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 Rolls Out iTunes Movie Bundles
The iPhone blog notes that Apple has launched movie bundles in the iTunes Store, offering consumers the opportunity to purchase a limited number of themed movie multi-pack downloads at discount pricing.
For example, the Godfather I & II bundle [iTunes Store] is offered at $14.99, while the films are available individually for $9.99 each. Some bundles carry even steeper discounts, with the Di...
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VideoLAN Considering Options for VLC as Mac Developers Disappear
A notice posted earlier this month in the forums of VideoLAN, the open-source team behind the popular VLC media player, reveals that a lack of Mac volunteer developers for the software has forced the project organizers to consider new plans for the Mac version of VLC going forward. The forum post, which has since been replaced with a static page, explains that the lack of manpower on the Mac...
Apple Releases '12 Days of Christmas' iPhone Ad
Apple today launched a new holiday-themed iPhone commercial entitled "12 Days of Christmas". The ad reworks the standard Christmas carol of the same name to feature twelve iPhone applications related in some way to the holiday season.
- 12 cookies cooking: The Betty Crocker Mobile Cookbook [App Store, Free]
- 11 cards a' sending: Postman [App Store, $2.99]
- 10 gifts for giving: My...
Prominent Analysts See iPhone With 'Two or Three-Year Lead' on Mobile Internet Market
Fortune reports on a newly-published research effort from Morgan Stanley which analyzes the mobile Internet industry and in the process points to the iPhone's tremendous early growth and Apple's leadership position in the industry. Based on past performance, according to Morgan Stanley, Apple is in the "pole position" in the race to dominate mobile Internet computing, which is supposed to be for...
'Pastebot' Brings Elegant Copy-and-Paste to the iPhone
Tapbots, the development team behind the popular Weightbot and Convertbot iPhone applications, has released its third application, Pastebot [App Store, $1.99]. Pastebot is an elegant and powerful copy-and-paste tool that offers tools for image and text manipulation, as well as syncing with local Macs via a free preference pane download. - Save, organize, and edit text & image clippings with ease.
...
Apple Updates 'MobileMe iDisk' iPhone App
Earlier today, Apple issued a minor update to its MobileMe iDisk [App Store, Free] application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update brings several improvements, including autocompletion of e-mail addresses, image save and copy, and faster downloads, as well as a new application icon. What's New in Version 1.1
- Autocomplete email addresses when choosing recipients for a shared file
-...
Federal Trade Commission Files Suit Against Intel For 'Anticompetitive Tactics'
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced that it has filed suit against Intel, claiming that the company has "illegally used its dominant market position for a decade to stifle competition and strengthen its monopoly." The complaint focuses not only on Intel's actions in the CPU market to shut out competitors such as AMD, but also on newer, similar actions in the graphics chip...
Microsoft Brings Bing to the iPhone
Microsoft yesterday announced the introduction of Bing [App Store, Free], an iPhone application offering direct access to the company's new search engine.
Aside from traditional topic searches, the application offers image search, movie times, maps and directions, business listings, and news search. Bing also utilizes geolocation to automatically provide movie listings in the user's area...
AT&T Unimpressed With 'Operation Chokehold' Proposal to Strain Cellular Network
Earlier this week, Newsweek's Dan Lyons as part of his popular "Fake Steve Jobs" blog proposed "Operation Chokehold", a plan for AT&T iPhone users to simultaneously use their devices to place high demand on the carrier's network at a specified time this coming Friday. The proposal comes in response to AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega's comments last week regarding poor network performance in...
Apple Releases Epson and Lexmark Printer Driver Updates
Apple today released a pair of Snow Leopard printer driver updates, bringing additional compatibility for printers and multifunction devices from Epson and Lexmark.
- Epson Printer Drivers v2.2 for Mac OS X v10.6.1 (546 MB)
- Lexmark Printer Drivers v2.2 for Mac OS X v10.6 (121 MB)
A full list of Snow Leopard printer drivers and compatibility is available on Apple's support...
