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
Second-Generation iPad to Gain Carbon Fiber Body?
Figure from Apple patent application showing carbon fiber composite layers
In a post taking Engadget to task for trying to position its revised claims for the second-generation iPad as an actual change in Apple's plans, Daring Fireball's John Gruber uses a footnote to quietly report that he has heard from second-hand sources that Apple may be looking to use a carbon fiber body on the device. I...
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Apple Files for 'Places' Trademark Ahead of MobileMe Revamp?
As noted by Patently Apple, Apple has filed for a European trademark on the term "Places", potentially hoping to utilize the term as part of a revamped MobileMe service offering social networking and geolocation features. Earlier today, Apple discontinued its boxed version of MobileMe and removed the service from its online store, suggesting that a rumored transition to a revamped free service ...
Apple Drops Build-to-Order RAM and Hard Drive Prices, Offers New RAM Options
While today's big news has been the release of new MacBook Pros, the downtime on Apple's online store also brought a number of other changes for other machines, primarily in the areas of build-to-order hard drive and RAM upgrades.
On the hard drive front, build-to-order upgrades to 500 GB hard drives on the MacBook and Mac mini saw $50 price drops. The MacBook comes with a 250 GB hard drive...
Apple's $0.99 FaceTime Charge Due to Accounting Requirements
When Apple released FaceTime 1.0 into the Mac App Store earlier today with a $0.99 price tag, many users were up in arms over the charge for what had been a free application during its beta phase.
As we suspected and has now been confirmed by Macworld's Dan Moren, the charge is due to an accounting requirement that has affected similar updates in the past. Apple told me that the FaceTime $1...
iOS 4.3 Hitting Golden Master, Public Debut at Next Week's Media Event?
BGR reports that iOS 4.3 has hit the golden master stage, with Apple reportedly having finalized the next version of the operating system running the company's popular iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV devices. One of our Apple sources has just informed us that it looks like Apple has finalized the code for its upcoming iOS 4.3 release. The build, we're told, is 8F190 for those keeping...
Apple Discontinuing MobileMe Retail Boxes, Preparing for Free Overhauled Version? [Updated]
Apple today notified resellers that it has discontinued the retail box version of MobileMe, shifting entirely to digital sales. Existing stocks of boxed MobileMe can continue to be sold while their supplies last.
Since the boxed MobileMe products contain only an activation code and promotional materials, the offering of a physical MobileMe product has primarily been used to provide in-store ...
Apple Releases First Developer Preview of Mac OS X Lion, Announces New Features
Alongside new MacBook Pros, Apple today announced the release of the first developer preview version of Mac OS X Lion. First demoed last October, Mac OS X Lion is set for a public launch this summer. Apple today released a developer preview of Mac OS X Lion, which takes some of the best ideas from iPad and brings them back to the Mac for the eighth major release of the world's most advanced...
Another iPad Coming Later This Year? Total MacBook Pro Revamp in 2012?
iPad 2 mockup
iLounge reports on several items of interest in light of today's MacBook Pro and iPad news, most notably claiming that some questions have arisen about just what Apple will be able to show at next week's iPad media event and when a true "second-generation" iPad will become available. Two reliable sources are suggesting that next week's "iPad 2" event has some serious cliffhanger...
Apple Set to Approve 'Readability' for Inclusion in App Store? [Updated]
A fair amount of controversy was raised earlier this week when it was revealed that Apple had rejected an App Store submission from Readability, the popular subscription service that strips away extraneous content from web articles. The confusion continued when Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly emailed a developer to say that Apple's in-app subscription requirements were intended for content...
Apple Shareholder Meeting: CEO Succession Plan Rejected, Majority Director Vote Approved, Data Center Going Live
Apple held its annual shareholder meeting today at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California, an event presided over by Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook in the absence of Steve Jobs. Fortune aggregated some of the live coverage of the meeting, which for the most part went off as expected.
