Tim Hardwick
Tim is a Senior Editor at MacRumors and has been writing for the site since 2016. Formerly a magazine journalist, his work has appeared in over 30 newsstand print publications and online brands covering a range of topics, from the latest trends in technology to the mysteries of ancient history.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Tim Hardwick's Articles
WhatsApp Rolls Out Web Calling, Call Transfer Across Devices, and More
WhatsApp has announced a handful of enhancements for group calling over the encrypted platform, including seamless call transfers across devices and a new web calling feature.
It's now possible to make and receive audio and video calls, including both one-on-one and group calls, directly from WhatsApp Web. The new browser-based service provides access to common features available on other...
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Samsung Can Name Its Price on MacBook Pro OLED Panels
Apple will rely on Samsung Display exclusively for the OLED touch panels going into its redesigned MacBook Pro models, according to Korean outlet The Elec.
The 14-inch and 16-inch panels are set to be made on Samsung's 8.6-generation line at Asan, starting with an initial run of around 2.5 million units. Mass production is expected to start next month.
The report says Apple never...
5 Reasons to Buy a MacBook Air Now Instead of Waiting
Apple's next MacBook Air is several months away, but if you've been holding off on an upgrade, here's why now could actually be a good time to buy.
The Current Air is the Best Value Mid-Tier Mac
The M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,299 following Apple's recent $200 price hike, but Amazon is already knocking $100 off, bringing it down to $1,199. The base model's 16GB of RAM means it's no longer...
WhatsApp Rolls Out Redesigned Message Bubbles for iOS
WhatsApp is rolling out a new design for message bubbles on iOS, reports WaBetaInfo.
Old design (left) vs. new design (Image: WaBetaInfo)
The platform's message bubbles are rounder than before with a softer shape – similar to iMessage – while shared media files appear without the original borders, giving them a cleaner look.
The message bubble update follows several Liquid...
6 Display Upgrades Coming With Apple's Redesigned MacBook Pro
Apple is expected to give the MacBook Pro its biggest redesign in years with a next-generation model rumored to arrive in early 2027. The overhaul is expected to include a thinner design, Apple's next-generation M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a Dynamic Island replacing the notch, and support for touchscreen input for the first time on a Mac.
Here's a closer look at six features of the new displays ...
MacBook Ultra OLED Touch Panel to Be Exclusively Supplied by Samsung
Apple will exclusively rely on Samsung Display for the production of OLED touch panels for its redesigned upcoming MacBook Pro models, according to a new report from Korea-based The Elec.
Citing industry sources, the publication says that the 14-inch and 16-inch panels will be produced at Samsung's 8.6-generation OLED line at Asan, in Korea's South Chungcheong Province. The estimated initial ...
macOS 27 Beta Reworks Mail's Compose Window Around Siri AI
For macOS 27 Golden Gate, coming this fall, Apple appears to be testing a new formatting bar for the Mail app's compose window that promotes Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools and Siri AI, based on findings in the latest beta.
Feature flags discovered by MacRumors forum member "mactracker" – who this week also revealed the hidden Siri "voice pad" interface in beta 4 – show the reworked bar ...
All the Gestures to Trigger Reaction Effects in FaceTime
Since iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, Apple has included Messages-like reactions in FaceTime that lighten up your video with visual effects. But rather than triggering them with words, you can trigger them using physical hand gestures.
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When you're on a FaceTime video call on an iPhone running iOS 17 or later, or an iPad running iPadOS 17 or...
Add a Volume Slider to Your iPhone Lock Screen
Your iPhone's Lock Screen has built-in media playback controls that appear whenever music, a podcast, or other audio is playing. What you might not realize is that those controls can also include a volume slider that lets you adjust the volume without you having to unlock your iPhone or fumble for the physical buttons.
Originally, Apple included a volume slider in the Lock Screen media...
iOS 27: Access the New iPhone Recovery Screen
Since iOS 26, a malfunctioning iPhone has been able to boot itself into Recovery Assistant, with no Mac or PC required. However, you could only get there if your device failed to start up and dropped into recovery on its own.
