhone Owners Ahead of iPhone 5 Launch
Ahead of Friday's launch of the iPhone on T-Mobile USA, the carrier has announced details on its trade-in program designed to entice current iPhone 4 and 4S users to switch carriers. The trade-in program reduces the down payment on a 16 GB iPhone 5 from $99.99 to $0, with additional credit of up $120 depending on the value of the device being traded.“Our message to iPhone 4S and iPhone 4...
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Nearly Half of Surveyed U.S. Teens Using iPhones, Over One-Third Using iPads
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today released the results of his semi-annual survey of U.S. teenagers, finding that iPhone and iPad usage remains strong among the 5,200 teens included in the study. According to the report, 48% of teens now report that they are using iPhones, up from 40% just six months ago.We believe this demonstrates that Apple remains the top choice for teens despite more...
Google and Apple Losing Mobile Advertising Market to Publishers
Research firm IDC today announced the release of a new report covering the mobile advertising market, noting that ad networks such as those from Google and Apple are losing traction to publishers able to use their size to drive their own advertising sales.Where in past years, ad networks such as Google, Millennial Media, and Apple received most of the spending on mobile display ads, now...
iPhone 5S to Launch in 2-3 Different Screen Sizes?
Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White is out with another research note today sharing some highlights from day seven of his trip to China and Taiwan to talk with technology companies and other sources. Based on discussions with officials at an unnamed "tech-supply chain company", White now believes that Apple's iPhone 5S due for release later this year will arrive in two or possibly even...
Starbucks' Pick of the Week Goes Mobile Through iOS App With 'Angry Birds Star Wars'
Starbucks and Apple have long had a partnership to give away iTunes Store and App Store content to Starbucks customers, with the "Pick of the Week" program using physical cards with redemption codes on the back to allow users to download their free content.
As noted by CNET, Starbucks has now gone mobile with the Pick of the Week program, allowing users to access each week's selection directly ...
Apple Patent Watch: Offline iTunes Store Purchases, Proximity-Based Media Transfer Between Devices
Among Apple's granted patents released today, AppleInsider has noted a pair of inventions that appear to be of some interest. The first patent addresses the idea of offline iTunes Store purchases from mobile devices, allowing users to store "credit" that can unlock content already on their devices but not yet owned by the user.In some cases, a user may wish to add new media items to the library,...
Apple Notebook Refresh Expected Late This Quarter, But Only Modest Shipment Growth for 2013
Citing supply chain sources, Digitimes reports that Apple is expected to see only modest "single-digit" shipment growth for its notebook lineup in 2013, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro in particular seeing weaker-than-expected sales.Apple was confident about its 13-inch MacBook Pro performance for 2013, but the device's actual sales turn out to be weaker than expected, leaving the company still...
Apple Online Store Now Offering Refurbished Current-Generation 27-Inch iMac Models
Apple today began offering refurbished models of the current-generation 27-inch iMac for the first time, roughly four months after the models initially launched.
The two stock configurations of the 27-inch iMac are currently available at 15% discounts compared to brand-new units, with the low-end refurbished model priced at $1529 vs. $1799 new and the high-end refurbished model priced at $1699 ...
Apple Hiring Software Engineer for AuthenTec Fingerprint Sensor Team in Florida
Apple yesterday posted a new job listing (via AppleInsider) looking for a software engineer to join its team of fingerprint sensor engineers from AuthenTec, which was acquired last year for $356 million.
Apple refers to the job location as its "Melbourne Design Center" located in Melbourne, Florida, which is where AuthenTec was based, and is the only Melbourne-based position currently listed...
Google Close to Acquiring WhatsApp for $1 Billion?
Digital Trends reports that Google is on the verge of acquiring WhatsApp, the company behind the popular cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp Messenger.While the deal started four or five weeks ago, we’ve been told that WhatsApp is “playing hardball” and jockeying for a higher acquisition price, which currently is “close to” $1 billion right now.WhatsApp Messenger is currently a $0.99 app in ...