One of the most highly-publicized issues addressed during the meeting was a motion proposed by...
iPad 2 Rumors: Apple Reducing Production Targets, New Mockups, Late March Availability?
While Apple is set to hold a March 2nd media event. apparently to introduce the second-generation iPad, we don't yet know when the device will actually go on sale. But regardless of the on-sale date, Apple may be reducing its initial production target in the face of low touch panel yields and last-minute design changes that have cut into the company's ability to pump out the new version at the...
U.S. Regulators Looking Into Kids' Overspending on In App Purchases
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has agreed to take a look at Apple's in app purchasing mechanism as complaints of children being able to spend hundreds of dollars on in-game purchases have continued to rise. The review is being sparked by a letter from U.S. Represenative Ed Markey expressing concern over how such purchases are being marketed to young children ...
Apple Issues Invitations for March 2nd Media Event to Introduce Next-Generation iPad
The Loop reports that Apple has officially issued invitations to a media event scheduled for next Wednesday, March 2nd, with the graphics suggesting that Apple will indeed introduce the next-generation iPad at the event. The invitation comes with the tagline "Come see what 2011 will be the year of." Apple on Wednesday sent an invitation to media inviting them to a special event on March 2 in...
Apple Slices iAd Buy-In Fee for Advertisers in Half
All Things Digital reports that Apple has cut in half the minimum commitment for advertisers to participate in its iAd program. The minimum buy-in set for the program's launch last July was $1 million, but Apple has apparently reduced that number to $500,000 in order to entice new advertisers unwilling to spend a full $1 million to come on board. The new entry point is $500,000, a significantly...
iPod Nano Software Update Enhances Sleep Button Controls
Apple yesterday released a software update (Version 1.1) for the current sixth-generation iPod nano, adding new functionality to the device's sleep/wake button to allow users to turn the device completely off and to customize the double-click functionality of the sleep/wake button to control audio playback. The changes are detailed in a new support document.
With the update, users can now...
Apple's Secret Retail Staff Meeting About 'Joint Venture' Genius Bar Services for Businesses?
BGR reports that Apple's "secret" meeting for retail store employees scheduled for this coming Sunday is regarding a new service known as "Joint Venture" that will bring Genius Bar services to small businesses and professional-level consumers in the form of telephone consultations and on-site visits. First rumored back in March of last year, Joint Venture is an extension of Apple's current...
Mac OS X 10.6.7 Build 10J860 Seeded to Select Developers
Just five days after the previous seed, MacRumors has received word that Apple has seeded a new version of Mac OS X 10.6.7, termed Build 10J860, to a select set of developers.
As with the previous build, Apple lists no known issues and asks developers to focus their testing on Safari, Mac App Store, AirPort, Bonjour, SMB, and Graphics Drivers.
Apple's software development cycles are of...
Apple's U.S. Mac Sales Up 20% in January
AppleInsider reports on a new research note from Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster relating data from NPD regarding January sales of Apple's Mac computers. According to the report, Apple's Mac sales were up 20% year-over-year in the month, performance Munster believes puts Apple on track to at least meet analyst expectations of 3.6 million Mac sales during the current quarter. Currently, investors...
Apple Tops 2010 Film Product Placement Awards
Branding website Brandchannel today announced the results of its annual Brandcameo Product Placement Awards, offering a look at the brands and products featured in the films that topped the U.S. box office in 2010. According to the survey, Apple topped the overall charts with its products appearing in 30% of the top films for the year. Apple products appeared in 30% of all films that were...
Media Event for Next-Generation iPad Set for March 2nd? [Updated]
All Things Digital reports that Apple has scheduled a media event for March 2nd where the company is expected to introduce the next-generation iPad. To those who intensely cares about this kind of stuff - which would be pretty much everyone in the tech ecosystem - Apple will hold its much-anticipated event on March 2, where the tech giant seems poised to unveil a new version of its hugely...
