Hartley Charlton

Hartley is a Senior Editor at MacRumors and co-host of "The MacRumors Show" podcast. In his role, Hartley contributes to daily news coverage and writes a wide range of content for the site. Various publications and aggregators often cite his articles. Additionally, Hartley occasionally appears as a guest on other media outlets, such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, and CBS News, to share his knowledge of the industry.

Having closely followed Apple news and rumors for almost a decade, Hartley joined us in early 2020 as a Contributing Writer while completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in History at the University of Nottingham. After graduation, he joined us as a full-time Editor. His work at MacRumors has since expanded into several areas beyond news coverage, including our buyer's guides, roundups, and occasional product reviews.

In late 2021, Hartley helped launch The MacRumors Show and now co-hosts the popular podcast on a weekly basis, bringing our coverage to a wider audience through a new platform, with a flare of personal opinion.

Hartley lives in Hertfordshire, England. Beyond technology, his other interests include music, tennis, and creative writing. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @hxrtlxy and on Instagram at @hxrtlxy_.

Hartley Charlton's Articles

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Apple Expected to Kill the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar This Year

Friday January 22, 2021 7:23 am PST by
Apple is expected to drop the Touch Bar from its upcoming MacBook Pro models and use physical function keys in its place, according to new reports from Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman. The Touch Bar is an OLED touchscreen strip positioned above the keyboard, providing users with customizable controls, ranging from traditional function keys to app-specific shortcuts and features. A popular...
beeper app

All-in-One Chat App 'Beeper' Brings iMessage to Android and Windows Using Workaround

Thursday January 21, 2021 4:34 am PST by
New universal chat app "Beeper" combines 15 different chat platforms into a single inbox and offers iMessage on Android and Windows (via The Verge). The app comes from a team including former Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky, and enables users to integrate a range of messaging services, including WhatsApp, SMS, Signal, Telegram, Slack, Twitter, Skype, Hangouts, Discord, Instagram, and Facebook...
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Apple Shifting Some Production From iPhone 12 mini to iPhone 12 Pro to Meet Demand

Wednesday January 20, 2021 7:12 am PST by
Apple has reportedly cut production of the iPhone 12 mini by two million units to create more manufacturing capacity for the iPhone 12 Pro, according to a new Morgan Stanley investment note seen by PED30. Apple is believed to have made the switch for the first quarter of 2021 in an effort to combat continuing lead times for the more popular ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro. ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro lead times remain ...
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LG Considering Exit From Smartphone Business, Halts LCD Production for iPhone

Wednesday January 20, 2021 4:38 am PST by
LG is considering exiting the smartphone business entirely amid declining shipments and accrued losses of $4.5 billion over the past five years (via The Korea Herald). LG CEO Kwon Bong-Seok cautioned staff earlier today that the company is re-evaluating its presence in the smartphone industry: Since the competition in the global market for mobile devices is getting fiercer, it is about...
AirPods Gen 3 Feature

AirPods 3 to Gain AirPods Pro Features

Wednesday January 20, 2021 3:35 am PST by
Apple's upcoming third-generation AirPods are expected to feature a selection of "pro" features, including a new design with shorter stems, pressure-sensitive controls, and improved battery life. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that third-generation AirPods will have a design "similar to AirPods Pro." Introduced in November 2019, the ‌AirPods Pro‌ feature an in-ear design with soft silicone...
airpods max sim ejector

AirPods Max Headband Removable With Just a SIM Ejector Tool, Hinting at Interchangeable Headbands

Tuesday January 19, 2021 7:25 am PST by
It is possible to remove the headband of AirPods Max with just a standard SIM card ejector tool, hinting at the possibility of interchanging headbands to achieve a different colorway. Image via Prelook In December, MacRumors revealed the large variety of ‌AirPods Max‌ ear cushion color combinations when it became clear that they were magnetically attatched and available for sale separately....
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Twelve South Announces ParcSlope Stand for MacBook and iPad

Tuesday January 19, 2021 5:47 am PST by
Accessory maker Twelve South has today announced the dual-purpose ParcSlope stand for MacBook and iPad, offering improved comfort and airflow. Users can benefit from better ergonomics and cooling for MacBooks, while iPads can take advantage of the stand's 18-degree angle for typing or sketching with Apple Pencil. The stand can hold every ‌iPad‌ model, except the iPad mini, in landscape or...
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Mac Sales Skyrocketing After M1 Launch

Tuesday January 19, 2021 2:00 am PST by
Apple's worldwide Mac shipments grew massively in the fourth quarter of 2020 after the launch of three new Macs with the M1 chip, according to new PC shipping estimates shared by Gartner. Apple shipped an estimated 6.9 million Macs, up from the 5.25 million it shipped at the same time in 2019, marking significant growth of 31.3 percent. In spite of the growth of Mac sales, Apple remained...
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Apple Supplier Foxconn to Build $270 Million Plant in Vietnam, Likely for MacBook and iPad

Monday January 18, 2021 6:32 am PST by
Apple supplier Foxconn has been granted a license to construct a new $270 million plant in Vietnam, likely to manufacture MacBooks and iPads (via Reuters). The new plant, to be developed by Fukang Technology, will be located in the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Giang. Upon completion, the location is projected to be able to produce eight million laptops and tablets annually....
iphone 5s black slate

