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
Snow Leopard Bug Responsible for Loss of User Data Gaining Notice [Updated]
Late last week, 9 to 5 Mac noted that a number of users have reported a Mac OS X Snow Leopard bug apparently related to Guest accounts that is resulting in a complete loss of user data. The problem appears to manifest itself on machines which had the Guest account option enabled under Leopard and were subsequently upgraded to Snow Leopard. Users booting their machines have reported that upon...
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Arthur Levinson Resigns From Google's Board of Directors [Updated]
Google today announced that former Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson has stepped down from the company's Board of Directors, effective immediately, after five years in the position. Levinson has also served as a member of Apple's Board of Directors since 2000. Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt described Levinson as a good friend and valued colleague. "Art has been a key part of Google's success...
Mac OS X 10.6.2 Build 10C519f Seeded to Developers
Just four days after the first developer build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 was seeded through Apple's developer program, a second build termed 10C519f has been pushed to the community for evaluation and testing. The new update, which weighs in at 456.8 MB, brings several new refinements as Apple continues to press forward on the second maintenance update to Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
Apple reportedly...
Tweetie 2 Arrives in the App Store
Popular Twitter iPhone application Tweetie received a major upgrade today with the release of Tweetie 2 [App Store, $2.99], completely rebuilt from the ground up to bring significant speed improvements and several new features. The extensive list of features in the application's App Store description includes: - Seamlessly handle multiple Twitter accounts
- Explore all of Twitter, from your...
Adobe's 'Photoshop.com Mobile' Appears in App Store
Adobe today released Photoshop.com Mobile [App Store, Free], an application allowing users to edit photos on their iPhone using simple gestures. It's now easy to improve photos on your iPhone. Choose between a variety of one-touch Effects, or simply drag your finger across the screen to quickly crop, rotate, or adjust a photo's color. Get artistic by applying Filters like Soft Focus or Sketch....
App Store 'Name Squatters' Drawing Attention
Recombu publicizes complaints from App Store developers about other users "squatting" on application names, taking advantage of Apple's policy requiring that each application have a unique name to claim certain names for themselves without actually releasing an application. The issue was brought to light by iPhone game developers at Atomic Antelope who recently discovered that the name they...
MobileMe Update Adds iDisk Public Folder Features, Makes 'Find My iPhone' More Prominent
Apple today posted a support document outlining several changes made today to its MobileMe subscription-based services. A number of the changes affect the viewing of and access to members' iDisk Public folders. - New Public folder page located at http://public.me.com/{membername} now matches the look of me.com and supports drag and drop of files between folders (when enabled for visitors)
-...
Apple Releases Updated Epson Printer Drivers for Snow Leopard
Apple yesterday released Epson Printer Drivers for Mac OS X v10.6.1 2.1, updating Snow Leopard compatibility for the company's line of printers and multifunction devices.
Apple released a series of printer driver packages at Snow Leopard's launch and has continued to issue updates as additional support becomes available from the manufacturers. A full list of supported printer models for each...
Apple Continues to Create Industry-Wide Flash Memory Shortages
DigiTimes reports that Apple's iPhone and iPod models have continued to put pressure on worldwide supplies of NAND flash memory, soaking up enough of the industry capacity that demand now exceeds supply. The shortage is expected to continue through the remainder of 2009, corresponding with the holiday season that should drive sales of Apple's devices. Taiwan-based memory module houses are...
iPhone Tops J.D. Power Consumer and Business Smartphone Satisfaction Rankings
Marketing survey firm J.D. Power and Associates yesterday announced that the iPhone topped both its latest consumer and business smartphone consumer satisfaction surveys, receiving top marks in all categories on both surveys with the exception of battery life. Apple ranks highest among manufacturers of smartphones used primarily for personal reasons, with a score of 811, and performs particularly...
Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.1.2 [Updated]
Apple today released iPhone OS 3.1.2, addressing several issues regarding waking from sleep, network service disruption, and crashing during video streaming. iPhone users should connect their iPhones to iTunes and click the "Check for Update" button to obtain the new version. This update contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
- Resolves sporadic issue that may cause...
NVIDIA Exiting Chipset Business Pending Resolution of Licensing Dispute With Intel
ZDnet reports on NVIDIA's announcement yesterday that it will "postpone further chipset investments" in the wake of licensing issues involving Intel's Nehalem and Core processors. NVIDIA's chipsets including integrated graphics processors are currently used throughout Apple's low-end lines, and the shift to NVIDIA was seen as a significant improvement over Intel's similar chipset offerings. Intel ...
TomTom Car Kit Reappears in Apple's European Online Stores
TomTom's much-anticipated iPhone GPS car kit has once again appeared on a number of European Apple online stores, including the UK store. Currently scheduled to ship in 1-2 weeks, the kit is again priced at 99.95 in the UK and 99.95 Euro in other European countries. TomTom has disclosed that the kit will be priced at $119.95 in the U.S., although it is not yet listed in Apple's U.S. online...
Google Introduces Search Options for Mobile Devices
Google today announced that it has brought its "Search Options" results filtering feature to certain mobile platforms, including the iPhone OS, for U.S. users. The feature allows users to filter their search results by timeframe and by source, such as the entire Web or just Internet forums or reviews. Today in the US, we are making Search Options available on Android/iPhone/Palm WebOS devices...
'Mighty Mouse' Trademark Awarded to Peripherals Manufacturer Man & Machine
TechCrunch reports that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded a trademark for the "Mighty Mouse" term in its "computer cursor control devices" category to Man & Machine, a Landover, Maryland company specializing in waterproof keyboards and mice for medical and industrial settings.
Man & Machine has offered several generations of its Mighty Mouse product, claiming a priority date in...
AT&T: 'Fine Tuning' Still Required Before Offering Internet Tethering Via iPhone
The Wall Street Journal reports that, given AT&T's recent move to allow VoIP services over its wireless network for the iPhone, users are wondering whether support for Internet tethering via the iPhone may also be launched in the near future. Tethering and MMS were promised as future features by AT&T when iPhone OS 3.0 was launched in mid-June, and MMS was finally enabled late last month with no ...
Apple and Google Included in Suit Over Embedded Interactive Media in Browsers
CNET reports that Apple, Google, and twenty other companies have been sued by Eolas Technologies for patent infringement related to the use of browser plug-ins and Ajax to offer interactive content in Web browsers. The move comes several years after the conclusion of a similar lawsuit brought against Microsoft that resulted in an initial $521 million judgment in favor of Eolas, although the suit ...
Android to Surpass iPhone in Market Share by 2012?
Computerworld reports that research firm Gartner is forecasting significant growth in Google's Android operating system for smart phones, noting that it expects Android to surpass Apple's iPhone to claim the number two spot behind Symbian OS with 14.5% of the global smart phone market by 2012. While the first Android product release, the T-Mobile G1, only won a lukewarm response, Android 1.5...
Amazon Partners With AT&T to Introduce Kindle with Global Wireless Coverage
Amazon today announced that it is dropping the price of its basic Kindle e-Book reader from $299 to $259 and also partnering with AT&T to introduce a new version offering global wireless coverage in over 100 countries and territories. The new global version is priced at $279 and will begin shipping on October 19th. Kindle wirelessly downloads books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and personal...
Foxconn to Manufacture Tablet for Q1 2010 Launch?
DigiTimes reports that Foxconn Electronics has been named as Apple's manufacturing partner for its much-anticipated tablet and that the device is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2010. The device is expected to hit the market in the first quarter of 2010, with initial shipments from Foxconn being in the 300,000-400,000 range, the sources said.
The device will have a 10.6-inch display, ...
