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
Tim Cook on the Urgency of Solving Problems, Unpredictability of Apple, and Industry Disruption
Following yesterday's announcement that Apple CEO Tim Cook had been ">named to the shortlist for TIME's annual Person of the Year feature, the magazine has published a lengthy profile of Cook today covering his runner-up status. Much of the information in the profile has been discussed in other settings, but it offers a good overview of Cook and his time at Apple. The piece also offers a few...
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Apple Notifies European Publishers of 5-Year Halt to 'Most Favored Nation' E-Book Clause
As noted by SetteB.IT, Apple has notified its European publishing partners for the iBookstore that it has suspended the "most favored nation" clause of its book-selling contract for a period of five years. The clause had prevented publishers from selling their books to other distributors at prices lower than those offered to Apple. The arrangement had been the subject of an antitrust...
Analyst Says Apple Accelerating Plans for Next-Generation iPad Mini Launch
CNET reports on a research note from RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman claiming that Apple appears to be accelerating its plans for the second-generation iPad mini, although it remains unclear when Apple is looking to launch the device.RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman -- who is in China visiting chip companies this week -- offered this ambiguous Apple note: "iPad Mini Gen-2:...
OCDock Offers iPhone Dock Integration with iMac or Thunderbolt Display
With Apple's change to the Lightning dock connector for the iPhone 5 and its other mobile devices, customers have been struggling to find dock solutions compatible with the new standard. Users started with several workarounds and do-it-yourself mods, but gradually unofficial docks and some more official workarounds have appeared to meet customer demand. One new entrant with some unique...
Kodak to Sell Patent Portfolio to 12-Member Consortium Including Apple for $525 Million
In line with a report from earlier this month, Eastman Kodak today announced that it has reached a deal to sell its portfolio of digital imaging patents to a consortium of 12 companies organized by patent holding firms Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation for $525 million.Under the agreements, Kodak will receive approximately $525 million, a portion of which will be paid by 12 intellectual...
Foxconn Reportedly Testing Designs for 46-55 Inch Apple Television Sets
Taiwan's Central News Agency reports (via Patently Apple) that Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision, is currently working with Apple to test several designs for an Apple television set in the range of 46-55 inches.Hon Hai, the world's largest contract electronics maker, has declined to respond to the reports, saying that it never comments on specific business...
Apple Now Tracking Working Hours for Over One Million Supply Chain Employees
Apple has updated its supplier responsibility pages to note that it is now tracking working hours for one million employees in its supply chain, up from 900,000 at its previous update. Compliance with Apple's 60-hour work week standard stood at 88% in November, below the peak of 97% reached in July and August. Apple notes, however, that it allows the normal 60-hour standard to be exceeded...
Samsung Drops Injunction Requests Against Apple in Europe
In yet another development in the worldwide patent battle between Apple and Samsung, The Verge reports that Samsung has dropped its requests for injunctions barring the sale of a number of Apple products in Europe. Samsung has accused Apple of infringing several standards-essential patents related to cellular technology and has been pursuing both sales bans and monetary damages. Samsung's...
Brightcove CEO Envisions His Dream Apple Television and Set-Top Box
In a guest post on AllThingsD, Brightcove founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire offers a thorough look at his ideals for a television initiative from Apple. While Allaire has no direct knowledge of Apple's plans, his perspective gained by leading one of the major online video platforms for mainstream media offers an interesting basis for discussion on what Apple may wish to do. Allaire describes...
Walmart Offering iPhone 5 for $127, Third-Generation iPad for $399
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, we've been highlighting several increasingly good deals on the iPhone 5, and Walmart is now launching new discounts on both the iPhone and iPad that may be of interest to some readers. Starting today, Walmart has dropped prices on both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, with the 16 GB iPhone 5 now on sale for just $127 and the iPhone 4S coming in at...
