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
Camera AirPods Code Reveals Image Capture Resolution, Status Light, Person Detection, and More
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 ...
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Only One iPhone 18 Pro Model Said to Get This Major Camera Upgrade
Ever since 2024, there have been rumors about Apple planning to introduce a variable aperture camera on the iPhone 18 Pro models, but it was believed that the feature would come to both Pro and Pro Max devices.
A Chinese leaker this week poured cold water on that assumption. According to Ice Universe, only the iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature variable aperture for "the best camera experience." ...
iOS 27 Shared Albums Go Full Res at the Cost of Your iCloud Storage
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)....
Strong iPhone Sales Are Giving Samsung Display a Big OLED Boost
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...
Apple Fires Back at OpenAI's Bid to Toss Trade Secrets Suit
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 ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cases Fit iPhone 18 Pro - Or At Least Otterbox Thinks So
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...
OpenAI Announces ChatGPT for Teens With Built-In Safeguards and Learning Prompts
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,...
Apple's US App Store Commission Revenue Down 18% This Year
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...
Sonos iPhone App Finally Gains Live Activities Support
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...
Unreleased AirPods 5 Models Referenced in macOS 26.7
In a notable addition to the unreleased Apple products referenced in yesterday's macOS Tahoe 26.7 software update, AirPods 5 models have also been spotted. Internally codenamed B868M and B868E, the models almost certainly refer to AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with Active Noise Cancellation. Current AirPods 4 models, launched in September 2024, have the codenames B768M and B768E.
While...
iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Get Exclusive Camera Upgrade
Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models may be differentiated by a new camera feature that could be exclusive to the larger Pro Max model, if a Chinese leaker is to be believed.
Since 2024, we've been hearing rumors about Apple's plans to introduce a variable aperture camera on the iPhone 18 Pro models – a first for any iPhone – but it was understood until now that the feature would come to...
How to Install iOS 27 Public Beta 4 on Your iPhone
Apple has made available the fourth public beta of iOS 27, bringing a more stable version of the software to a wider audience following lengthy testing by developers. Keep reading to learn how to prepare your device for the beta software and how to install it.
Signing up to get the iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 public beta is simple once you know how – it can be done by enrolling an iPhone or...
How to Install macOS 27 Golden Gate Public Beta 4
Apple has made the fourth macOS 27 Golden Gate public beta available for testing before the new Mac operating system's official release in the fall. Keep reading to learn whether you should install it on your Mac, and if so, how to go about it.
Getting access to the macOS Golden Gate public beta is simple, and can be done by enrolling your Mac in Apple's free Apple Beta Software Program. The ...
iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship
We're less than one month out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...
iOS 27 Finally Fixes Replying to Android Texts
When iOS 27 arrives next month, you'll be able to reply to a specific green chat bubble (aka an Android message) in a Messages conversation on your iPhone.
All you need to do is press and hold the message, tap Reply, then type your response. It will be received by the recipient as a real threaded reply (i.e. an inline reply), tying it directly to the message in question. It's the same with...
Apple's macOS Screen Sharing Flaw Is Being Exploited in the Wild
The screen sharing flaw that Apple rushed out a fix for earlier this month has already been exploited in the wild, according to the Netherlands' National Cyber Security Center (NCSC-NL).
On August 6, Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.6.1, an update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out last year. The update came a little over a week after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.6.
In its s...
Tim Cook Reflects on His Legacy in Final Weeks as Apple CEO
Apple CEO Tim Cook once said that what Steve Jobs stood for, in a word, was "innovation." In a CBS News interview conducted yesterday, Cook – in his final weeks at the helm of the company – was asked what his legacy stood for, and this was his response:
"In my view, your legacy is described by others, not yourself. And so, I hope that people will say that I was a good and decent man. And...
30 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27
Apple will release iOS 27 in September, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features on the way, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era.
This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though, as the following feature list...
Apple Trained Own AI Model for China Market With Help From Alibaba
Reuters reports that Apple has trained its own large language model for the China market, rather than relying on a third-party model to power its Apple Intelligence features in the country.
The LLM has been developed with the help of Alibaba, according to the report's sources. The development marks a break from Apple's previous strategy of relying on domestic models to bring generative AI to ...
Apple Is Working on a Screenless Fitness Band
Apple is considering bringing to market an Apple Watch-style fitness band with no screen, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Image credit: Whoop
The approach is said to be part of a broader re-evaluation of the Apple Watch lineup within the company, as it seeks "something that transforms the product for a new era."
The Apple Watch has been a market leader in the smartwatch ...
