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
Apple and Magazine Publishers Yet to Agree on Subscription Terms
All Things D reports that Apple and major magazine publishers have yet to reach agreements on plans for digital magazine subscriptions, with the two sides engaged in a stalemate over revenue sharing and subscriber information. The report reiterates earlier details of Apple's position, but notes that no major publishers have accepted the company's terms in the face of Apple's firm stand. Publishers...
Read Full Article • 113 comments
UK Carriers Launch Subsidized iPad Sales With Two-Year Data Contracts
Last month, we noted that UK carrier Orange was preparing to roll out subsidized iPad pricing for those customers willing to sign up for data contracts for the device. paidContent:UK now reports that Orange, Three and T-Mobile have all rolled out the subsidized sales today, offering the 16 GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad model for £199 with a two-year data contract in the range of £25 per month. Orange and...
Tips for Mac App Store Developers: No Trials or Betas, File System and Custom Control Usage
Apple yesterday published a series of three updates for Mac App Store developers to its news and announcements page, offering several tips for those preparing their applications for submission to the forthcoming store.
The most important update for general users addresses demo, trial, and beta versions of software intended for distribution through the Mac App Store. Apple notes that...
Apple Seeds Potential Golden Master Mac OS X 10.6.6 Build 10J537 to Developers
Apple today seeded a new version of Mac OS X 10.6.6, known as Build 10J537, to developers. The update comes four weeks after the initial developer build was seeded to developers even before Mac OS X 10.6.5 saw its public release.
Interestingly, we've been told that the new build is being listed as a golden master version for those accessing it through the Mac App Store developer program....
Apple Updates Universal Dock, Discontinues Compact Wired Keyboard [Updated]
Apple this week updated its Universal Dock package, which offers a convenient charging and syncing solution for a variety of iPhone and iPod models, as well as a means to connect those devices to stereos or TVs. While the dock itself remains the same, Apple has updated the package to include the company's now-standard aluminum remote instead of the previous white remote.
Items included in ...
Ping Lands Exclusive Premiere of New Michael Jackson Song
As noted by Mashable, Apple's "Ping" music-focused social networking service within iTunes has scored its first major exclusive, premiering a new posthumously-released track from Michael Jackson. The track, "Much Too Soon", is being streamed exclusively through Jackson's Ping profile page for the next week.
The entry and press release note that "Much Too Soon" was recorded at the time of...
Old Navy Piloting iPod Touch-Based Checkout System
Just over a year ago, Apple began rolling out an iPod-based checkout system known as "EasyPay" in its retail stores. A few months later, it was reported that Apple was considering commercializing the system. The system has been marketed for some time now as Linea Pro by its creators, Infinite Peripherals, who offer it as a $499 accessory for the second- and third-generation iPod touch.
It...
Apple Expresses Interest in 'Kinect-Like' Control of Appliances and Vehicles
One of the hottest gadgets over the past month has been Microsoft's Kinect, a controller-free gaming interface for the company's Xbox 360 gaming system that senses users' body movements and voice commands for interacting with gaming and entertainment content.
As noted by InformationWeek, Apple has expressed interest in using somewhat similar technologies, as well as its own multi-touch gesture ...
Apple Shows Off iOS 4.2 in New 'iPad is Amazing' Commercial
Apple yesterday released a new iPad commercial entitled "iPad is Amazing", airing the ad on primetime television and posting it to the company's iPad site and YouTube page to show off a number of new features available in iOS 4.2.
The new commercial offers the same soundtrack as several earlier ads and follows the same of theme of displaying a series of quick shots of the iPad's capabilities ...
Verizon's 4G Network to Launch Next Week, No Handsets Until Mid-2011
Verizon Wireless today announced that it will be launching the first large-scale LTE (4G) cellular network on Sunday, December 5th, bringing service to 38 metropolitan areas and 60 airports in the United States. The network is launching with only broadband data plans for USB modems, as handsets utilizing the technology are not expected until mid-2011. Verizon Wireless customers can choose from...