App Store Gifting Returns to iOS Devices
With the launch of iOS 6, users lost the ability to gift apps to others directly from the App Store, with users required to turn to the desktop version of iTunes if they wished to send an app gift. But as noted by iFun [Google translation], Apple has now quietly updated the share button in the iOS 6 App Store to include the option to gift paid apps. Not only are users once again able to...
Apple's New Causeway Bay Retail Store in Hong Kong Unveiled
Earlier this week, we noted that this weekend's group of Apple retail store grand openings would be headlined by the company's Causeway Bay flagship location in Hong Kong. The store features three levels, with a 30-foot tall glass curtain wall making a significant impact on the shopping center. With the store set to open to the public tomorrow, Apple has been putting the finishing touches on...
iPhone 5 Launches in 33 New Countries Including China
In line with its announcement from earlier this month, Apple today launched the iPhone 5 in 33 new countries, with the most prominent member of the group being China. Unlike the chaos that reigned at the iPhone 4S launch earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reports that the iPhone 5 appears to have been quite subdued. It is unclear, however, how much of the change may be due to lack...
Jury Rules Apple's iPhone Infringes Three Patents in MobileMedia Trial
Bloomberg reports that a jury in Delaware has found Apple guilty of patent infringement in a lawsuit brought by MobileMedia Ideas, a patent holding firm organized by Sony, Nokia, and MPEG LA. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2010, ultimately focused on three patents MobileMedia Ideas claimed were infringed by the iPhone.In its complaint, MobileMedia contended it would suffer “irreparable...
Samsung's New Strategy Chief an Apple User, Cites Ecosystem Benefits and 'Stickiness'
In an interview with MIT Technology Review (via The Verge), Samsung Chief Strategy Officer Young Sohn reveals that he is in fact an Apple user. Sohn, who joined Samsung in August, uses a Mac, an iPhone, and an iPad as his personal devices, and cites Apple's ecosystem as a major advantage for the company.OK, so think about Apple compared to Samsung. I use a Mac, actually, at home. I’ve always...
Apple Quickly Updates Malware Definitions to Detect New SMS Scam Trojan
Earlier this week, Russian security firm Dr. Web published a blog post announcing the discovery of a new OS X trojan horse known as "Trojan.SMSSend.3666". The malware masquerades as an installer for various software titles, but tricks users into signing up for subscriptions through their mobile devices. When a user starts such an installer, they see the interface that imitates the...
Google Maps for iOS Now Live in App Store
In line with a report from just a few hours ago, Google's new standalone Maps app for iOS [App Store] has just gone live in the App Store. The app offers iOS 6 users unhappy with the experience on Apple's new in-house Maps app the ability to switch back to Google's free offering. The new Google Maps also offers a number of enhancements beyond what was offered when it powered the built-in...
Matrox Launches DS1 Thunderbolt Docking Station for $249
For over a year, third-party manufacturers have been showing off prototypes and making announcements regarding Thunderbolt docking stations, accessories that would allow users to connect a variety of peripherals to a hub that would then connect to their Mac with a single Thunderbolt cable. Apple offers such functionality as part of its $999 Apple Thunderbolt Display, but many users have been...
Intel's 'Haswell' Desktop Processors Detailed for Spring 2013 Launch
VR-Zone shares (via Engadget) what is claimed to be a leaked list of Intel's first wave of "Haswell" desktop processors. The 14 new chips are expected to debut in the spring of 2013 and will build new architecture on top of the 22-nanometer process used in the current Ivy Bridge chips. Haswell will bring a number of enhancements to Intel's chip lineup, including faster performance and...
iTunes Store Movie Content Goes Live in 42 New Countries
Earlier this month, we noted that the iTunes Music Store had gone live in 56 new countries, nearly doubling the number of countries with access to the store. At the time, Apple noted in its press release that movies were also being launched in Russia, Turkey, India and Indonesia with "select additional countries" also scheduled to offer the film content. Beginning earlier today, a number of ...
