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.

Eric Slivka's Articles

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Apple and Google Teaming Up on $500 Million Bid for Kodak Patents

Friday December 7, 2012 7:34 pm PST by
Bloomberg reports that Apple and Google have joined forces to put forward a bid of more than $500 million to purchase the patent portfolio of bankrupt imaging pioneer Eastman Kodak.The two companies, competing for dominance of the smartphone market, have partnered after leading two separate consortia this summer to buy Kodak’s 1,100 imaging patents, said the people, who asked not to be...
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iPhone 5 Now 'In Stock' in Apple's Online Stores for Several Countries

Friday December 7, 2012 1:09 pm PST by
Just days after shipping estimates for new iPhone 5 orders improved to 2-4 business days, they are taking the final step with Apple now listing the device as "in stock" in many of its online stores. We've noticed the new "in stock" quotes in Apple's online stores for the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, while a number of other countries are still seeing estimates of 1-3...
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U.S. Patent Office Preliminarily Invalidates Apple's 'Steve Jobs Patent' on the iPhone

Friday December 7, 2012 11:32 am PST by
FOSS Patents reports that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a notice preliminarily ruling that Apple's massive iPhone patent popularly referred to as "the Steve Jobs patent" invalid in its entirety upon reexamination. The patent, issued as Patent No. 7,479,949, had been granted in January 2009 and incorporated several prior patent applications dating back to September 2006...
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Low Turnout for iPad Mini Launch in China, But Scalpers Still Hoarding Supplies

Friday December 7, 2012 7:03 am PST by
The Wall Street Journal reports that turnout for the launch of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad in China today was fairly low, with Apple's lottery system and two-per-person limits for in-person sales of the iPad mini said to be making it more difficult for scalpers to run their operations. iPad mini on display at Apple's Sanlitun retail store in Beijing The scalpers were still...
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Apple Now Quoting 'January' Shipping Estimates for 27-Inch iMac

Friday December 7, 2012 6:51 am PST by
Shipping estimates for Apple's new 27-inch iMac models have been updated today to "January", marking the first time availability of the machines has been pushed back into 2013. Orders had previously been estimated at 3-4 weeks for shipping. The new "January" estimate may or may not represent a lengthening of lead times given that the previous 3-4 week window was already pushing into...
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Aerial Photos of Apple's Oregon Data Center Site

Friday December 7, 2012 6:40 am PST by
Following up on its aerial tour of Apple's North Carolina data center earlier this year, Wired has again taken to the skies to get a glimpse of Apple's data center site in Prineville, Oregon. While construction on the first of two 338,000 square-foot buildings planned for the site is just getting started, Apple's initial "tactical data center" is already in place.Apple finished this building ...
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T-Mobile USA to Cease Offering Subsidized Device Pricing Options in 2013

Thursday December 6, 2012 12:19 pm PST by
Just as it announces that it will begin offering Apple products, presumably including the iPhone and iPad, next year, T-Mobile USA has also revealed that it will be restructuring the way it sells to customers by eliminating device subsidies and focusing on lower monthly plan costs. The plans were announced at Deutsche Telekom's annual investor conference today and noted by Fierce Wireless.Current...
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Apple Updates Final Cut Pro, Compressor, and Motion with Bug Fixes

Thursday December 6, 2012 9:30 am PST by
Apple today updated Final Cut Pro [Mac App Store] to version 10.0.7, bringing a number of bug fixes and other improvements.This update improves overall stability, performance and compatibility including: - The Letterbox effect "Offset" slider has been restored - Fixes an issue when creating a single layer DVD - Fixes an issue where some third-party effects could cause Final Cut Pro to hang...
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Unofficial 3-in-1 Lightning Camera Connection Kit Supports USB, SD, and MicroSD

Thursday December 6, 2012 9:03 am PST by
The folks at iPhone5mod continue to churn out unofficial Lightning accessories to fill the void left by Apple's slow rollout of official products under its own label and licensed to third-party manufacturers. iPhone5mod's latest offering is a 3-in-1 Lightning Camera Connection Kit, a dongle priced at $23.90 that provides camera support for SD and microSD cards, as well as USB. Apple offers...
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T-Mobile USA to Begin Selling Apple Products in 2013

Thursday December 6, 2012 8:05 am PST by
In line with analyst speculation from last week, Engadget reports that Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann has just announced at his company's analyst day event that T-Mobile USA will begin selling Apple products in 2013.The announcement was posted --nearly as an afterthought, oddly enough -- as part of a press release in which Deutsche Telekom spelled out its financial plans through 2015. While...
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iPad Mini Shipping Estimates Drop to One Week in U.S. and Canada

