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

Apple iMac M4 hero feature

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...
airpods pro 3 orange

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 ...
iPhone 18 Pro Dark Cherry Feature

Only One iPhone 18 Pro Model Said to Get This Major Camera Upgrade

Thursday August 20, 2026 7:27 am PDT by
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." ...
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...
OpenAI vs Apple Feature scaled

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 ...
iphone 17 18 pro case otterbox%402x scaled

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...
sonos live activity

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...
airpods 4 dark

Unreleased AirPods 5 Models Referenced in macOS 26.7

Tuesday August 18, 2026 3:07 am PDT by
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 17 cameras zoom

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Get Exclusive Camera Upgrade

Tuesday August 18, 2026 2:39 am PDT by
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...
iOS 27 Install The Beta Feature

How to Install iOS 27 Public Beta 4 on Your iPhone

Tuesday August 18, 2026 1:40 am PDT by
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 Feature

How to Install macOS 27 Golden Gate Public Beta 4

Tuesday August 18, 2026 1:31 am PDT by
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 Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Monday August 17, 2026 8:00 am PDT by
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 rcs replies

iOS 27 Finally Fixes Replying to Android Texts

Monday August 17, 2026 7:28 am PDT by
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...