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
Google Maps for iOS Receives First Update Since Launch with Google Contacts Integration, Local Business Search
Google today updated its Google Maps for iOS to version 1.1, marking the first update since the company launched its standalone app in mid-December after Apple replaced Google with its own default mapping app in iOS 6. The new update brings a few enhancements to Google Maps, including integration with Google Contacts addresses and easier searching of local businesses by category.What's New in ...
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Apple Updates iBooks with Paid Japanese Books, Greater Asian Language Support
Apple today updated iBooks to version 3.1, bringing new support for paid books in Japan and enhanced support for Asian languages.What's New in Version 3.1 The iBookstore in Japan now has hundreds of thousands of books available for purchase, including fiction, manga, light novels and more. This version of iBooks also includes a number of improvements for reading Asian language books. iBoo...
Sapphire Previews Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Mac Pro
As noted by Accelerate Your Mac and tonymacx86, German site PCGamesHardware.de reports [Google translation] that Hong Kong-based company Sapphire Technology is previewing its new Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition graphics card at CeBIT this week. The high-end card arrives following Apple's introduction of Radeon HD 7000-series drivers in OS X 10.8.3 betas last November, although the update has yet to...
New iPhones Still Expected to Launch in June/July, Fingerprint Sensor for iPhone 5S?
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a new research report claiming that Apple is expected to unveil its iPhone 5S and lower-cost iPhone alongside iOS 7 this June, with the devices coming available in July. Versions supporting the time-division duplexing (TDD) standard used by China Mobile are said to follow in September.We expect Apple will introduce its new iPhones and iOS7 in June,...
White House Backs Petition in Support of Mobile Phone Unlocking
As of late January, it became illegal in the United States to unlock newly purchased mobile phones without carrier authorization. The decision, which came from the Librarian of Congress declining to issue an exemption for such activity under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, serves to restrict U.S. customers from shifting service to other carriers or using their devices abroad with local SIM ...
Warren Buffett Says Apple Should Buy Back Stock, Ignore Einhorn's Calls for Preferred Stock
Barron's reports on a couple of Apple-related comments made by Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett during a three-hour appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box show this morning. Buffett, known as America's most famous investor, suggests that Apple ignore all of the recent controversy surrounding a recent proposal from Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn to issue new dividend-paying preferred stock ...
Apple's 'iWatch' Said to Run Full iOS, but Battery Life an Issue in Prototypes
Piggybacking on Bloomberg's latest report about Apple's "iWatch" plans, The Verge has weighed in with its own claims about the project. Most notably, the report's sources claim that Apple is planning for the watch to run a "full" version of iOS rather a simpler operating system such as that seen on the iPod nano.Interestingly, we're also told that Apple's chosen to rework the full iOS to run on...
Judge Voids Nearly Half of Apple's $1 Billion Judgment Against Samsung, Calls for New Trial to Settle Revised Damages
FOSS Patents reports that judge Lucy Koh has struck nearly half of the $1 billion in damages awarded to Apple in its patent lawsuit against Samsung last August, calling for a new trial to set revised damage amounts for the affected portions of the judgment.The $450 million amount [struck from the damage award] corresponds to 14 Samsung products, with respect to which a new damages trial must be...
Greenlight Capital Drops Lawsuit Against Apple Over Preferred Stock Proxy Proposal
Bloomberg briefly notes that hedge fund Greenlight Capital has unsurprisingly dropped its lawsuit against Apple over a company-backed proxy proposal that had bundled together several provisions including a move to limit Apple's ability to issue preferred stock to investors without explicit shareholder approval. Apple CEO had previously called the lawsuit a "silly sideshow" and reiterated that...
Analyst Says iPhone 5S and Cheaper iPhone Coming in August/September With China Mobile Support
Taiwan's Commercial Times reports [Google translation] on a new research note from Barclays analyst Kirk Yang claiming that Apple is indeed preparing both an iPhone 5S and a lower-cost iPhone for launch in the August/September timeframe. Yang notes that each of the devices will be available in two models: one supporting the standard frequency-division duplexing (FDD) technology used in most of ...
