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
European Commission Moves Forward on Micro-USB Smartphone Charging Standard
Over the past year and a half, we've been following the efforts of the European Commission to make micro-USB a universal charging standard for smartphones as of January 2011. Follwing the European Commission's adoption of the standard in August of this year, two European standards bodies have now weighed in with their approval on the technical specifications for the standard to be used. Followin...
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'Quick Snap' Pulled From App Store
Earlier this week, we noted that a new App Store application, Quick Snap - Camera Plus, had appeared on December 15th, allowing users to activate the camera shutter on their iPhone using the hardware volume buttons on the side of the device. The approval of the application was clearly an error by Apple's review staff, as the remapping of hardware buttons from their original purposes is clearly ...
iPhone 4 Antenna Issues and Ping Rank Among Top 'Tech Fails' for 2010
CNN has put together its list of the ten biggest tech "fails" of 2010, highlighting the technology and Internet products and features that failed most spectacularly during the year.
In what may be a bit of a surprise considering how little we've heard about it over the last several months, CNN ranked the iPhone 4's antenna issues, known informally as "Antennagate", as the top tech fail of...
App Store Updates Now Propagating as Holiday Shutdown Ends
Following the holiday shutdown that saw updates to the App Store and developer access to iTunes Connect temporarily halted in order to provide Apple employees with some time off, things are up and running again, with access to iTunes Connect now available for developers. This means that official App Store sales numbers are now available for the lucrative Christmas weekend.
In addition,...
Apple and App Developers Sued Over Sharing User Information With Advertisers
Bloomberg reports that Apple and a number of App Store developers have been sued over the sharing of personal information with advertisers working through apps installed on the iPhone and iPad. The complaint, which seeks class action, or group, status, was filed on Dec. 23 in federal court in San Jose, California. The suit claims Cupertino, California-based Apple's iPhones and iPads are encoded...
First Steps Toward Hacking the New iPod Nano
With the release of an all-new iPod nano in early September that saw the device gain a tiny, iOS-like interface, many have wondered how easy it might be to expand the device's capabilities through some sort of hacking or jailbreaking process. But while the iPod nano's interface appears very much like a scaled-down iOS, Apple has noted that it is not in fact based on iOS and is merely designed to ...
'Quick Snap' Maps iPhone Volume Buttons to Camera Shutter (For Now)
Just last week, we noted that popular camera app Camera+ had reappeared in the App Store after a four-month hiatus. The temporary disappearance of Camera+ came after an update to the application earlier this year had been rejected after the developers added a feature that remapped the iPhone's hardware volume buttons to activate the camera shutter, a violation of Apple's terms due to the...
Next-Generation iPad With Tapered Sides and iPod Touch-Like Form Factor?
Last week, Japanese blog Mac Otakara offered information about the next-generation iPad, claiming that the device will be slightly smaller in all dimensions while offering a flat back and modified speaker compared to the current model.
In a new post, Mac Otakara reveals that it has been able to get its hands on a pair of the cases claimed to be for the next-generation iPad that have surfaced ...
iOS Developers See Christmas Surge in Downloads and Activity
It's no surprise that Apple's iOS devices are popular holiday gifts, and as one gauge of the popularity of those devices, many turn to information from App Store developers. Business Insider has done just that, checking in with Facebook and Disney-owned Tapulous to discover that both firms have seen significant spikes in user activity coinciding with the holidays.
Facebook, which offers an...
Apple Confirms One Million Apple TVs Sold
According to All Things Digital, Apple has confirmed that it has surpassed sales of one million units for the new Apple TV, which debuted in late September. The company had put out a press release last week stating that it expected to reach the milestone later that week. Last Tuesday Apple said it expected sales of its next generation Apple TV to top one million units before Christmas. Today...
Apple's First Quarter Earnings Release Set for January 18th
As noted by setteB.IT, Apple has updated its investor relations page to announce that it will publish its earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2011 (fourth calendar quarter of 2010) and host a conference call regarding the release on Tuesday, January 18th. Apple plans to conduct a conference call to discuss financial results of its first fiscal quarter on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. ...
Softbank to Release NFC Mobile Payments Stickers for iPhone 4
While Apple has expressed interest in near field communications (NFC), the short-range wireless technology used for such applications as "tap and go" credit and debit card payments and public transportation fare payments, the company has obviously yet to deploy the technology in its iPhone line.
But as picked up by Engadget, Japanese carrier Softbank is taking steps to bring limited NFC...
Refurbished MacBook Airs Hit Apple's Online Store
As noted by MacNN, Apple has added the revamped MacBook Air to the section of its online store devoted to refurbished products, offering significant savings for those willing to go the slightly-used-but-thoroughly-tested route.
Prices start at $849 for the entry-level 11.6-inch model, a savings of $150 off of the price of a brand-new machine. Bumping up from 64 GB of storage to 128 GB...
Skype Video Calling Coming to iPhone?
Popular VoIP service Skype has had an iPhone application since early 2009, but the company has yet to roll out video calling for the iPhone or other mobile platforms.
But as noted by Engadget, a number of clues are lining up to suggest that the company will announce video calling support for the iPhone and iPod touch at CES 2011 early next month. Skype has been telling everyone that it'll be...
Mac App Store to Offer Searches for Unknown File Types, Parental Controls
9 to 5 Mac offers a few screenshots from Apple's forthcoming Mac App Store and the related Mac OS X 10.6.6 update, revealing a few tidbits of information about how the store will function.
First, users will be able to sign into the Mac App Store using their existing AppleIDs, such as those created from the iTunes Store or MobileMe, operating in much the same way as the existing iOS App...
MobileMe Web Calendar Adds Alerts
Apple yesterday announced that it has upgraded its MobileMe Calendar web application to support alerts reminding users of upcoming events. The new MobileMe Calendar web application now includes the ability to set and edit alerts to remind you of upcoming events. Like the calendar alerts you can already set on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC (with Outlook), they will be displayed on...
Steve Jobs Named 'Financial Times' Person of the Year
Prominent British international business newspaper Financial Times today announced that it has selected Apple CEO Steve Jobs as its "Person of the Year" for 2010, marking yet another accolade for the company and its leader that have seen remarkable success over the last decade. A rebuttal of F. Scott Fitzgerald's much-quoted aphorism that there are no second acts in American life does not come...
New Next-Generation iPad Case Offers Further Hints of Larger Speaker
Earlier today, a rumor surfaced from a Japanese blog claiming that the next-generation iPad will include a larger speaker grille extending around to the rear of the device. The physical feature has been the subject of considerable speculation since a number of cases purportedly designed for the device contain much larger hole in that location than would be required for the existing speaker...
AirPlay Hacking: Streaming to Linux and Windows, DVD Streaming, and More
Over the past couple of weeks, we've covered Erica Sadun's efforts at extending AirPlay video streaming functionality with AirPlayer, which allows users to stream content from iOS devices to Macs, and AirFlick, which offers the ability to stream video from Macs to the new Apple TV. While the tools are only very alpha versions, they demonstrate how Apple and third-parties could extend AirPlay...
Kinect-Like Gesture System for iPad to Be Demoed at CES
Mobile Magazine reports that Norwegian company Elliptic Labs is set to offer demonstrations of its new "touchless gesture" user interface for the iPad at CES 2011 early next month. The interface, which utilizes ultrasound to generate a field approximately one foot in front of and either side of a docked iPad, would allow users to control their iPads by simply waving their hands in front of the ...