Apple Edges Out Research in Motion in U.S. Smartphone Market Share
Research firm Nielsen today published a report outlining the results of its survey of U.S. smartphone users for October 2010, finding that Apple has finally caught up to Research in Motion in market share, with the two companies finishing in a "statistical dead heat" with Apple's iPhone claiming 27.9% of the market and Research in Motion's BlackBerry line grabbing 27.4%. Google's...
JPMorgan Embracing iPad as Research in Motion Faces Challenges
Last month, we noted that major U.S. banks Bank of America and Citigroup have been running pilot tests with an eye toward allowing their employees to abandon their corporate-standard BlackBerry devices in favor of the iPhone, demonstrating Apple's growing place in the business world and a increasing threat to Research in Motion's position in that market.
Bloomberg now reports that Research...
iOS 4.2 Supports Cellular Network Performance Improvement Technology
In a blog post, Nokia Siemens Networks reveals that Apple's iOS 4.2 released last week supports new technology known as Network Controlled Fast Dormancy (NFCD) that can reduce strain on cellular networks while also improving battery life for devices. The technology allows devices to remain in an "intermediate state" instead of constantly alternating between active and idle states when sharing...
iPad Closing in on Kindle in eReader Ownership
Research firm ChangeWave today released the results of a new survey of its audience of professionals and early-adopter consumers, showing that the iPad is quickly gaining ground on Amazon's Kindle in the eReader market, despite its different feature set and higher price point. According to the survey, the Kindle leads the iPad 47% to 32%, a dramatically smaller margin than the 62%-16% spread of...
Steve Jobs: AirPlay Video Streaming Coming to Safari and Third-Party Apps in 2011
One of the major new features deployed in iOS 4.2 last week was AirPlay, Apple's solution for streaming video, audio, and photos from portable iOS devices to the new Apple TV for display on users' televisions. Unfortunately, the feature's debut came with a few more limitations than users had originally hoped for, with streaming from third-party applications and even Safari limited to audio-only.
...
Apple 'Smokes the Competition' in Reliability Survey
Over the weekend, PC World published the results of its annual reliability survey, incorporating reports from 79,000 tech users to assess customer satisfaction with reliability and tech support for a wide variety of products. As in previous surveys, Apple topped the rankings in an assortment of categories, with PC World going as far as to say that Apple "once again smoked the competition",...
iPad Launches in 11 More Countries in Asia and Europe
While we noted yesterday that the iPad appeared set to launch in Scandinavia today, Apple's new round of international launches for the popular tablet device has extended to a total of eleven countries scattered around the globe: Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan.
Pricing and retail distribution partners vary from...
Apple Reportedly Selects Camera Lens Supplier for Second-Generation iPad
Feeding rumors and expectations that Apple will include at least a front-facing camera in the next-generation iPad, DigiTimes reports that market rumors in the region are pegging Taiwanese firm Largan Precision as having been selected to provide camera lens modules for the device. The company, however, refuses to comment on the rumors. Largan Precision has declined to comment on market rumors...
Apple's Black Friday Sale Deemed a Success by Analysts
Last Friday marked the traditional beginning of the holiday shopping season with Black Friday, and Apple's discounts seem to have driven high traffic to its retail stores if a number of reports from research analysts are any indication.
The Wall Street Journal summarizes the thoughts of four such analysts, who saw strong foot traffic at Apple's stores, solid product availability, and enticing...
Research Firms Trim PC Sales Forecasts in Face of iPad Strength
Research firm Gartner today announced that it is reducing its worldwide PC shipment estimates for 2010 and 2011 from earlier levels, citing increasing strength of media tablets such as the iPad. Gartner predicts that worldwide PC shipments will reach 352.4 million this year, an increase of 14.3% over last year but down from the 17.9% increase that had been predicted just two months ago....