In iOS 27, currently in beta, Apple has removed that limitation, and you can now manually boot into a Mac-style recovery screen whenever you like.
The new recovery ...
Claude Voice Mode Gains Opus and Sonnet Model Support
Anthropic has updated Claude's voice mode to support its more powerful Opus and Sonnet models, expanding a feature that was previously limited to the company's fastest-but-simplest model, Haiku.
Voice mode lets users hold full spoken conversations with the chatbot rather than having to type prompts and read responses. Users can switch between Claude's models mid-conversation, and can also...
Apple Seeking 20% OLED Panel Price Cut for iPhone 18 Pro Max
Apple is pushing OLED panel suppliers to lower their prices for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, as the cost of memory chips and other components rises, reports The Elec.
According to the Korea-based report, Apple has proposed paying around $70 for OLED panels, but it might end up paying even less. Industry estimates suggest that Samsung Display and LG Display will supply the panels for around $66.50...
Opera One Browser Adds Vertical Tabs - Should Safari Follow?
Opera One browser just pushed an update adding a Vertical Tabs option that moves the tab bar from the top of the window to a resizable panel down the left-hand side.
The feature aims to solve the perennial horizontal tab problem where too many open tabs makes each one shrink to an unreadable sliver of the webpage's favicon.
By contrast, in the vertical layout, page titles always stay...
Google Fined $1 Billion by EU for Search Bias and App Store Restrictions
Google was today fined €890 million ($1 billion) by the European Union for breaching antitrust rules with regard to its search and Google Play store services.
The European Commission found that Google had broken the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by using its dominant position in the search market to favour its own services, like shopping and hotel deals, over those of rivals.
The Commission ...
iOS 27 Brings These Five New Features to Your iPhone Lock Screen
Apple unveiled iOS 27 at WWDC this week, and while the headline-grabbing Siri overhaul has received the most attention, the Lock Screen has picked up several refinements that you may have missed.
Some are brand-new additions, while others are tweaks to features Apple introduced in iOS 26, but together they give you more control over how your Lock Screen looks and behaves.
Here are five...
macOS 27 Beta Hides Trippy Siri 'Voice Pad' Interface With 13 Voices
For macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple appears to be working on an immersive new interface for choosing Siri AI's voice, based on findings in the latest beta.
MacRumors forum member "mactracker" has shared what they call a hidden "voice pad" in the macOS 27 beta 4, which was released on Monday. When enabled, the interface replaces the System Settings menu for Siri's voice options with a nearly...
WhatsApp Announces New CarPlay Experience, iPad Sign-Up, and More
WhatsApp just announced a raft of new features spanning CarPlay, iPad, and iPhone that are "designed to work wherever you do, across your devices and the other apps you use."
First up, WhatsApp for CarPlay and Android Auto has been completely refreshed. Now you can hear and respond to messages, make calls, see your call history, and reach your favorites, all hands-free directly from your...
The iPhone 18 Pro's Rumored Camera Upgrade, Explained
Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to feature a variable-aperture camera. The upgrade has been rumored repeatedly and would be a first for Apple's smartphone lineup, but what would it actually change for everyday users?
An aperture is the opening inside a camera lens that lets in light. A natural comparison would be the pupils of your eyes, which open wider in...
Apple Chipmaker TSMC Plans Price Hikes of Up to 10% in 2027
Apple's principal chipmaker TSMC plans to raise prices by as much as 10 percent starting in 2027, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.
The Taiwan-based foundry has reportedly held talks with clients about base price increases of 5 to 10 percent, covering both mature nodes and the more advanced processes at 7-nanometers and below that Apple relies on for its A-series and M-series...
Apple Testing 7-Inch Display for Largest 20th Anniversary iPhone Model
Apple is reportedly prototyping a larger iPhone display measuring roughly 6.96 inches, which would likely be marketed as a 7-inch panel if it reaches production.
According to Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple is testing the display internally in preparation for the 20th anniversary iPhone, which is expected to launch next year. The leaker said that the screen ratio is the same as...
