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
Google Is Testing Dark Mode for Desktop Search Again
Google is testing a dark mode for its desktop search website that responds to a user's system display setting, a move that may have gained traction to alleviate eye strain issues for people working longer hours from home.
Images via The Verge
The test appears to have limited rollout at the moment, but as the images show, the very dark gray theme extends not only to the Google homepage but...
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Man Undergoes Surgery After Swallowing AirPod in His Sleep
A man from Massachusetts has warned AirPods users not to wear them while sleeping, after he swallowed one overnight and woke up struggling to breathe.
Brad Gauthier, 38, from Worcester, had to go to hospital after the incident, which left him gagging as he tried to drink a glass of water the next morning.
The blockage caused his throat to fill up with water as he tried to drink, and made...
YouTube Website's Picture-in-Picture Works Again in iOS 14.5 Beta
YouTube's website appears to support picture-in-picture (PiP) again in the latest iOS 14.5 beta for iPhone, although how long it will continue to work for is anybody's guess.
Tests show it works in Safari as well as third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox by expanding a video to play fullscreen, and then tapping the small picture-in-picture icon in the top-left of the interface.
Then ...
New Study Suggests Apple Watch Heart Rate Sensor Can Predict COVID-19 Up to a Week Before a Swab Test
A new study by Mount Sinai researchers has found that an Apple Watch can effectively predict a positive COVID-19 diagnosis up to a week before current PCR-based nasal swab tests (via TechCrunch).
Published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research, the "Warrior Watch Study" involved several hundred Mount Sinai healthcare workers using a dedicated Apple Watch and iPhone app...
Scam iOS Apps Still Raking in Millions in Revenue on App Store [Updated]
The problem of scam iOS apps has dogged Apple's App Store for some years now, but over last two weeks the developer Kosta Eleftheriou has taken to Twitter to highlight that the problem remains as big as ever in at least some app categories – and also offered iOS users a way to spot them.
Taking blatant rip-offs of his own popular FlickType Apple Watch keyboard app as an example of how...
Bloomberg Story Breaks Down Apple's Unrivaled Success Under Tim Cook's Leadership
Bloomberg has published an in-depth piece by journalists Austin Carr and Mark Gurman about the rise of Apple under Tim Cook's leadership, covering several attributes of the CEO that took over from Steve Jobs, including his diplomatic acumen, operational prowess, eye for detail, and manifest success in making Apple one of the biggest companies in the history of modern business.
The story...
NHS COVID-19 Contact Tracing App Has Told 1.7 Million in England and Wales to Isolate Since September
NHS COVID-19, the contact tracing app created by the U.K. government, has alerted 1.7 million users to isolate following close contact with someone who goes on to test positive.
That's according to an official GOV.UK press release from the Department of Heath and Social Care, which has been collating data about the app since it was launched in September 2020.
Over 1.7 million app users...
Apple Supplier Wistron 'Working Hard' to Raise Standards at Violence-Hit India Factory [Updated]
Apple supplier Wistron said it plans to restart operations at its iPhone manufacturing facility in India, where workers caused widespread damage late last year over claims of unpaid wages.
In a statement given to Reuters, the Taiwanese company said it was working hard to raise standards and fix issues at the plant in Karnataka's Kolar district.
"We are looking forward to restarting our...
Siri Setting in iOS 14.5 Beta Lets Users Select Default Music Streaming Service
Apple last week released beta versions of upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers and public beta testers, and among a number of new features, Apple has added the ability to set a default music streaming service when using Siri to play songs.
Image via Reddit user matejamm1
First spotted by Reddit users, the first time you ask Siri to play a song in iOS 14.5, you are given the ...
Shazam Dolly Parton and Get Up to Five Free Months of Apple Music
Apple is offering up to a five-month free trial of Apple Music to new users of the streaming service, in a unique partnership with country music singer Dolly Parton.
