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
Apple's MacBook Pro Touch Bar Was Announced 10 Years Ago Today
Apple introduced the Touch Bar 10 years ago today. At its "Hello again" event on October 27, 2016, Apple pitched the OLED Multi-Touch strip as "revolutionary." It replaced the MacBook Pro's function keys and divided users from the start, arriving in the same controversial redesign as the butterfly keyboard and removal of HDMI, SD card, and MagSafe ports.
The Touch Bar died slowly. A physical...
Read Full Article • 92 comments
iPhone Duo: Use Edge Light for Brighter Video Calls
With the release of iOS 27.2, the Mac's Edge Light feature comes to an iPhone for the first time. Exclusive to the iPhone Duo, Edge Light illuminates the borders of the screen to evenly light your face during video calls in low-light conditions.
Edge Light works like a virtual ring light, with no external lighting required. You can enable it in FaceTime and third-party video-calling apps...
OLED iPad Mini: Pre-Orders and Release Date
Apple's all-new OLED iPad mini will be available to pre-order starting on Wednesday, October 28, at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 36 countries and regions, with availability starting Friday, November 6.
In the U.S., pricing for the 128GB configuration starts at $699 or $58.25 per month for 12 months for the Wi-Fi model, and $849 or $70.75 per month for...
iPhone Duo Features Independent Rotation Lock Controls
The iPhone Duo can lock the screen orientation of its two displays independently. Enabling Orientation Lock from Control Center applies only to the display you're using at the time, so the outer display can stay locked in portrait while the inner display is free to rotate as you open and reposition the phone.
The separation offers a little more flexibility. For example, you could keep the...
Why Can't iPhone Duo Users Make Eye Contact on FaceTime?
FaceTime's Eye Contact setting is missing on the iPhone Duo, MacRumors can confirm. The setting was first flagged as absent by MacRumors forum member TwoBytes, who noticed their eyes looking "a little off" during a call.
Introduced in iOS 14, Eye Contact uses machine learning to subtly adjust your eyes during a video call to make it seem like you're looking into the camera lens, even though ...
iPhone Duo: Watch Video Above an App in Portrait Mode
The iPhone Duo's two-app multitasking feature works side by side in landscape, but rotating the inner display to portrait usually drops you back to a single app. However, there is a workaround to keep a video playing above an open app in portrait, and it involves Picture in Picture.
Both the inner and outer displays on the iPhone Duo share the same 1:1.4 aspect ratio, and each half of the...
Quickly Silence iPhone Duo Without a Ring/Mute Switch
The new iPhone Duo drops both the classic Ring/Silent switch as well as the newer Action button, so there is no physical mute control on the device, and no way to assign the Silent Mode control to another button. That said, you can still silence the device pretty quickly – you just do it on-screen instead using a new way to invoke Control Center.
With your device unlocked, open Control...
OLED iPad Mini Fast Charge Needs a 35W Adapter, Sold Separately
Apple's new iPad mini is fast-charge capable, but not with the adapter in the box. Apple's specifications say the device can reach up to a 50% charge in around 30 minutes when used with a USB-C power adapter capable of providing 35W or higher, but they are sold separately ($59) – the iPad mini comes with a 20W USB-C power adapter.
The new OLED-equipped iPad mini features an 18.9-watt-hour...
OLED iPad Mini Starts at $699 After Second Price Hike This Year
Apple today announced the first OLED iPad mini, and it carries a pretty hefty price increase compared to just a few years ago. The new model starts at $699, up $100 (or 17%) from the $599 starting price of the previous generation model.
It's hard to believe now, but the previous-generation iPad mini kept its $499 price in 2024 even when Apple doubled base storage to 128GB. But then earlier...
512GB OLED iPad Mini Gets Extra CPU Core and Dual Neural Engine
Apple's tech specs for the new iPad mini reveal that the 512GB model ships with a different version of the A20 Pro: a 6-core CPU with two super cores and four efficiency cores, plus a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. The 128GB and 256GB models meanwhile get a 5-core CPU (two super, three efficiency) and a 16-core Neural Engine.
