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
New iPod Shuffle Contains $22 Worth of Parts
BusinessWeek reports on a teardown of the new iPod shuffle by research firm iSuppli, revealing that Apple's diminutive player contains approximately $22 worth of parts. All told, the cost of the shuffle's components, the headphones, and the packaging it ships in comes to $21.77, according to iSuppli's estimates. That's about 28% of the device's retail price. The smaller the component cost as a...
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OS X 10.5.7 Build 9J47 Seeded to Developers
Apple has continued its pattern of nearly-weekly seeds of OS X 10.5.7 builds to developers, this time releasing Build 9J47. World of Apple again publishes the seed notes, revealing a continued decrease in the number of fixes since the previous seed. Build 9J47 of Mac OS X 10.5.7 includes only three new fixes but Apple has also increased the number of focus areas in the build.
Mac OS X 10.5.7...
Apple Launches '1 Billion App Countdown' Promotion
Apple today launched a 1 Billion App Countdown promotion, offering the opportunity for users to enter to win a package of prizes valued at over $13,000. As of today, nearly one billion apps have been downloaded around the globe. So we just want to say thanks - a billion. Download an app and you'll automatically get the chance to win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule, and...
Apple to Discontinue .Mac HomePage and Groups
Apple today announced that two legacy tools associated with .Mac, HomePage and Groups, will no longer be offered as of July 7, 2009. The two services are not currently offered as part of MobileMe but were still accessible to former .Mac users whose accounts had been transitioned to MobileMe at its launch last year.
.Mac HomePage is a web hosting service that made its debut as part of Apple's...
Apple Still Pursuing iChat 'Answering Machine' Technology?
A patent application published today reveals that Apple may still be working on a video "answering machine" technology for inclusion with iChat. The technology made a brief partial appearance in early OS X Leopard developer seeds in December 2006, but was omitted from the finished product.
The patent application, filed in October 2007, describes the use of pre-recorded video messages that can ...
AutoCAD Returning to Mac?
Autodesk, creator of the industry standard design and drafting software AutoCAD, is apparently contemplating the return of a version of AutoCAD running natively on Macs. In a recent blog article, Autodesk "Platform Technology Evangelist" Shaan Hurley points readers to a survey allowing them to "help shape the future of the next generation of AutoCAD products for the Apple Mac OS X Operating...
Shutterfly for iPhone Now Available
Shutterfly for iPhone [App Store, Free] recently appeared in the App Store, bringing streamlined on-the-go access to the popular photo sharing site. - Access all your Shutterfly albums and pictures from your iPhone
- Show off and view your online Shutterfly pictures in a stunning full-screen slide show
- Easily add your iPhone pictures directly to your online Shutterfly account
- Instantly...
Amazon and Wal-Mart MP3 Stores Adopt Variable Pricing
Just after Apple instituted variable pricing for music in the iTunes Store, Electronista noticed that Amazon and Wal-Mart have followed suit in their MP3 download stores. The quiet price hike confirms that Apple's unofficial switchover date for variable pricing on its store is part of a larger move to raise prices across the industry. Concerns had been raised that the music industry might target...
Nine Inch Nails Application Coming to iPhone
As part of an extensive interview with Wired, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and collaborator Rob Sheridan revealed plans for an upcoming Nine Inch Nails iPhone application that is awaiting approval by Apple. The application is said to utilize the location-based social features found in Twinkle and known as "Nearby". The free Nine Inch Nails app, scheduled for release as soon as it gets...
Gmail and Google Calendar Update for iPhone
According to the official Google Mac Blog, Gmail and Google Calendar have been updated for the iPhone. Today I'm happy to announce that we've updated Gmail and Calendar for the iPhone. We've completely re-architected the code so you get more consistent performance, refreshed the user interface so it's easier to perform batch actions, and most importantly, laid the foundation which will allow us to ...
