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
Microsoft Still Hoping to Bring Office to iPhone?
TechCrunch reports on comments made by Stephen Elop, President of Microsoft's Business Division, at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco that suggest that Microsoft is still exploring ways to bring its Office suite of applications to the iPhone. I'm here at the Web 2.0 Expo keynote, where Stephen Elop, President of Microsoft Business Division, hinted that we may be seeing Microsoft Office make its...
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More Evidence of Upcoming Xserve Refresh?
AppleInsider follows up on yesterday's report regarding an update to Apple's Xserve offering with additional evidence for the new model. According to the report, a user has discovered text strings in the latest Mac OS X 10.5.7 beta identifying an unreleased "Xserve3,1" model, as well as references to Marvell's Yukon 2 Ethernet controller chips suitable only for Apple's Xserve line but not found ...
Happy April Fools' Day: April 1, 2009
Today is April 1st, 2009 and represents April Fools' Day -- so readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites today. Today also represents Apple's 33rd anniversary, as the company was founded on April 1st, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
April Fools' Day pranks around the web (to be updated):
- Adding "&flip=1" to a YouTube page results in an interesting...
Xserve Refresh Coming Within the Next Week or Two?
AppleInsider reports that Apple may release updated versions of its Xserve rackmountable server computers within the next few weeks. The new models are expected to utilize new Intel Xeon 3500 "Bloomfield" processors, as well as the same Xeon 5500 "Gainestown" processors found in the new Mac Pro but only officially introduced yesterday. New models, should they follow the same configuration format, ...
DIRECTV iPhone Application Now Available
DIRECTV's iPhone application [App Store, Free] is now available in the App Store. The application allows DIRECTV subscribers to program their DVRs while on the go via Wi-Fi, 3G or EDGE. - Search for any television show up to 14 days in advance
- Browse programs by channel or date & time
- Get program information instantly, including description, length and rating
- Record a single episode or...
Macworld Expo 2010 to be Held February 9th-13th
IDG announced today on its Macworld Expo page and in an e-mail to previous attendees that the 2010 event will take place from February 9th through 13th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. IDG World Expo announced today that Macworld will be moving from its traditional January event dates to February 9 - 13, 2010. The location will remain at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.
As we...
'MLB.com At Bat' Returns for 2009
MLB.com At Bat 2009 [App Store, $9.99] has appeared in the App Store, reviving one of last year's popular sports apps and adding in-game audio for all Major League Baseball games during the 2009 season. Featuring exclusive pitch type, location and speed data from MLB.com Gameday, plus real-time box scores, play-by-play and video highlights, it's the fastest, most detailed way to follow games on...
Apple Seeds OS X 10.5.7 Build 9J39 to Developers
Apple's pattern of seeding new builds of Mac OS X 10.5.7 to developers each weekend continues, with Build 9J39 making its way out this weekend. World of Apple publishes the seed notes, which reveal only five documented changes since the previous seed. This build in partcular fixes issues Mail signatures, System Profiler having problems with DisplayPort adapters and several other issues.
As...
New Microsoft Ad Campaign Targets Mac Prices
Microsoft has begun a new ad campaign focused on pricing differences between Macs and PCs. The most prominent piece of the campaign deployed so far has been a TV commercial in which "Lauren" is given a $1000 budget with which to find a 17" notebook computer. After a brief stop at a "Mac Store" where she comes away empty-handed noting that the only computer available for under $1000 has a 13"...
Apple Now Selling Contract-Free iPhone in Retail Stores?
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple retail stores are now offering the iPhone 3G with no contract commitment required. The 8 GB model is priced at $599 and the 16 GB model is priced at $699. The move comes just as AT&T deploys a similar offer, which was leaked last week and quickly confirmed by AT&T.
Apple's offer comes with fewer restrictions than AT&T's, as Apple retail stores are...
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone Submitted to App Store
Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone page has recently been updated to announce that the application has been submitted to the App Store and is awaiting approval. We're been working hard to bring the SlingPlayer Mobile experience to the iPhone and iPod Touch. We've submitted the first release of our application to the iPhone App Store. In the mean time, take a sneak peek!Sling Media's...
Apple Releases iLife '09 and iWork '09 Updates
Apple today issued a number of minor updates for its iLife '09 and iWork '09 application suites.
- iWork 9.0.1 weighs in at 42.75 MB and is recommended for all iWork '09 users.
- iLife Support 9.0.2 "improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues." The 3.97 MB download is recommended for all Aperture, iLife 09, and iWork 09 users.
- iPhoto 8.0.2 weighs in at...
Skype for iPhone Coming as Early as Next Week?
GigaOM reports that an iPhone version of Skype may be released as soon as next week, possibly at the CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas. A few months ago, I asked Skype CEO Josh Silverman when was he going to launch the iPhone version of the P2P voice and IM service that has now been downloaded more than 405 million times. He smiled and said, "Stay tuned." And so we did.
A tipster a very...
Apple Announces Dates for WWDC 2009: June 8th-12th
Apple announced today that this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 8th through 12th in the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco. Basic promotional information on what attendees can expect is provided on Apple's site, but the full schedule of events is yet to be published. The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is the premier technical...
Apple Offering 8 GB RAM Kits for 2.93 GHz and 2.66 GHz 15" MacBook Pros
Apple has begun offering 8 GB RAM upgrade kits for the 2.93 GHz and 2.66 GHz models of the latest unibody 15" MacBook Pro, despite the published technical specifications claiming support for a maximum of 4 GB in these higher-end models. Apple is not currently offering the 8 GB kit for the entry-level 2.4 GHz 15" MacBook Pro, which also claims support for a maximum of 4 GB of RAM.
While...
iTunes Store Variable Pricing to Begin April 7th?
The Los Angeles Times reports that implementation of variable pricing in the iTunes Store will occur on April 7th. The world's largest music store, Apple's iTunes, plans to boost the price of many hit singles and selected classic tracks to $1.29 on April 7, breaking the psychological barrier of 99 cents in what could be the first big test of how much consumers are willing to pay to download...
Orange to Offer Subsidized MacBooks With Mobile Broadband Contracts in UK?
Mobile reports that UK mobile provider Orange is in final negotiations to offer heavily subsidized MacBooks to customers signing up for two-year mobile broadband contracts. A deal is understood to be close to completion, with the details being finalised ahead of availability of the MacBook on Orange.
The operator has tested the laptops with its mobile broadband dongles and is understood to have ...
Apple Releases Graphics Firmware Update for 17" Unibody MacBook Pro
Apple today released MacBook Pro Graphics Firmware Update 1.0 for all users of the new unibody 17" MacBook Pro released in January. This firmware update is recommended for all 17-inch MacBook Pro (Early 2009) users and addresses the appearance of vertical lines or distorted graphics on the notebook display.Apple's support document provides instructions on how to install the update and determine...
Blockbuster Seeking to Bring Movie Downloads to Apple Devices?
Reuters reports today on a deal between TiVo and Blockbuster that will allow TiVo subscribers to download to their set-top boxes films offered through Blockbuster's OnDemand service. Looking beyond the TiVo agreement, a senior executive at Blockbuster revealed the company's intentions to pursue bringing a similar service to Apple's products. "You will see us in a large number of other devices...
Genius Feature for Movies and TV Shows Activated in iTunes 8.1
After a brief delay, Apple has activated the "Genius" feature for movies and TV shows in iTunes 8.1. It is not entirely clear when Apple flicked the switch, but it appears that reports of the activation date back to late last week.
Similar to the existing feature for music launched in iTunes 8.0, a user can select a movie or TV episode from their library and activate the Genius feature, which ...