Thursday December 6, 2012 7:54 am PST by
Shipping estimates for the iPad mini have fallen to one week in Apple's online stores for the United States and Canada, indicating that Apple is beginning to approach a supply-demand balance for the device that launched just over a month ago. Estimates in the company's online stores for other countries remain at two weeks, but those will likely move to the new one-week estimate fairly soon. ...
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Foxconn Planning U.S. Expansion Alongside Apple's Push for Domestic Mac Production

Thursday December 6, 2012 7:22 am PST by
Just as Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed that Apple will be bringing some Mac production back to the United States next year, Bloomberg reports that Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is seeking to expand into the country.“We are looking at doing more manufacturing in the U.S. because, in general, customers want more to be done there,” Louis Woo, a Foxconn spokesman, said in a phone...
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Tim Cook: Management Shakeup Indeed Driven by Desire for Increased Collaboration

Thursday December 6, 2012 5:38 am PST by
In his lengthy interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the recent management shakeup that saw iOS chief Scott Forstall relieved of his duties and retail boss John Browett out of a job just months after arriving at Apple. In line with comments in the press release announcing the changes, Cook elaborates on his belief in high levels of collaboration and that executive...
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Tim Cook: 'Intense Interest' in Redefining the Television Experience

Thursday December 6, 2012 5:18 am PST by
As part of its teaser for tonight's Rock Center interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook, NBC points quotes Cook as hinting that Apple is indeed focused very seriously on redefining television.What’s next for Apple? Did Cook leave us with a clue? “When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years,” Cook told Williams. “It’s an area ...
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Apple Bringing Some Mac Production Back to U.S. in 2013

Thursday December 6, 2012 5:04 am PST by
NBC reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook will announce during an interview airing on Rock Center tonight that the company is bringing some Mac production back to the United States.In an exclusive interview with Brian Williams airing tonight at 10pm/9c on NBC’s “Rock Center,” Apple CEO Tim Cook announced one of the existing Mac lines will be manufactured exclusively in the United States next...
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Record AT&T Smartphone Sales Bode Well for iPhone in 4Q 2012

Wednesday December 5, 2012 12:28 pm PST by
CNET reports on comments from AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega today revealing that the carrier has experienced record-breaking smartphone sales through the first two months of the fourth quarter of 2012.The wireless carrier is selling smartphones at a record pace -- 6.4 million already in the first two months of the quarter, according to Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T's mobility arm. De la...
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Deals for Apple Custom Radio Service 'Nowhere Near to Being Completed'

Wednesday December 5, 2012 7:31 am PST by
Back in early September, news broke in several publications about Apple's plans for a Pandora-like custom radio service, with the company reportedly seeking to arrange deals with music labels to allow more flexibility than permitted under the mandatory licensing used by Pandora. At the time, a launch was said to be "months away". By late October, reports were indicating that talks remained in ...
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Upcoming iTunes 11 Update to Restore Duplicate Search, Fix Album Art and Movie Streaming Bugs

Wednesday December 5, 2012 6:04 am PST by
In his review of iTunes 11, AllThingsD's Walt Mossberg notes that Apple is preparing a minor update to address several issues with the initial release of the software. Among the changes included in the update will be the return of a feature that allows users to find duplicate songs in their libraries.A feature that finds duplicate entries is missing. Apple says it will soon be restored in a...
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First Claimed Images of iPhone 5S Rear Shell Surface

Wednesday December 5, 2012 5:50 am PST by
Parts firm ETrade Supply has posted several photos of what it believes may be the rear shell for next-generation iPhone, which we are referring to as the iPhone 5S in accordance with Apple's recent pattern of naming the devices. The part is extremely similar to that from the iPhone 5, in line with Apple's pattern of maintaining a given body style for two generations before making more...
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Apple Doubling Size of Fuel Cell Facility at North Carolina Data Center

Tuesday December 4, 2012 11:36 am PST by
The Charlotte Observer reports that Apple has filed plans to double the size of its fuel cell facility at its data center in Maiden, North Carolina to 10 megawatts.Fifty fuel cells adjacent to its $1 billion data center in Maiden are expected to be operating by January, Apple said in papers filed with the N.C. Utilities Commission. It will be fueled by “directed biogas” in which cleaned...