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
Judge Dismisses Class Action Lawsuit Over iMac Screen Issues
TechCrunch reports that a U.S. federal court judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit brought against Apple for reported failure to disclose manufacturing defects present in the company's iMac models. The lawsuit stated that unwanted vertical lines would appear on the devices after the warranty period had expired and that Apple "internally recognizes and concedes" the defect, but did nothing to...
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AT&T Again Moves to Downplay Reports of Imminent Tiered Data Pricing for iPhone
In a lengthy BusinessWeek article, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega again attempts to clarify the company's plans for dealing with high-usage iPhone data customers by emphasizing incentives for shifting traffic off of its network rather than implementing tiered pricing as had been suggested earlier this month. The comments mark the second time a major media outlet has gone public with de la...
Magellan Announces GPS Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch
Magellan today announced the launch of its GPS car kit for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and second-generation iPod touch. Similar to TomTom's car kits for the iPhone and iPod touch, Magellan's kit offers a built-in GPS receiver, amplified speaker, external power, and hands-free calling compatibility. Features of the Premium Car Kit include the following:
- Secure vehicle mounting for iPhone or ...
Apple Adds App Search Capabilities for Developers in iTunes Connect
As developers have submitted increasing numbers of iPhone and iPod touch applications for inclusion in the App Store, Apple today announced that it has rolled out a new search functionality in its iTunes Connect interface to allow developers to more easily locate their applications. When you select the Manage Your Application module, you'll find a summary of your last 10 modified apps and a search ...
Apple Releases Firmware Update to Address Screen Flickering on 27-Inch iMacs
Apple today released 27-inch iMac Graphics Firmware Update 1.0, addressing recent complaints of screen flickering on the company's newest iMac models. About 27-inch iMac Graphics Firmware Update 1.0
Updates the graphics firmware on ATI Radeon HD 4670 and 4850 graphics cards to address issues that may cause image corruption or display flickering.Installation instructions for the firmware update,...
Steve Jobs Named World's Best-Performing CEO by Harvard Business Review
As part of its January 2010 issue, the Harvard Business Review released its list of the top-performing CEOs in the world, placing Apple CEO Steve Jobs first among CEOs ranked by performance throughout their tenures. The #1 CEO on the list, Steve Jobs, delivered a whopping 3,188% industry-adjusted return (34% compounded annually) after he rejoined Apple as CEO in 1997, when the company was in...
'MobileNavigator North America' Updated and On Sale for $59.99
Earlier this month, Navigon introduced holiday pricing on a number of international versions of its popular MobileNavigator series of GPS navigation applications for the iPhone. Late last week, Navigon followed suit on MobileNavigator North America [App Store], dropping the price from $89.99 to $59.99 through January 11th.
The price drop comes alongside an update to the application, bringing...
App Store Success Reportedly Overwhelms Even Apple's Expectations
In the first of a three-part series on Apple's App Store, the Financial Times reports that the phenomenal success of the iPhone application marketplace has topped even the initial expectations of those within Apple. Already, the app eruption has superseded all the sober predictions of Apple executives and outside champions like Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm that...
Vodafone Set to Begin Offering iPhone in UK on January 14th
BBC News reports that Vodafone, which announced in late September that it would begin offering the iPhone in the UK and Ireland in early 2010, has revealed plans for a January 14th launch in the UK. The cheapest tariff available is 30 a month for 24 months, plus additional handset charges ranging from 59 (iPhone 3G 8GB) to 239 (3GS 32GB).An 18-month, 30/month plan is also available, albeit at...
iTunes U Surpasses 100 Million Downloads
CNET briefly noted late last week that Apple's iTunes U channel [iTunes Store] offering education content through the iTunes Store has surpassed 100 million downloads. According to Apple, one of the most popular areas of iTunes U has been that of the United Kingdom-based Open University (iTunes link), whose learning categories include Arts and Humanities, Business and Management, Childhood and...
iPhone Developer Tapulous Captures Sales of Nearly $1 Million Per Month
Reuters reports on iPhone developer Tapulous, the team behind the popular Tap Tap Revenge applications, noting that the small company is reportedly bringing in nearly $1 million per month in revenue. The success of Tapulous, which boasts only 20 employees, illustrates the ability of small development firms dedicated to the iPhone to carve out profitable niches for themselves in the App Store. Tapu...