U.S. Patent Office Withdraws Primary Objections to Apple's 'iPad Mini' Trademark Application
Last week, we noted that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had issued an initial office action denying Apple's application for a trademark on the term "iPad mini".
The examiner's primary objection to Apple's application related to all of the elements of the "iPad mini" name having been judged as descriptive rather than contributing to a unique product name. A second objection...
T-Mobile USA Rolling Out Software Update for Existing Unlocked iPhone Customers
In line with a report from earlier this week, TmoNews reports that T-Mobile USA has begun rolling out software updates for existing customers running unlocked iPhones on its network.
As the carrier notes in its support forum, the update enables a number of features, including LTE support where available, ahead of the official launch of new iPhone 5 sales for the carrier next week.Enables the...
Apple to Alter VPN On Demand Behavior in iOS 6.1 and Later Due to VirnetX Lawsuit
The Loop points to a new Apple support document disclosing that the company will be changing the behavior of the VPN On Demand feature on iOS devices running iOS 6.1 or later through a software update to be released later this month. The changes have been necessitated by a $368 million judgment against Apple late last year in a patent lawsuit brought by VirnetX.Devices using iOS 6.1 and later...
Apple Updates Online Store With Touch-Friendly Navigation and Search Result Tweaks
Apple today rolled out a few minor tweaks to its online store (via Mac Otakara), making it easier to navigate the store on touchscreen devices such as the iPhone and iPad.
One change involves a new sliding navigation bar for product categories. From the main store page, once users select one of the four main shopping categories (Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod), the navigation bar at the top of...
T-Mobile USA Begins Taking Pre-Orders for iPhone 5 Ahead of April 12 Launch
In line with its previously announced timeline, T-Mobile USA today began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 ahead of its April 12 launch.
Under T-Mobile's new payment model, the 16 GB iPhone 5 requires a down payment of $99.99 with the customer also responsible for an additional 24 monthly payments of $20, bringing the total cost of the device to $579.99. The 32 GB and 64 GB models carry the ...
Zuckerberg: Android's Openness Offers Opportunity for 'Way Better' Experience Than iPhone
Following today's introduction of Facebook Home, a new people-focused integration layer for Android devices, Fortune has published an interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in which he discusses a number of topics including the rivalry between Apple and Google in the mobile market.
In Zuckerberg's view, the open nature of Google that has allowed Facebook to build Home offers a great...
'Samsung Experience Shops' Coming to 1,400 Best Buy Locations
Last week, we noted that Samsung was rumored to be launching a new "store-within-a-store" concept inside Best Buy stores, taking on the dedicated "Apple Shops" that have been located in many Best Buy locations for a number of years.
Samsung and Best Buy have now officially announced the partnership, with "Samsung Experience Shops" focused on the company's mobile products coming to 1,400 Best ...
Apple Highlights Age Ratings in iOS App Store With New Icons
Apple yesterday rolled out another tweak for its iOS App Store, adding age rating icons to the top section of each app's information page. While the ratings have long been included in app details at the bottom of the pages, the new icons are much more prominent to help parents quickly assess whether a given app might be age appropriate for their children.
The change comes roughly two weeks...
Steve Jobs' Requirements for 'Fit and Finish' Leading to Massive Cost Overruns for Apple's New Campus
In a lengthy report today, Bloomberg Businessweek takes a look at Apple's upcoming "spaceship" campus in Cupertino, noting that the project is currently one year behind schedule and roughly $2 billion over budget.Since 2011, the budget for Apple’s Campus 2 has ballooned from less than $3 billion to nearly $5 billion, according to five people close to the project who were not authorized to speak ...
EVGA Announces GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Mac Pro
Just two weeks after Sapphire introduced the Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition graphics card for the Mac Pro, EVGA today announced the launch of its GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition. Based on the popular year-old card for PCs, the new GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition carries 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and adds another high-end graphics option for current Mac Pro users.The EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition graphics card...