Apple Seeds OS X 10.5.7 Build 9J44 to Developers
Apple has seeded yet another version of OS X 10.5.7, this one termed Build 9J44, to developers. The release comes a little more than a week since the last developer seed was released. World of Apple republishes the seed notes, again revealing that a lack of support for Safari 4 beta is the only known issue mentioned by Apple.
In addition, the seed notes reveal five new fixes since the last...
Apple Offering $30 Discounts on Leopard and 500 GB Time Capsule to MobileMe Members
Apple is currently offering $30 discounts on Mac OS X Leopard and the 500 GB Time Capsule to current MobileMe members using a promo code sent to their MobileMe e-mail accounts. The offer is valid through June 1, 2009.
Apple has been making substantial efforts to upgrade as many users as possible to Leopard, also launching a discounted Mac Box Set consisting of Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork...
Yahoo! Messenger Now Available in App Store
Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone [App Store, Free] is now available in the App Store. Connect with all your friends:
Instant message with your Yahoo! Messenger contacts wherever you are.
Show off and Stay in control:
Show yourself as available or busy, go invisible, or show off your status and let your friends know what youre up to.
Share away
Share photos, emoticons and links, right from...
Daylite Touch Now Available for iPhone
For businesses looking for an integrated productivity solution with an iPhone component, Marketcircle's recently-updated Daylite can be paired with Daylite Touch [App Store] for on-the-go access. While the iPhone application itself is free to download, a paid license ($49.99 per device per year) is required in order to allow the application to connect to the Daylite Server portion of the...
Apple Releases Three New iPhone Ads: 'Itchy', 'Office', and 'Student'
Apple today posted three new iPhone commercials to their ad gallery.
- Itchy features three apps linked by the common theme of being used on a nature walk: Compass Go [App Store, $1.99], iBird Explorer Plus [App Store, $19.99], and How To Videos from Howcast.com [App Store, Free].
- Office features three business-oriented apps promoted for their roles in sales transactions: Credit Card...
Image of 2 TB Time Capsule Box?
Apple retailer ClubMac's 500 GB Time Capsule page is currently displaying an image (shown above) of a 2 TB Time Capsule retail box in its "Product Detail" section. Apple's Time Capsule combination wireless router and network-attached storage drive is currently available only in 500 GB ($299) and 1 TB ($499) models.
The original source of the image used on ClubMac's site is unknown, though...
Next-Generation iPhone Theoretically Capable of FM Radio Reception and Transmission?
Over the weekend, hints of several additional features for the next-generation iPhone were revealed. Among them was the discovery that text strings in the iPhone OS 3.0 software reference a new Broadcom wireless chip, BCM4329, which supports 802.11n wireless connectivity. In digging through the specs for the chip, 9 to 5 Mac has discovered that it also supports both reception and transmission...
Microsoft Releases Second 'Laptop Hunters' Commercial
Microsoft has released a second commercial in their new "Laptop Hunters" ad campaign targeting Mac prices. In the new commercial, "Giampaolo" is given a budget of $1500 with which to find to a laptop with his desired features of portability, battery life, and power. After browsing several PC's, Giampaolo takes a look at Apple's notebook offerings, but ultimately decides against them. This is so...
Skype for iPhone Reaches One Million Downloads in Just Two Days
According to a brief blog post on its website, Skype's official UK blogger reveals that the new Skype iPhone application saw more than one million downloads in its first two days in the App Store. This is a phenomenal performance, and we're confident that it's one of the fastest-downloaded iPhone apps ever. We'll be back next week with an update, but for now, Skype on.While a number of other...
Apple Ordering 3.2 and 5-Megapixel Camera Sensors for iPhone and Future Product?
In a brief report, DigiTimes claims that Apple has placed orders with OmniVision Technologies for both 3.2 and 5-megapixel image sensors. The 3.2-megapixel sensor is reportedly destined for the next-generation iPhone, while the 5-megapixel sensor is claimed to be for a separate product launching later this year. OmniVision has received 3.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor (CIS) orders for Apple's...
