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
Unauthorized Unlocking of New Mobile Phones Set to Become Illegal in U.S.
As noted by Tech News Daily, a new federal policy in the United States is set to go into effect this Saturday that will make it illegal for certain mobile phone owners to unlock their devices for use on other carriers unless specifically authorized by their carriers. The policy applies to newly purchased devices beginning on Saturday, but not to legacy devices purchased prior to that date.In...
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First Video Clip of Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs
Following yesterday's news that the independent film JOBS starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs will open in theaters on April 19, ETonline.com has released the first video clip from the film. The brief clip shows Kutcher as Jobs speaking with Josh Gad in the role of Steve Wozniak.In the clip, Jobs (played by Ashton Kutcher) is raving about the operating system that Apple co-founder Steve...
Tim Cook Congratulates Apple Employees on Record Quarter, Announces Town Hall Meeting Today
Following yesterday's record-breaking earnings numbers for the first fiscal quarter of 2013 that still fell short of analyst expectations, Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent out an email to employees (via 9to5Mac) congratulating them on the performance and announcing an employees-only town hall meeting scheduled for today.Team,
We’ve just reported another record setting quarter, thanks to...
Samsung Retakes Title of World's Largest Semiconductor Customer from Apple in 2012
Research firm Gartner today shared its estimates of global semiconductor purchases for 2012, finding that Samsung has retaken the title Apple had gained in 2011 when it leapt over both Samsung and HP. Samsung (28.9% growth) and Apple (13.6% growth) registered as the biggest winners in 2012, as the overall market declined by 3% with Sony (1.9%) and Lenovo (0.3%) being the only other top-ten...
A Look at the History of Siri and How it Almost Became an Android Exclusive for Verizon
A few of the details on the the history of Siri, including Steve Jobs' move to contact the company just three weeks after the independent app's launch, have surfaced over the last several years, but The Huffington Post has now published an extensive history of the technology and company that reveals a few other interesting details.
The report outlines how Siri grew out of a Department of...
Digitimes Backtracks on Earlier Claim of Larger, Cheaper iPhone
Earlier this month, Digitimes claimed that Apple was planning to launch a larger and cheaper iPhone in the second half of this year, seeking to make an impact on emerging markets and combat the growing screen sizes seen on Android devices.
Rumors of cheaper and larger iPhones as part of a multi-pronged product strategy for Apple have continued to circulate, but the idea of a new iPhone being...
Apple to Open First Retail Store and Resume Online Sales in Indonesia
NZweek reports (via The Next Web) that government officials in Indonesia have revealed that Apple has submitted an application outlining plans to relaunch its online store in the country, to be followed by the opening of its first Indonesian retail store in Jakarta.Chatib Basri, BKPM chairman, said BKPM has given official permission to Apple relating to its plan to open online store in Indonesia. ...
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 ...
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 ...
