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
Verizon Activates 6.2 Million iPhones in 4Q 2012, Nearly Two-Thirds of Total Smartphone Activations
Verizon today became the first major U.S. iPhone carrier to announce earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012. Overall, the carrier activated 9.8 million smartphones during the quarter, and GigaOM notes that Verizon revealed on its conference call that 6.2 million, or nearly two-thirds, of those were iPhones. Perhaps most interestingly, only half of those iPhones activated during the quarter ...
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Shipping Estimates for 21.5-Inch iMac Begin Slipping to 2-3 Weeks
Shipping estimates for new orders of 21.5-inch iMac models began slipping in Apple's online stores in many European countries such as the United Kingdom today, moving from 7-10 business days to 2-3 weeks. The changes have not yet propagated to stores for other regions. Estimates for the 21.5-inch models had remained steady at 7-10 business days since just after they became available for...
Burglar of Jobs Family's Home Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison
IDG News Service reports that Kariem McFarlin, the burglar who stole $60,000 worth of Apple products and other items from the home of Steve Jobs' family last July, has been sentenced to seven years in prison. McFarlin entered the home while it was undergoing renovation and stole two iMacs, three iPads, three iPods, an Apple TV, jewelry, and other items.REACT officers found McFarlin with help...
Sharp Reportedly Cutting iPad Display Production Amid Shift in Consumer Interest to iPad Mini
Reuters reports that Sharp, one of Apple's primary display panel partners for its mobile devices, has slashed production of iPad displays at one of its plants. Sources did not indicate the reasons for the dramatic cut, but it appears to be a combination of a shift in consumer interest to the smaller iPad mini and a natural seasonal slowdown coming out of the holiday quarter.Sharp Corp has nearly ...
Refurbished 13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Models Appear in Apple's Online Store
Apple today added the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro to the refurbished section of its online store, giving prospective customers the opportunity to save 15% compared to brand-new machine. Currently available models include: - 2.5 GHz Core i5 with 128 GB storage: $1439, compared to $1699 new - 2.5 GHz Core i5 with 256 GB storage: $1699, compared to $1999 new - 2.9 GHz Core i7 with 512...
Apple Researching Removable Mobile Device Clip with Tactile Trackpad Controls
Patently Apple highlights an interesting Apple patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today. The application describes a removable clip for a mobile device such as an iPod, with the clip integrating tactile or trackpad like controls to be used either while attached to the device or as a remote control.In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a body having a bend and ...
Sprint to Launch Total Equipment Protection Plan for iPhone on January 25
Engadget reports that Sprint will finally begin offering its Total Equipment Protection (TEP) plan for the iPhone beginning January 25. The TEP plan offers coverage not only for device failures that occur outside of Apple's standard warranty but also loss, theft, and damage. The TEP plan consists of two parts, an $11 monthly fee for the service and then a significant $150-$200 deductible...
Amazon Optimizes MP3 Store for Mobile Safari to Attract iOS Device Users
Amazon today announced that it has optimized its MP3 music store for Safari on iOS devices, marking yet another step in the company's effort to eat into the iTunes Store's dominant position in the digital music market.“Since the launch of the Amazon Cloud Player app for iPhone and iPod touch, a top request from customers has been the ability to buy music from Amazon right from their devices....
Apple and Amazon Ordered to Enter Settlement Talks Over 'App Store' Trademark Issue
Earlier this month, a court threw out Apple's false advertising claim against Amazon in the dispute over the "App Store" trademark, leaving unaddressed the question of trademark infringement. The two companies have been battling over the issue for nearly two years, with Apple claiming that Amazon's use of the "Appstore" name to describe its marketplace for Android apps infringes upon Apple's App ...
