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
Lodsys Agrees to Dismiss Patent Case Against Small Developer for a Charitable Donation
Back in May 2011, patent holding firm Lodsys began threatening lawsuits against a number of small iOS developers, alleging infringement of a Lodsys-held patent through the use of Apple's in-app purchase and upgrade functionalities. The case was an interesting one because small developers were being held liable for their use of Apple's supported tools for iOS apps, with Apple agreeing to back the...
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iTunes in the Cloud for Movies Goes Live in Japan and 7 New European Countries
Apple today added movie support to its iTunes in the Cloud service in Japan and seven additional European countries, enabling customers in those countries to re-download content previously purchased from the iTunes Store. New support for Austria and Switzerland was noticed by iFun.de [Google translate], but the full list of new countries includes Austria, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, ...
Apple Preparing to Upgrade AppleCare with 24/7 Chat Support, Revamped Website
Apple is preparing to launch several enhancements to its AppleCare services including 24/7 access to chat support services, reports 9to5Mac . The company is reportedly planning to launch the expanded chat services on August 12, although that target date may not yet be firm.
Alongside the expanded chat services, Apple will also be launching a redesigned AppleCare support website, featuring...
John Carmack Joins Oculus VR as Chief Technology Officer
Oculus VR, the company behind the highly anticipated virtual reality gaming headset Oculus Rift, has announced that legendary game programmer John Carmack is joining the team as Chief Technology Officer. Carmack co-founded id Software, where he has led development of a number of popular gaming franchises, including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. He will remain with id Software, although Oculus...
Apple Seeks Patent on Fused Glass Enclosures for Use on iPhones, iPads, iPods, Displays, and Televisions
Apple last week filed for a European patent (via Patently Apple) on methods for fusing glass pieces together to create various types of glass enclosures for a number of products. While the patent application specifically addresses the general concept of such devices, examples and drawings included in the application outline how the process could be applied to such products as iPhones, iPads,...
Apple's Share of Tablet Market Sinks on Lack of Product Launches in Early 2013
Research firm IDC today announced its preliminary estimates of worldwide tablet shipments for the second quarter of 2013, finding that Apple's share of the market has fallen to under a third. According to IDC's numbers, Apple held a 32.4% share of the market for quarter, compared to 39.6% in the previous quarter and a 60.3% share in the year-ago quarter.
While other top tablet manufacturers...
Apple E-Book Price Fixing Decision Could See Return of Direct Links from Kindle and Other Apps to Their Stores
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced its proposed remedy in the e-book price fixing case that saw Apple found guilty last month. The proposed remedy includes nullification of Apple's existing "agency model" deals with a number of major publishers, as well as a requirement that competitors such as Amazon allow direct links to their own e-book stores from within their iOS apps.The...
Apple Begins Offering Free Content in 'Apple Store' iOS App with 'Color Zen'
Following an update to its Apple Store iOS app late last month, Apple has now begun offering the reported free iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore content through the app (via Flo's Weblog [Google translation]).
As in the leaked sample screenshot, the initial offering is Color Zen, a puzzle game typically priced at $0.99. The free content is accessed by visiting any of the pages for...
Silver iPad 5 Rear Shell Appears in New Photos with iPad Mini Styling
Back in January, a handful of photos of what was alleged to be the fifth-generation black iPad's rear shell surfaced, showing how the device would take design cues from the iPad mini to offer a smaller form factor with narrower side bezels and more rounded rear edges. An additional photo appeared in late April, but otherwise leaks of the device's rear shell have been scarce. A variety of cases...
Apple Reminds Customers in Some U.S. States of Upcoming Sales Tax Holidays
With a number of U.S. states preparing to host "sales tax holidays" in which certain items can be purchased without being subject to sales taxes, Apple has begun sending out emails to customers in those states reminding them of the potential to save significant amounts of money on purchases such as computers and accessories.
