Articles on MacRumors by Tim Hardwick
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Tim Hardwick

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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.

Tim Hardwick's Articles

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes: What to Expect

Monday August 24, 2026 10:25 am PDT by
Apple won't change the display size of this year's iPhone 18 Pro models, but a different change to the display has been rumored several times now. Apple is expected to stick with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, respectively. For context, those are the display sizes of the current iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. Meanwhile, rumors continue to ...
Apple Foldable Thumb

How to Actually Get an iPhone Ultra on Launch Day

Monday August 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to be unveiled in September, and it is likely to be one of the hardest devices in years to actually get your hands on. Initial stocks of the "iPhone Ultra" are expected to be heavily constrained, the book-style foldable is rumored to arrive after the iPhone 18 Pro models rather than alongside them, and there are suggestions availability could be staggered ...
Tim Cook Steve Jobs

Tim Cook Replaced Steve Jobs 15 Years Ago Today, Steps Down Sept 1

Monday August 24, 2026 4:38 am PDT by
15 years ago today, Tim Cook was appointed Apple CEO following Steve Jobs' resignation on August 24, 2011. On September 1, Cook will step down and incoming CEO John Ternus will take over, ahead of Apple announcing new iPhone 18 Pro models and its first foldable iPhone. Ternus joined Apple as part of its product design team in 2001. He became VP of hardware engineering in 2013 and senior VP in ...
clear app icon style ios

Get Clear App Icons on Your iPhone Home Screen

Monday August 24, 2026 4:20 am PDT by
When Apple released iOS 26 in September 2025, it introduced the new Liquid Glass design overhaul, which adopts translucent elements throughout the system interface and in stock apps. On the Home Screen, the search bar, dock, and app folders are translucent. By default, app icons have a new layered glass look that gives them dimension, but there's also an option for "Clear" glass-like icons....
5 Reasons to Buy the iPhone 17 Now Feature

5 Reasons to Buy the iPhone 17 Now Instead of Waiting for iPhone 18

Monday August 24, 2026 3:05 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models and its first foldable are less than a month away from being unveiled. That may sound like a reason to sit tight if you're looking to upgrade from an iPhone 16 or older series, but between looming price hikes and Apple's new split-launch calendar, there's a decent case for grabbing an iPhone 17 series model right now. Here are five reasons in favor of putting your...
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How Apple Leaked Itself

Monday August 24, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
When Apple pushed out the release candidate for macOS Tahoe 26.7 last week, it contained references to a raft of unannounced products, from home devices to iPhones, iPads, AirPods, and Macs. It's not the first time we've seen this kind of thing, but the sheer amount of references – including a video showing off AirPods with cameras – is a bit unusual. Code references to unreleased...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Retail Stores Preparing for New Home Product Launches

Sunday August 23, 2026 12:20 pm PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple is reorganizing parts of its brick-and-mortar stores this fall to make room for new home products. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says the teams responsible for store layouts are preparing changes to the "Avenues," or the perimeter walls in Apple's newer stores, where accessories like HomePod, Apple TV, AirPods, and Beats are...
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M6 iMac Coming This Year in New Colors

Sunday August 23, 2026 11:36 am PDT by
Apple is readying new iMac models with an upgraded chip and new color options, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says the new version is likely to be an updated 24-inch model with an M6 chip, replacing the existing M4 model that arrived in October 2024. New colors are also said to be on the menu, though Gurman does not say what they...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Gurman: iPhone Ultra Wows Early Testers, Except for Its Camera

Sunday August 23, 2026 11:19 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra is winning over the few people who have had hands-on time with the device, though the camera setup may leave some users wanting, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says people who have used the device – which is reportedly referred to internally as the iPhone Ultra – like how it fits in your...
ios 27

iOS 27 Brings These Five New Features to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Friday August 21, 2026 7:50 am PDT by
Apple unveiled iOS 27 at WWDC in June, 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 to...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Knit Band

Apple Reportedly Lays Off 60 Vision Products Group Employees

Friday August 21, 2026 4:28 am PDT by
Apple "has just laid off an entire team dedicated to VR development," reports AppleInsider, citing its own source. Apple is said to have laid off at least 60 employees from its Apple Vision Group. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the Vision Pro team was disbanded and its members redistributed across other projects, following the October 2025 refresh of the Vision Pro and the ...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iOS 27 Lets Other People Use Up Your iCloud Storage