Apple's 2013 Product Roadmap Predictions: Multiple iPhones, Retina iPad Mini, All-Retina MacBook Pros
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a very good track record in predicting Apple's product plans, has issued a new research report outlining his expectations for Apple's 2013 product launches. Kuo believes that Apple will focus its launches on the third quarter of this year, with a number of updates throughout the company's various product families. - iPhone: Kuo expects that Apple ...
iPhone 5S Reportedly Slated for March Production with June/July Launch
Following up on his report from last month, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek has released a new research report indicating that Apple's iPhone 5S is still in line for a launch in June or July of this year, with production beginning to ramp up in March.Our checks indicate that preliminary builds for the iPhone 5S will start in March for a launch in June/July. As word of the earlier production...
Apple Looking to Establish R&D Center in Beijing?
BrightWire reports on an article from Chinese web portal Tencent claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed during his visit to China last week the company's plans to establish a research and development center in Beijing. The report includes several other items of information pointing to Apple's continued efforts to strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing Chinese market.- At a meeting...
Thunderbolt Adoption Reportedly Slowed by Intel's Licensing and Certification, But Improvements Coming
Last July, Ars Technica took a look at the state of the Thunderbolt standard developed by Apple and Intel, noting that adoption remained slow amid high pricing some eighteen months after the standard's introduction. The report did, however, suggest that pricing could begin to improve in 2013 as the next generation of Thunderbolt chips hit the market. Ars Technica has now published a follow-up ...
Apple Thunderbolt Display Supplies Begin Running Short at Third-Party Resellers
AppleInsider notes that inventories of the Apple Thunderbolt Display have begun running short at third-party resellers such as Amazon and MacMall, perhaps providing the first hints of an upcoming redesign. The display remains in stock at the company's online stores, but shortages tend to show up at third-party retailers first as Apple prioritizes shrinking supplies for its own outlets. One...
Apple Maintains Third Place in U.S. PC Sales for 4Q 2012
Research firm Gartner today released its preliminary personal computer shipment data for the fourth quarter of 2012, showing a mixed market for manufacturers. Overall, Gartner saw a 2.1% year-over-year decline in PC sales in the United States, compared to a 4.9% decline on a global basis. Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q12 (Thousands of Units) In the...
Oracle Updates Java 7 to Address Security Vulnerability
On Friday, we noted that Apple had taken the rare step of using its anti-malware tools in OS X to disable existing installations of the Java 7 browser plug-in due to a major security vulnerability that was being actively exploited in the wild. Apple's anti-malware system is capable of enforcing minimum version numbers for plug-ins such as Java and Flash, and Apple simply updated its blacklist...
Apple Slashes iPhone 5 Part Orders Due to Weak Demand
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has slashed component orders for the iPhone 5 this quarter, responding to weaker-than-expected demand.Apple's orders for iPhone 5 screens for the January-March quarter, for example, have dropped to roughly half of what the company had previously planned to order, two of the people said. The Cupertino, Calif., company has also cut orders for components ...
Apple Blocks Java 7 Plug-in on OS X to Address Widespread Security Threat
As noted by ZDNet, a major security vulnerability in Java 7 has been discovered, with the vulnerability currently being exploited in the wild by malicious parties. In response to threat, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recommended that users disable the Java 7 browser plug-in entirely until a patch is made available by Oracle.Hackers have discovered a weakness in Java 7 security...
Next-Generation iPad and iPad Mini Rumored for March Launch
Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White today released a new report highlighting some of his observations from this week's CES in Las Vegas, noting that "checks" at the show suggest that Apple is looking to launch the next-generation versions of the iPad and iPad mini in March.Our checks at CES indicate Apple will release the iPad 5 and the second-generation iPad mini this March. The iPad 5 is ...
Apple Adds Streaming Movie and TV Service Watchever to Apple TV in Germany
As noted by The Next Web, Apple has added support for new movie and TV streaming service Watchever to the Apple TV in Germany.Essentially a German version of Hulu launched by Vivendi this month, it offers local, European and international movies and TV series for €8.99 a month. Key features include the ability to choose between a German dubbed version of international movies, or the original....