Chrome Drops Safari Into Fourth Place Among Browsers
Computerworld reports on data from research firm Net Applications showing that Google's Chrome browser has slipped past Apple's Safari to snag third place in worldwide Internet browser market share behind Internet Explorer and Firefox. The surge comes on the heels of the official release of beta versions of Chrome for both Mac and Linux. According to Net Applications, which tracks the browser...
Autodesk Brings Smoke to Mac for High-End Video Post-Production
Autodesk today announced that it is set to begin shipping Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X, a brand-new version of the company's high-end video post-production software. The release marks the first of Autodesk's pro finishing tools to be developed as a native OS X application. "The business of post-production is evolving. Post-production and broadcast facilities alike are seeking more affordable,...
Apple Wins Assortment of Advertising Awards in Adweek's 'Best of the 2000s'
AdweekMedia today announced the winners of its "Best of the 2000s" advertising awards, and Apple figured prominently in the selections. Apple took home top honors in a number of categories, including Steve Jobs for "Marketer of the Decade", Apple for "Brand of the Decade", Apple's 'Get a Mac' ads as "Campaign of the Decade", and the iPod as "Product of the Decade".
- Marketer of the Decade ...
Tesco Launches iPhone in UK Today
UK supermarket and retail chain Tesco, which announced late last month that it would begin offering the iPhone through its existing cooperative venture with existing iPhone carrier O2. Today marked the first day of sale for the iPhone via Tesco, offering pricing plans beginning as low as 20 per month, albeit with hefty handset prices at that level.
Tesco's 20 plan includes 60 of calls and...
'TomTom U.S. & Canada' Price Temporarily Cut to $69.99
On Friday, we noted that TomTom U.S.A., a new U.S.-only GPS navigation iPhone application had appeared with a promotional price of $49.99 through December 28th. The introduction was notable because it was priced a full 50% lower than the original TomTom U.S. & Canada application while lacking only Canadian navigation information.
Canadian shoppers and cross-border U.S. travelers looking to...
Apple Set to Sell 10 Million iPhones This Quarter?
A DigiTimes report about growth in smartphone growth for Taiwanese component suppliers is gaining a fair amount of notice this morning for its citation of a market research firm's claims that Apple is set to sell 10 million iPhones this quarter, well ahead of the record 7.4 million units moved last quarter and above most analysts' estimates, which have been falling into the 8-9+ million range. Taiw...
27" iMac Shipping Times Slip to Two Weeks Amid Screen Flickering Complaints
Digital Daily reports on apparent widespread screen flickering problems on Apple's 27" iMac models, coinciding with a slip in shipping times to two weeks for orders placed through Apple's online store. The screen flickering complaints come in addition to earlier reports of machines appearing dead on arrivals or with cracked screens right out of the box. As I write this, there are 82 pages of...
Claimed Tablet Video Sparks Questionable Speculation of Apple Tablet
French site Nowhereelse.fr has published [Google translation] what appears at first glance to be a video of a tablet computer being used to browse a touch-enabled version of an IKEA catalog. The sleek profile and iPhone-like status bar at the top of the screen have led to speculation that the device might be Apple's much-rumored tablet device.
The video demonstrates a feature similar to Cover ...
TomTom Introduces U.S.-Only GPS iPhone Application for $49.99
TomTom today launched TomTom U.S.A. [App Store], a new U.S.-only GPS navigation application for the iPhone carrying an introductory price of $49.99 through December 28th.
The introductory price marks a 50% savings over the current regular price of the original TomTom U.S. & Canada [App Store, $99.99] while retaining coverage of 99.9% of all U.S. states (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Puerto...
Apple Looking to Acquire iCall?
Silicon Alley Insider reports that it has received an unconfirmed tip claiming that Apple is in talks to purchase Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider iCall. One reader just sent us a message that Apple is in talks to acquire VoIP company iCall in a $50 million to $60 million deal.As expected, iCall CEO Arlo Gilbert refused to comment on the rumors, and Apple has not offered a statement on ...