Friday August 21, 2026 2:54 am PDT by
Shared Albums have long been a perk of Apple's Photos system. For over a decade, Apple has let you add up to 5,000 photos and videos per album, with none of it counting against your iCloud storage. That's set to change in iOS 27 coming this September. New Shared Albums now retain full resolution, rather than being downsampled to 2,048 pixels on the long edge. It's a nice improvement, but...
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Camera AirPods Code Reveals Image Capture Resolution, Status Light, Person Detection, and More

Friday August 21, 2026 2:31 am PDT by
Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods, as indicated by various reports and a demo video of them in action discovered earlier this week. The video was found by MacRumors in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate, but it turns out there are even more details in the code. MacRumors forum member mactracker has discovered a hidden macOS framework called "AccessorySensorManager" that manages ...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iOS 27 Shared Albums Go Full Res at the Cost of Your iCloud Storage

Thursday August 20, 2026 5:48 am PDT by
In iOS 27, new Shared Albums you create in the Photos app retain full-resolution quality for the first time, but they now eat into your iCloud storage – and that includes any items added by other people invited to contribute. Currently, photos in a Shared Album are automatically reduced to 2,048 pixels on the long edge (except for panoramic photos, which can be up to 5,400 pixels wide)....
iPhone 14 Pro Display Two Times Brighter Feature

Strong iPhone Sales Are Giving Samsung Display a Big OLED Boost

Thursday August 20, 2026 4:10 am PDT by
Strong iPhone sales have helped boost flexible OLED display shipments from Samsung Display so far this year, according to a report from The Elec. Samsung shipped approximately 120 million flexible OLED smartphone panels in the first half of the year, up 35 percent year-over-year. That accounted for about 65 percent of the overall increase in global flexible OLED panel shipments. Market...
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Apple Fires Back at OpenAI's Bid to Toss Trade Secrets Suit

Thursday August 20, 2026 3:40 am PDT by
Apple has urged a federal judge to reject OpenAI's recent motion to dismiss its trade secrets lawsuit, arguing in a new filing that the company's defense depends on "distortion, speculation, and improper extrinsic evidence." Apple sued OpenAI in July, accusing the company of running a scheme to pull confidential product information out of former Apple employees who became job candidates and ...
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iPhone 17 Pro Cases Fit iPhone 18 Pro - Or At Least Otterbox Thinks So

Wednesday August 19, 2026 2:39 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman noted on X (Twitter) today that Otterbox is already selling iPhone 18 Pro cases at Best Buy. While the timing is early for a new iPhone that isn't expected to launch until mid-September, what's more interesting is that Otterbox's packaging indicates the iPhone 18 Pro will fit iPhone 17 Pro cases and vice versa. Gurman passed on the packaging detail without saying...
Parental Controls chatgpt

OpenAI Announces ChatGPT for Teens With Built-In Safeguards and Learning Prompts

Tuesday August 18, 2026 8:04 am PDT by
OpenAI is adding a ChatGPT mode for teenagers that includes parental controls, enhanced content safeguards, and a focus on learning. ChatGPT for Teens is "designed to help teens learn, think critically, deepen understanding, and use AI with confidence," said the company in a blog post announcing the feature. The feature includes learning-focused starter prompts for facilitating studying,...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

Apple's US App Store Commission Revenue Down 18% This Year

Tuesday August 18, 2026 4:41 am PDT by
The commission Apple earns from the App Store is shrinking in markets where it has been forced to relax its grip on in-app purchases, based on new analytics data. According to Appfigures, cited by the Financial Times ($), Apple's U.S. commission revenue has fallen 18 percent since the start of 2026. It also found App Store revenue declining in Brazil and Japan since both countries...
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Sonos iPhone App Finally Gains Live Activities Support

Tuesday August 18, 2026 4:08 am PDT by
Sonos just updated its iOS app with new Live Activities support, providing quick access to playback controls from your Lock Screen. Image credit: MajorAtmosphere Sonos shared a Reddit post announcing the new feature, which appears after you initiate playback on a Sonos device and then close the app. The Live Activity shows the current room or group you were last playing audio from and...