Images of Unreleased iPhone 5s in Black and Slate Shared Online

Sunday January 17, 2021 8:47 am PST by
Twitter user @DongleBookPro has today shared images of a prototype iPhone 5s in an unreleased Black and Slate color. The ‌iPhone‌ 5s was launched in September 2013. The device featured Touch ID, a 64-bit processor, and a True Tone LED flash for the first time. Other new features included a five-element lens with an f/2.2 aperture, a 15 percent larger camera sensor, Burst Mode, and Slo-Mo...
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Apple Car Speculated to Leverage Eye-Tracking Technology With a 'C1' Chip Based on A12 Processor

Friday January 15, 2021 7:36 am PST by
The long-rumored Apple Car could use a "C1" chip based on the A12 Bionic processor and boast in-cabin AI capabilities such as eye-tracking, according to a highly-speculative report by analyst Colin Barnden for EETimes. The report outlines the methodology and licensed technologies believed to be behind an Apple automotive-grade processor, which it tentatively calls the "C1" chip. Since...
AirPods Max new feature

AirPods Max vs. Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Friday January 15, 2021 6:49 am PST by
AirPods Max, Apple's first over-ear headphones, seem to be positioned as direct rivals to the popular Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. When announcing ‌AirPods Max‌, Apple boasted that the headphones bring "the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design with high-fidelity sound." With a custom acoustic design, dual H1 chips, and advanced software to power...
pat gelsinger intel

Incoming Intel CEO Derides Company's Inability to 'Deliver Better Products' Than Apple's M1 Chip

Friday January 15, 2021 5:17 am PST by
Incoming Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has said that the company must "deliver better products" than Apple, which he described as a "lifestyle company," and says that Intel's best days are "in front of it" (via The Oregonian). Speaking at an Intel all-hands meeting yesterday, Gelsinger derisively implied that Apple is merely a "lifestyle company," so Intel must be able to surpass its technology: ...
iPhone 12 Yellow

iPhone 13 Design to Address One Frequent Complaint

Friday January 15, 2021 2:45 am PST by
While the design of the iPhone 13 is largely expected to be the same as the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, one key part of the design could be changed. The notch on Apple's 2021 iPhones, which houses the front-facing TrueDepth camera system, may be noticeably smaller. According to a report from Japanese site Mac Otakara, citing sources within the Chinese supply chain, the ‌iPhone‌ 13's TrueDepth camera...
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Samsung Announces Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra Alongside Galaxy Buds Pro and Galaxy SmartTag

Thursday January 14, 2021 7:58 am PST by
Samsung has today announced a range of new devices at its Galaxy Unpacked event, including the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, as well as Galaxy Buds Pro earphones and Galaxy SmartTag item trackers. Samsung's latest Galaxy S21 series of smartphones feature a new design, edge-to-edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and 8K video recording. The Galaxy...
iPhone 12 Security Feature

Many iOS Encryption Measures 'Unused,' Say Cryptographers

Thursday January 14, 2021 5:21 am PST by
iOS does not utilize built-in encryption measures as much as it could do, allowing for potentially unnecessary security vulnerabilities, according to cryptographers at Johns Hopkins University (via Wired). Using publicly available documentation from Apple and Google, law enforcement reports about bypassing mobile security features, and their own analysis, the cryptographers assessed the...
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Hidden iPhone 12 Hardware Feature Could Still be Unlocked

Thursday January 14, 2021 1:51 am PST by
All iPhone 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models purportedly have a hidden reverse wireless charging feature, according to an FCC filing. The feature has not yet been activated, but could yet be unlocked for an upcoming Apple accessory. The FCC filing suggests that ‌iPhone‌ 12 models contain the hardware for Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) to accessories: In addition to being able to be charged by a...
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Qualcomm to Acquire Chip Startup Nuvia, Founded by Ex-Apple Chip Designers, for $1.4 Billion

Wednesday January 13, 2021 7:19 am PST by
Qualcomm has reached an agreement to acquire Nuvia, a chip startup company founded by former Apple chip designers, for $1.4 billion, in an effort to compete with Apple and Intel (via Reuters). Nuvia was founded by three former Apple chip designers that worked on the A-series chips for the iPhone. Among Nuvia's key projects is a custom CPU core design set to be used in servers, but Qualcomm ...
bob swann intel

Intel CEO Bob Swan to Step Down in February

Wednesday January 13, 2021 5:40 am PST by
Intel CEO Bob Swan is to step down as of February 15, according to CNBC. CEO of VMWare, Pat Gelsinger, is expected to take over the position. During Swan's tenure, Intel has faced a range of considerable setbacks. In the summer of 2020, Apple announced that it was severing its partnership with Intel to favor its own custom silicon instead. Microsoft, another major Intel client, is...
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Paris Metro Navigo Cards Now Supported on iPhone

Wednesday January 13, 2021 5:17 am PST by
Navigo cards for travelling on the Paris metro and bus network are now supported on iPhone, with the ability to "recharge" passes using Apple Pay (via iGeneration). Last week, it was rumored that Apple had reached an agreement for Navigo cards to work with NFC on ‌iPhone‌, and now the feature has arrived with the latest update to the Navigo app from Paris's transport authority, Ile-de-France ...