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
Best Buy Complains About Walmart's iPhone 5 Holiday Sale, Claims $65,000 Profit Loss in One Day
The Wall Street Journal notes that several retailers including Best Buy and Toys "R" Us have complained to attorneys general in a handful of states about advertising practices of Walmart. Generally, the complaints stem from comparison ads by Walmart in which competitors assert that Walmart is using inaccurate pricing or non-equivalent items to claim that it offers the lowest pricing. But...
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Netbook Industry Shutting Down After Being Squeezed by iPad and MacBook Air
As noted by The Guardian earlier this week, the netbook industry will be winding down in the first quarter of 2013, as major players Asus and Acer will be shutting down production of the tiny notebooks.Actually, the number sold in 2013 will be very much closer to zero than to 139m. The Taiwanese tech site Digitimes points out that Asus, which kicked off the modern netbook category with its Eee PC ...
No Deal in Sight for Apple to Acquire Waze
Yesterday, TechCrunch reported that Apple was interested in purchasing Waze, the social turn-by-turn navigation company. According to the report, Apple was offering approximately $400 million plus an additional $100 million in incentives, but Waze was holding out for closer to $750 million. TechCrunch's MG Siegler now reports that there is no deal in sight.And while Mike Butcher also claimed...
18.5% of U.S. Mobile Phone Subscribers Now Using iPhones
comScore today released the results of its monthly rolling survey of U.S. mobile phone users for the September-November period, finding that 18.5% of U.S. mobile phone subscribers are now using an iPhone, up 1.4 percentage points from the June-August period. Samsung continues to lead the market at 26.9% on 1.2 percentage point growth, while the remainder of the top five vendors all lost share. ...
Apple Reportedly Strikes Deal with Broadcom to Add 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi to 2013 Macs
TheNextWeb reports that Apple has struck a deal with wireless chip firm Broadcom that will see high-speed 802.11ac 5G "Gigabit Wi-Fi" come to the company's Mac lineup later this year.While it’s believed that Apple’s 2013 Mac lineup will feature the same designs as their late-2012 counterparts, they are set to include a range of updated internal features and hardware. We’ve learned about one ...
Apple Interested in Purchasing Social Turn-by-Turn Navigation Company Waze? [Updated]
Citing "rumours flying around", TechCrunch reports that Apple appears to be investigating the possibility of acquiring Waze, the popular social turn-by-turn navigation company. Waze, which takes advantage of real-time info from users to help others keep up-to-date on the latest road and traffic conditions, is already a partner in Apple's new Maps app, and an acquisition could help Apple beef up...
Next-Generation iPhone to Launch in More Colors, Multiple Sizes?
Following up on a report last month from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek claiming that the next-generation iPhone could launch in the middle of this year with as many as 6-8 colors, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has issued a report today indicating similar information. White also believes that Apple could offer the device with multiple screen sizes.Our checks indicate that the next...
iPhone5mod Launches Ultrathin Keyboard and Game Controller for iPhone 5
Over the past several months, we've been following the progress of iPhone5mod, one of several companies that have developed unauthorized versions of Apple's new Lightning connector, allowing them to launch a number of accessories, adapters, and cables for customers frustrated by the slow pace of development on official solutions. iPhone5mod is now launching an interesting new product today...
TSMC to Begin Trial Production of Apple's A6X Chip This Quarter
AFP reports on claims from Taiwanese newspaper Commercial Times indicating that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is set to begin trial production of Apple's A6X chip sometime this quarter. The chip is currently used in the fourth-generation iPad introduced in October.The Taiwanese company has been contracted to manufacture the A6X chip, which drives Apple's iPad4 tablet, with...
Hackulous Shuts Down, Taking Down Popular Pirated App Source Installous
As noted by iDownloadBlog, popular iOS pirated app community Hackulous has announced that it is shutting down, taking down the Installous jailbreak tool used to install pirated apps on iOS devices. A statement from Hackulous reads:We are very sad to announce that Hackulous is shutting down. After many years, our community has become stagnant and our forums are a bit of a ghost town. It has...
