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
Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users.
If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit."
A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...
Read Full Article • 128 comments
Gurman: New Apple Vision Pro Won't Arrive for at Least Two Years
Apple hasn't fully abandoned the Vision Pro, but anyone hoping for a successor will be waiting at least two more years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman resisted suggestions that Apple has walked away from the headset entirely. The well-connected reporter says the company continues to develop new technologies and materials behind the...
Next Apple Watch Models Unlikely to Add Touch ID, Focus on Battery Life
Apple is prioritizing larger batteries and more advanced health sensors over fingerprint authentication for the Apple Watch, according to a new claim from a prominent Chinese leaker.
In a new Weibo post, Instant Digital pushed back on recent speculation about biometric recognition coming to Apple's wearable lineup, claiming instead that the company remains content to let users unlock their...
Better MacBook Battery Life Coming With macOS 27
Your MacBook may be getting a battery performance upgrade later this year, thanks to Apple's next major macOS software update, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that beyond the visual tweaks and fixes coming to Liquid Glass in macOS 27, Apple is also zeroing in on "battery-life upgrades and performance improvements." It sounds like the sort of...
WhatsApp Plus Lands on iPhone With Custom Themes, Icons, and More
WhatsApp has started rolling out its paid WhatsApp Plus subscription to iOS, following beta testing of the new personalization-focused tier amongst a small group of users, reports WABetaInfo.
The plan is light on practical features, and is aimed more at heavier users who want to customize various aspects of the WhatsApp experience. It gives you access to premium sticker packs with fullscreen ...
Apple CarPlay Just Got a Third AI Chatbot
Grok has just joined ChatGPT and Perplexity on Apple CarPlay, giving drivers who converse with AI chatbots a third option to choose from.
Developed by Elon Musk's xAI (now SpaceXAI after the two companies were recently folded into each other), Grok's Voice mode tends to offer more quirky responses compared to the other chatbots, but the app's main CarPlay interface is very similar, thanks to ...
Grok AI Voice Mode Arrives on Apple CarPlay
SpaceXAI has released Grok Voice mode for Apple CarPlay, allowing CarPlay users to ask the chatbot questions and make requests directly from their vehicle dashboard, handsfree.
Previously, Grok for iPhone displayed a placeholder app in CarPlay saying the handsfree support would be coming soon. Grok comes built-in on Tesla vehicles, but now almost any other car can access it.
Apple...
Apple Warns Canada's Bill C-22 Could Force Encryption Backdoors
Apple and Meta have opposed a Canadian bill that the companies say could force them to create backdoor access to encrypted user data, should it pass through the country's parliament.
Proposed by Canada's ruling Liberal Party, Bill C-22 contains provisions that could be similar to a UK data access provision order sent to Apple last year, depending on how they are implemented.
Back in Feb...
Spotify Now Plays Personal Podcasts Generated by Your AI Agent
Spotify has launched a new feature that lets users save AI-generated audio briefings called Personal Podcasts directly to their Spotify library. It uses a new command-line tool for desktop that works with AI coding agents like OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code.
After you install the Save to Spotify CLI from GitHub and sign into your Spotify account, you can prompt the agent to...
When Is the iPhone 18 Coming Out?
Apple is widely believed to be shaking up its iPhone launch strategy for its next generation of flagship devices.
Instead of sticking to the company's usual September time frame when it typically unveils its latest iPhone series, Apple is expected to adopt a split-launch annual cycle.
This means come September, Apple will likely reveal the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models,...
Apple May Drop Base $599 MacBook Neo as Chip, DRAM Costs Climb
Apple is considering dropping the cheapest MacBook Neo configuration as one possible response to the rising cost of building the popular laptop, according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan.
The Neo currently starts at $599 for a 256GB model, with a 512GB version at $699.
Writing in his latest Culpium newsletter, Culpan says cutting the entry-level...
MacBook Neo Could Get New Colors to Cushion Potential Price Hike
Apple is considering adding new colors to its MacBook Neo lineup as a way to cushion customers against a possible price increase, according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan.
Writing in his latest Culpium newsletter, Culpan says that the runaway success of the entry-level laptop has left Apple paying more for the components inside it. As a result, he...
When Is the iPhone 18 Pro Coming Out?
Apple is expected to make an even bigger deal of the iPhone 18 Pro models when they are unveiled this year. That's because the company is changing its launch strategy by breaking out its premium devices in a standalone show.
Come this September, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to share the stage with a rumored foldable iPhone. But there won't be any mid-tier devices...
iPhone 18 Pro's LTPO+ Display Upgrade to Come From Samsung, LG
Apple is expected to finalize OLED panel approvals for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this month, with Samsung Display and LG Display likely to dominate panel supply, reports The Elec.
This year, China's BOE has reportedly been closed out of the premium tier supply chain, despite having landed some panel orders for the iPhone 17 Pro models.
The setback is said to be down to quality and...
iPhone 18 Pro CAD Leak Reignites the Dynamic Island Debate
New alleged CAD renders of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro are doing the rounds on social media, offering the latest twist in the to-shrink-or-not-to-shrink Dynamic Island saga.
An X user called @earlyappleleaks has posted the above image, claiming that "the new CAD confirms the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro."
CAD renders are often leaked from factories and represent the technical...
iPhone 17 Outselling Every Other Phone Worldwide So Far This Year
Apple's iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in the first quarter of 2026, capturing 6 percent of worldwide unit sales, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Global Handset Model Sales Tracker.
The iPhone 17 series dominated the top three spots, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max in second place and the iPhone 17 Pro in third. The previous-generation iPhone 16 also held on at...
PSA: Instagram Encrypted Messaging Ends on Friday, May 8
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform.
Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...
Enable Smoother 120Hz Browsing in Safari
Any iPhone, iPad, or Mac with a ProMotion display is capable of rendering buttery smooth 120Hz animations. However, Apple's Safari browser is locked to 60fps page rendering by default, making scrolling feel noticeably choppier for some users than in Chrome or Firefox. Thankfully, recent versions of Safari include a hidden setting that lets you unlock 120Hz rendering.
At 60Hz, your screen...
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...
OpenAI Fast-Tracking AI Phone for 2027 Launch, Says Kuo
OpenAI is said to be fast-tracking development of its first "AI agent phone," with the company now aiming to mass produce the device as early as the first half of next year, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Late last month, Kuo revealed OpenAI's work on a smartphone, contradicting earlier reports that the company had no plans to enter the mobile market. Kuo said MediaTek and...