Apple's Polycarbonate iPhone with 4.5-Inch Display Arriving for $330 in 2014?
Japanese blog Mac Otakara reports (via AppleInsider) that Apple's plans for a lower-cost iPhone have now been pushed back to 2014, with the company reportedly planning to use a polycarbonate body similar to that seen on the discontinued white plastic MacBook. Apple is said to be targeting a price of $330 for unsubsidized models, significantly lowering the cost of entry in markets where carrier...
Corning Says Devices With Flexible 'Willow Glass' Displays Unlikely to Appear for at Least Three Years
While The New York Times reported earlier this month that Apple is working on a curved glass smart watch that could potentially make use of Corning's recently-announced bendable Willow Glass, Bloomberg now reports that Corning sees a wait of at least three years before devices using Willow Glass displays will be able to hit the market.“People are not accustomed to glass you roll up,” [Corning ...
iTunes U Hits One Billion Downloads of Free Educational Content
Apple today announced that its iTunes U service has hit one billion downloads, less than six years after its official debut.“It’s inspiring to see what educators and students of all types are doing with iTunes U,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “With the incredible content offered on iTunes U, students can learn like never before―there...
'Bad Piggies' Updated with New Levels, 'Road Hogs' Time Trials, and More
Rovio's highly regarded Bad Piggies game has received a major update today, bringing 30 new levels, six new "Road Hogs" time trial levels, and new sandbox and achievement features. The 30 new "Flight in the Night" levels include Angry Birds who will attempt to shoot down the piggies' contraptions if disturbed. In this massive update to IGN's 2012 game of the year, the Bad Piggies are on the...
Amazon Warns Against Installing Latest Kindle App Update for iOS Due to Deleted Book Libraries [Update: Fix Live]
Amazon yesterday released a minor 3.6.1 update to its Kindle app for iOS, but as noted by TUAW, the company is now warning users in the app description not to install the update.What's New in Version 3.6.1 Note: There is a known issue with this update. If you are an existing Kindle for iOS user, we recommend you do not install this update at this time.According to reports, the update is...
Apple Among 60 Companies to File Statement with U.S. Supreme Court Backing Gay Marriage
Bloomberg reports that Apple is among 60 companies that have signed on to a filing that will be presented to the Supreme Court backing gay marriage in the United States. The court is currently weighing the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, in which voters barred gay marriage in 2008. Apple had publicly opposed Proposition 8 at the time.“No matter how welcoming the corporate...
Apple Stock Jumps on Rumors of Stock Split at Tomorrow's Shareholder Meeting
Hedge fund manager Doug Kass tweeted (via 9to5Mac) a short time ago that he is hearing rumors of an announcement regarding a stock split coming at Apple's shareholder meeting scheduled for tomorrow at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California. The stock has reversed course since Kass's Tweet, moving from down $5 to up $5. Many observers, such as Fortune's Philip Elmer-Dewitt, are cal...
Digital Strength Drives First Growth in Music Sales Since 1999 as File Sharing Declines
AllThingsD points to a report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) revealing that 2012 saw the first growth in the music market since 1999, a milestone made possible by the strength of the digital music market.Global recorded music industry revenues rose by an estimated 0.3 per cent to US$16.5 billion in 2012, the first year of industry growth since 1999. Digital...
Staples Begins Selling Apple Accessories in U.S. Online Store
In line with last week's confirmation from Staples executives, the office supply giant has now begun offering Apple accessories in its U.S. online store. While the chain has long sold Apple products internationally, this marks the first time it has been able to reach an agreement with Apple for U.S. distribution. Products available through the online store are currently limited to...
U.S. Mac Sales Surge in January as iMac Orders Pick up Steam
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today issued a new research report sharing data from research firm NPD covering Apple's U.S. Mac sales for the month of January. According to NPD's data, Mac sales were up a strong 31% year-over-year for the month. Munster attributes the strong performance to Apple finally being able to roll out orders of the new iMac, even as the company remains significan...