All three models share a 7-core GPU, Neural Accelerators, and...
OLED iPad Mini Pre-Orders and Release Date Announced
Apple today announced the biggest iPad mini update yet, bringing OLED to its smallest tablet for the first time. The new model features an 8.5-inch OLED display, an A20 Pro chip, and IP67 water and dust resistance housed in a 5.4mm thin design. Pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28, at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time on apple.com and in the Apple Store app, with availability starting Friday, November 6.
...
Apple Watch Users in Europe Report Daylight Saving Glitch
Some Apple Watch users running watchOS 27 are reporting a daylight saving glitch after clocks went back in the UK and Europe on Sunday. In a MacRumors forums thread, five users – several in the UK and central Europe – say their watch shows the correct time when activated, but the Always-On display keeps showing summer time, leaving it an hour fast.
The problem has also been reported in...
Gurman: Apple's Three-Day Announcement Run Could Start Today
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman thinks Apple's announcements this week could arrive as a three-day rollout starting today. Writing on X, Gurman said that when Apple holds events on Wednesdays, it "increasingly does so following three days of announcements," adding that an OLED iPad mini today, M6 iMac and MacBook Pro updates on Tuesday, and a touch-screen MacBook Pro on Wednesday "would make sense."...
iPhone Duo: Give Your Camera Subject a Picture Preview
Getting someone to relax in front of a camera is a lot easier when they can see how they look. Apple acknowledges this on its new foldable iPhone Duo with a feature called Duo Preview, which shows a live preview on the outer display.
This way, whoever you're photographing can adjust their pose, fix their hair, or straighten their costume before you take the shot. It works for both photos...
iPhone Duo Is Apple's Tiniest Laptop
Fold an iPhone Duo halfway and set it down on a desk, and let the netbook cosplay begin. The top half becomes your screen, while the bottom half turns into a control deck.
When you're watching video, for example, playback controls appear on the lower half, and a keyboard pops up there when a text editor is open. Hold it partly folded in your hands and you get a split keyboard instead, so...
iPhone Duo Can Run Automations When You Open or Close It
The iPhone Duo includes a new Shortcuts automation trigger that runs actions when the device is opened or closed. YouTuber Stephen Robles highlighted the trigger, which is called "Opened or Closed" and can be found under the Display automations category. It was first spotted in September by code sleuth pdfu in the iPhone Duo simulator.
One possible use case is making the Duo switch to a...
Adjust iPhone Duo's Outer Display to Accommodate Your Case
On iPhone Duo, Apple includes a display setting for cases or frames that partially cover the left edge of the outer display. It's called Shift Left Edge, and it insets the display edge so that on-screen content isn't hidden beneath the case.
We first covered the setting in September, and Apple has since documented it, revealing that when you fit Apple's official iPhone Duo Case, a prompt...
'Arguably Better Than Face ID': the iPhone Duo Touch ID Tip to Try
An iPhone Duo owner has shared a Touch ID tip on Reddit they claim is "arguably better than Face ID." It involves registering the lowest part of your index finger instead of the pad of your fingertip. The poster says this segment rests naturally against the side button during pickup and unlocks the phone as you lift it, and it seems at least some users agree.
The tip has since been shared on...
iPhone Duo: Get Kids and Pets to Look at the Camera
Trying to get a child or pet to look toward the lens when you're taking their picture can be a challenging experience. That's why on iPhone Duo, Apple includes a Kid Cue feature that plays a fun animation on the outer display. The idea is that your subject's attention is drawn to the camera. Meanwhile, you have a chance to frame the shot using the inner display.
Kid Cue is exclusive to...
Skip the Touch ID Scan: Unlock iPhone Duo With Apple Watch
iPhone Duo uses a Touch ID sensor built into the side button for authentication. Some may feel this is a step backwards after almost a decade of Face ID on iPhones, but if you wear an Apple Watch, you can use it to unlock your iPhone Duo instead. This way, you don't need to touch the side button at all. It's the closest thing we have to a seamless Face ID experience on iPhone Duo (at least for now...