Sales tax holidays are typically held in early August as back to...
iOS 7 Beta 4 Code Points to Home Button Fingerprint Sensor for iPhone 5S
Following its 2012 acquisition of mobile security firm AuthenTec, which specialized in fingerprint sensors, Apple has been rumored to be looking to incorporate its technology into its future products. Rumors have indicated that such a sensor could be a differentiating feature for Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S, although there has so far been little in the way of solid evidence that such a feature is...
Apple Seeds iOS 7 Beta 4 to Developers
In line with hints and rumors from earlier today, Apple has just pushed out a fourth beta version of iOS 7 to developers for testing purposes. The update is arriving as both an over-the-air update to existing beta testers and through the iOS Dev Center.
As expected, the new beta arrives as build 11A4435d. Apple has also released Xcode 5 Developer Preview 4 and a third beta of the Apple TV...
Pegatron Employee Describes Role in Producing Apple's Lower-Cost Plastic iPhone
Earlier today, labor rights group China Labor Watch issued a report making claims of poor working conditions at Apple's assembly partner Pegatron. As pointed out by Computerworld, the 60-page report (PDF) confirms that Apple is working on production of a plastic iPhone, a device that has been rumored for some time and seen in a number of recent part leaks.
Photo of alleged lower-cost plastic ...
Companies Lining Up in Support of Apple Ahead of Potential Older Model iPhone/iPad Ban in U.S.
Following last week's opinion piece from Verizon attorney Randall Milch outlining why the carrier objects to the impending U.S. ban on imports of older iPhone and 3G-capable iPad models, The Wall Street Journal notes that a number of other companies and regulators are lining up in support of Apple in the case.
Rather than taking a position on the details of the case, which revolve around a...
Apple's iPhone Activation Servers Experiencing Extended Outage
While Apple is still working to bring its developer site back up a week after taken offline due to a security breach, the company appears to be experiencing another problem with its systems today, as a number of MacRumors readers have reported they are unable to activate their new iPhones. Other reports are showing up on Twitter as the problems continue.
According to one tipster who called...
Ashton Kutcher Talks More About Playing the Role of Steve Jobs
Last week, Ashton Kutcher took to Quora to explain some of the reasons why he decided to take on the role of Steve Jobs in the upcoming film JOBS, noting his admiration for Jobs, the challenge of the role, and his interest in the convergence of technology and entertainment.
With the film set for wide release on August 16, Kutcher is now beginning to hit the publicity circuit to talk about the...
Apple to Dump AU Optronics as Display Supplier for Next-Generation iPad Mini?
ETNews.com reports that Apple is discontinuing its relationship with AU Optronics to supply display panels for the iPad mini as production on displays for the second-generation models is expected to ramp up in the coming months. According to the report, LG Display is already onboard and Sharp is in solid position given its technological advantage in energy efficiency, while other display...
Researcher Takes Credit for Security Breach of Apple's Developer Center
The Next Web points to a comment on a TechCrunch article taking credit for last week's unauthorized access of Apple's Developer Center last week. The comment comes from independent security researcher Ibrahim Balic, who claims that his effort was not intended to be malicious and that he reported his findings to Apple just hours before the developer site was taken down by the company.In total I...
'Apple Store' iOS App Update Coming Tuesday with Free iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore Deals
9to5Mac reports that Apple will be releasing an updated version of its Apple Store app for iOS devices on Tuesday, bringing a minor redesign and new tie-ins with iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore content. Through the updated app, Apple will offer special deals, making paid content free of charge for users of the app. As you can see in the photo of the upcoming app update (to the right), the ...
Closeup Photos of Alleged Lower-Cost Plastic iPhone Rear Shell Compared to iPhone 5
Over the past several weeks, an increasing number of photo leaks of what has been claimed to be the rear shell of Apple's rumored upcoming lower-cost plastic iPhone have surfaced, showing a device just slightly larger than the iPhone 5 and carrying the same layout of physical features, albeit with simplified microphone and speaker grille designs along the bottom edge.
Japanese magazine Weekly...