Increase in iPhone and iPad Thefts Accounts for Rise in New York City Crime Index
The New York Times reports that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg today released crime data for the city as 2012 draws to a close, noting that a slight increase in the overall major crime index for the city can be entirely accounted for by an increase in iPhone and iPad thefts.As of Monday, the Police Department recorded 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than for the same period last year. The...
Apple's Supply Chain to Work Through Chinese New Year Holiday Amid 'Insatiable Appetite' for iPad Mini in China
Brightwire summarizes a report [Google translation] from Taiwanese news site United Daily News claiming that Apple's supply chain partners will continue working through the traditional Chinese New Year holiday in order to keep up with demand for the popular iPad mini and iPhone 5. The holiday falls in mid-February in 2013, with many workers traditionally returning to their homes for two weeks or ...
Efforts by Apple and Foxconn to Improve Electronics Industry Labor Conditions Starting to Take Hold
In the latest installment of its "iEconomy" series, The New York Times takes a look at the advances made by Apple and Foxconn to improve working conditions at the Chinese factories churning out Apple products since a major push began earlier this year. The report details many changes such as wage increases and shorter working hour limits that have previously been disclosed, but also takes a peek ...
BlueStacks' Android App Player for Mac Moves into Beta with Support for All 750,000+ Apps
Back in June, we noted that BlueStacks had introduced an alpha version of its Android app player software for Mac. The app, which is also available for Windows, allows users to run Android apps on their desktop machines. With the alpha launch, however, BlueStacks supported only about 15 Android titles on the Mac. As noted by VentureBeat, BlueStacks today announced that its Mac app has moved...
Apple and Intel Working on Bluetooth Smart Watch for 2013 Launch?
Chinese site TGBus reports [Google translation, via Mobilegeeks.de] that Apple and Intel are currently working together on a Bluetooth-enabled smart watch. According to the report, the watch will include a 1.5-inch OLED display from RITEK subsidiary RiTdisplay and will launch in the first half of next year. Sony SmartWatch (left) and Pebble e-paper watch (right) Full details on Apple's...
Steve Jobs' Yacht Released After Security Deposit Posted
Last Friday, we noted that the Jobs family's new yacht had been impounded by Dutch authorities as a result of a dispute over the design fee to be paid to famed French designer Philippe Starck. Starck had claimed that he was due to be paid €9 million for designing the yacht, while the Jobs family said that the agreed rate was 6% of the €105 million construction cost for the yacht, or roughly ...
Apple Sets New High with 53.3% of U.S. Smartphone Market, Android Holds Strong in Europe
Last month, research firm Kantar Worldpanel reported that Apple had retaken the lead in U.S. smartphone sales from Android over the August-October timeframe, topping Android by a 48.1%-46.7% margin on the strength of the iPhone 5 launch. At the time, the firm suggested that Apple's share would continue to rise as the 12-week window of sales data shifted to include the iPhone 5 for its...
Steve Jobs' Yacht Impounded in $3.6 Million Dispute Over Design Fee
DutchNews.nl reports on articles from the Dutch media noting that Steve Jobs' yacht Venus, which launched nearly two months ago, has been impounded by authorities due to a dispute with famed French designer Philippe Starck over design fees for the ship.Baliffs boarded the brand new yacht Venus last Wednesday with an Amsterdam court order and it is now literally chained to the dock, the FD said....
T-Mobile USA Announces Major 4G Coverage Expansion in 14 Markets, Solavei MVNO Targets iPhone Users
T-Mobile USA today announced that it has made significant enhancements to its 4G network in 14 areas, signaling continued efforts to support the iPhone on its fastest 4G networks. T-Mobile has announced that it will officially begin offering the iPhone sometime next year.Today, we’re announcing technology advancements in 14 new metro areas to close out 2012, underscoring our rapid enhancements ...
Passbook Proving Popular for Developers and Retailers
Passbook was one of the major features to debut in iOS 6, allowing companies to deliver items like tickets, loyalty cards, coupons, and gift cards to a centralized digital wallet for the iPhone and iPod touch. While the feature is a welcome addition that incorporates handy time and location awareness to help users gain access to their Passbook passes when needed, it falls short of a true digital ...
