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 Suggests March 11th Launch Date Availability for iPad 2
As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, Verizon has posted a banner on its site suggesting that the carrier will indeed be offering the iPad 2 as of its official U.S. launch date of March 11th. AT&T, Apple's other carrier partner for the iPad 2 in the U.S., has not yet announced launch plans for the device but will presumably also have stocks available on the 11th.
Apple was silent in its initial iPad 2...
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New Details of Apple's First Hong Kong Retail Store
Last week, we noted that Apple is apparently set to open its first retail store in Hong Kong by the end of the year, pursuing a 15,000 square-foot space in the IFC Mall.
A tipster by the name of Sean has sent us the above photo showing the space already sectioned off in the mall for Apple's store. While the coverings for the store are currently simple white wallboard, Sean tells us that ten ...
Apple Looking to Develop iPhone Based on TD-LTE?
Reuters briefly reports on comments from China Mobile chairman Wang Jianzhou claiming that Apple has "expressed interest" in developing an iPhone capable of running on the carrier's TD-LTE network currently under development. China Mobile Ltd, the world's largest mobile carrier by subscribers, said on Friday that Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs has expressed interest in developing an iPhone ...
Samsung Rethinking Galaxy Tab 10.1 After iPad 2 Unveiling
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports (via AsiaPulse) that Apple's iPad 2 introduction has forced Samsung to reconsider its plans for its forthcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1, a larger version of its initial 7-inch Galaxy Tab that is intended to offer a more similar form factor to the iPad. According to a Samsung executive, the company is looking to improve the specs of the device to be more...
Apple Targeting 10-12 Million iPad 2 Shipments for Q2 2011?
DigiTimes reports that Apple's suppliers are targeting production of 10-12 million iPad 2 units during the second quarter of 2011. That production would come on top of 2-3 million second-generation iPads being pushed out before the end of this quarter, putting total iPad 2 shipments in the first four months of availability at as high as 15 million units, a figure that would match total sales...
Apple Negotiating for Unlimited Music Redownloads Ahead of MobileMe Revamp
Bloomberg reports that Apple is talking with a number of music labels about allowing customers to download tracks purchased from the iTunes Store an unlimited number of times to any device associated with a specific iTunes Store account. According to sources, agreements could be reached by midyear that would allow Apple to provide cloud-based "digital lockers" to permit users access to their...
Apple Seeds iOS 4.3 Golden Master to Developers
Apple today seeded the golden master version of iOS 4.3 to developers, paving the way for a public release of the update on March 11th.
The update is available in versions for the iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch, while the iPad 2 will of course also ship with iOS 4.3 installed. The build number is 8F190.
BGR last week claimed that iOS 4.3 had...
iPad 2 to Match iPhone 4's 512 MB of RAM?
While Apple yesterday touted its new A5 system-on-a-chip with a 1 GHz dual-core processor in the forthcoming iPad 2, the company declined to report how much RAM is included in the package. The original iPad offers the same 256 MB of RAM that was found in the iPhone 3GS, but that standard has since been surpassed by the iPhone 4 and its 512 MB of RAM.
Gizmodo yesterday sparked fears in some...
Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Sam's Club to Carry iPad 2 at Launch
In contrast to the limited distribution channels and lengthy staggered rollout for the original iPad, Apple appears to be moving full-speed ahead with a broad launch of the iPad 2 in the United States on March 11th, and over two dozen other countries following just two weeks later.
As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Sam's Club will all be carrying the device as of March 11th.
...
BlackBerry Messenger Coming to iOS and Android?
BGR reports that Research in Motion is planning to bring its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) system to the iOS and Android platforms, expanding the instant messaging system that has been a key feature of the BlackBerry operating system for many years. According to our sources, RIM has not yet finalized details surrounding timing or pricing, but we have heard that the company might make the software...
Apple Offering $100 Refunds to Recent iPad Customers
With Apple having most yesterday to slash prices on the first-generation iPad models by $100 to clear stock ahead of next week's debut of the second-generation iPad, Electricpig.co.uk reports that Apple will indeed issue a refund for the price difference to customers who recently purchased iPads, as long as they file within the 14-day return window. We were assured by Apple's sales team that...
AT&T Introduces Postpaid Subscription Plans for Tablet Data Access
Fresh on the heels of confirmation that AT&T will support personal hotspot functionality for the iPhone 4 when the feature debuts with iOS 4.3 next week, the carrier today also announced the launch of new postpaid subscription data plans for tablet devices such as the iPad.
Like the prepaid options that have been offered until now and continue to be offered, the new data plans do not require a ...
AT&T Confirms Personal Hotspot Support Alongside March 11th iOS 4.3 Launch
Several weeks ago, we reported that AT&T iPhone customers with access to iOS 4.3 beta versions were finding that the personal hotspot functionality was working with their existing tethering plans, but the carrier had yet to offer any official word on whether it would support the functionality once the software launched to the general public.
Electronista now reports that AT&T has indeed...
'Joint Venture' Small Business Program Officially Launched
Earlier this week, we noted that Apple had prepped its employees for a rollout of a new support program known as "Joint Venture" targeting small businesses. The program has now officially launched and is essentially in line with what had been reported earlier based on retail store briefings. Joint Venture is a program designed to help you use Mac, iPhone, and iPad to improve the way your...
Apple Releases iTunes 10.2 With Support for iOS 4.3 and Improved Home Sharing
Hot on the heels of the iPad 2 announcement, Apple today released iTunes 10.2. The update brings compatibility with iOS 4.3 and improved home sharing support for browsing iTunes libraries from iOS 4.3 devices, despite the fact that iOS 4.3 doesn't launch publicly until March 11th. What's new in iTunes 10.2
- Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 4.3.
- Improved Home...
Tidbits: iPad 2 Mic, No iOS 4.3 for CDMA iPhone, iMovie and GarageBand Compatibility
Now that the dust is settling from the major announcements today, we've compiled a list of few smaller items of interest from today's media event.
Image from Engadget
- iPad 2 Microphone: With the second-generation iPad, Apple moved the microphone from next to the headphone jack to the center of the device's top edge. The change explains the "mystery port" seen on cases that surfaced as...
Live Coverage of Apple's 'Come See What 2011 Will Be the Year Of' Event
Apple today is holding a media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where it is widely expected to introduce the next-generation iPad. The event is scheduled to kick off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time, or just about an hour from now.
There is still no word on whether Apple will be providing live video as it has for the last several media events, so...
Apple Online Store Down Ahead of Today's Media Event
With Apple's media event scheduled to kick off in under three hours, Apple has taken its online stores around the world offline. The change is standard operating procedure for Apple ahead of major events and new product releases.
The primary focus of today's media event is expected to be the second-generation iPad, a new set of photos of a mockup have been spotted by M.I.C gadget and...
'The Da Vinci Code' and Other Random House Titles Appearing in iBookstore
As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, titles from publisher Random House have already started populating Apple's iBookstore, at least in the United States. Popular titles such as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code that have been absent from the iBookstore since its launch nearly a year ago are now available.
Random House yesterday announced that it has adopted the agency model favored by Apple for e-Book...
Apple to Launch New 'Social' iOS App Tomorrow?
Business Insider offers a vague rumor that Apple may be set to introduce a new social app for iOS devices at tomorrow's media event. Specifically, our source speculates that the app could have some sort of media sharing and location sharing features. Maybe photo sharing.
It could be part of Ping, it could replace Ping, it could be part of MobileMe (which may go free), or it could be separate...