Reports of Psystar's Demise Appear Premature
Yesterday, we reported on a story quoting a Psystar attorney claiming that the unauthorized Mac clone manufacturer was in the process of winding down its business in the wake of a permanent injunction issued against it by a federal court judge earlier this month.
A new report from Computerworld, however, suggests that the company is not yet finished. However, Camara told Computerworld by e-mail ...
Verizon Claims Network Ready for iPhone Should Apple Choose to Strike Deal
A BusinessWeek report from last night has received significant attention today for its focus on Verizon's claimed readiness should the company and Apple strike a deal to bring the iPhone to the largest U.S. wireless carrier next year. Verizon Wireless has even made upgrades that would make its network more capable of handling extra traffic that would be generated by the iPhone, Verizon Wireless...
Psystar Winding Down Business as Web Site Goes Dark
Dow Jones Newswires reports that unauthorized Mac clone maker Psystar has begun the process of winding down its business ahead of a December 31st deadline set by a federal court judge in granting Apple a permanent injunction preventing Psystar from selling hardware with Mac OS X preinstalled or enabling others to infringe on Apple's copyrights. The Doral, Fla.-based computer maker, which made...
'Dragon Search' Comes to the iPhone
Dragon Search [App Store, Free], the follow-up to the highly-publicized Dragon Dictation iPhone application released last week, has appeared in the App Store. Dragon Search utilizes voice recognition technology to allow users to search by voice numerous sources, including Google, Yahoo!, or Bing (depending on the user's search engine preferences), YouTube, Twitter, iTunes, and Wikipedia.
...
Apple Releases Xsan 2.2.1, Mail Services Updates
Apple yesterday released several updates for Xsan, the company's enterprise-class storage area network (SAN) solution, bringing the software to Version 2.2.1. The updates target only the FileSystem portion of Xsan and include the following fixes: - Improves filesystem reliability
- Improves the cvfsck filesystem repair utility
- Resolves an issue that could cause QuickTime media to report...
International Performance Seen Driving iPhone and iPod Touch Growth
AdMob has released its November 2009 Mobile Metrics Report, offering a featured look at the iPhone and iPod touch's international growth during 2009 as seen by data collected through its ad network. The data shows that, while the U.S. has seen strong growth with a doubling of the number of iPhone and iPod touch devices appearing on AdMob's network, international growth has been even more...
iPhone Claims 46% of Japanese Smartphone Market
MobileCrunch details a research report [Google translation] released last week by Japanese market research firm Impress R&D showing that the iPhone commands 46.1% of the smartphone market there. For this year, Impress sees the 3G commanding 24.6% in this segment, while the 3GS contributes another 21.5%. The 3G was introduced in Japan in summer 2008 (the 3GS followed earlier this year). Sources in...
AT&T Downplays Talk of Tiered Pricing for iPhone Data Plans
AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega, who received significant attention for his comments last week suggesting that the company is looking at tiered pricing for data plans to rein in high-use customers, appears to now be downplaying that suggestion, according to a Wall Street Journal report (subscription required). A senior AT&T Inc. executive dismissed speculation that the telecommunications...
iPhone Finally Surpasses Windows Mobile in U.S. Smartphone Usage
FierceDeveloper reports on data from research firm comScore showing that Apple's iPhone has finally surpassed Windows Mobile in share of the U.S. smartphone market usage. The data is based on monthly user surveys averaged on a quarterly basis, and thus reflects actual handsets in use rather than sales of new devices.
According to comScore's data, approximately 36 million Americans are...