Like previous Apple Music promotions, the offer is linked to Apple-owned Shazam, but this time with a difference. Viewers of yesterday's Super Bowl were invited to use Shazam to identify a Parton song played in a commercial to...
Medical Doctors Underline Potential Risk of iPhone 12 Interference With Pacemakers
Apple's warning to keep the iPhone 12 away from cardiac devices due to electromagnetic interference was further underlined by U.S. cardiologists this week in a new report (via NBC25 News).
Apple's iPhone 12 series includes an array of magnets that help align the phone on Apple's MagSafe charging accessory to maximize charging, and Apple already advises users with implanted pacemakers and...
Snap Tells Investors Apple's Opt-In Ad Tracking Privacy Measure Presents 'Risk' to Advertiser Demand
With Apple's upcoming iOS 14 privacy changes looming, Snap on Thursday warned investors that they could hurt Snap's ad business (via Reuters).
Starting with the next versions of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14 due to be released in the early spring, Apple's App Tracking Transparency privacy measure will require all apps to request the user's permission to track their activity across other apps...
Xiaomi Unveils New Concept Phone With 'Waterfall' Display on All Four Sides
Xiaomi has announced a new concept phone featuring a display that curves around all four sides of the device, with no room for ports or buttons.
The "quad-curved waterfall display" refers to the phone having 88-degree "waterfall" curves not only on the left and right sides of the device, but also on the top and bottom of the handset. As the press release describes it:
The 88° hyper...
New Google Drive Desktop App to Replace Backup & Sync and Drive File Stream Clients Later This Year
Google has announced that it intends to unify its Google Drive solutions for keeping files in sync on users' desktops.
Currently there are two desktop sync solutions for using Google Drive – Drive File Stream, which is for business users, and Backup and Sync, which is designed for personal use.
Later this year, these two clients will become one: Google Drive for desktop. Google explains...
Latest Chrome 88 Update Includes Important Fix for Zero-Day Vulnerability
Google has released Chrome version 88.0.4324.150 with an important fix for a zero-day vulnerability in the web browser that the company says is likely to have been exploited in the wild.
Google hasn't provided specific details about the heap buffer overflow memory corruption bug known as CVE-2021-21148, and says it won't do so "until a majority of users are updated with a fix."
However, ZDNe...
Apple Car Latest: Kia Talks With Potential Partners About Vehicle Assembly in Georgia, While Apple Seeks Supply Deals With Japanese Automakers
Apple Car rumors continued to surface on Friday, with reports that Hyundai Group affiliate Kia has approached potential partners about a plan to assemble Apple's autonomous electric vehicle at its West Point plant in the U.S. state of Georgia (via The Wall Street Journal).
Kia Corp. has approached potential partners about a plan to assemble Apple Inc.'s long-awaited electric car in Georgia,...
How to Stop Websites From Asking For Your Location in Safari
Quite often when browsing the web in Safari, you'll see pop-ups asking you for permission for websites to use data about you, such as your location. There can be good reasons for this – if you're searching for local information such as the nearest grocery store or restaurant, then it makes sense for you to share your location data to get the most relevant results for your area.
On the other ...
Kuo: iPhone 13 Now More Likely to Get Upgraded Ultra Wide Camera With Improved Low-Light Performance
The iPhone 13 is now more likely to feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera with significantly improved low-light performance, thanks to lens verification improvements and intensified competition in Apple's camera supply chain, according to noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In his latest TFI Securities investor note, seen by MacRumors, Kuo says that Chinese supplier Sunny Optical's iPad 5P...
Serif Updates Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher With New Tools and Functions
Serif today announced across-the-board updates for its popular suite of Affinity creative apps, including Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and the Apple award-winning Affinity Publisher for Mac, all of which were among the first professional creative suites to be optimized for Apple's new M1 chip.
"After another year which saw record numbers of people switching to Affinity, it's exciting to...
Twitter's Desktop Dark Mode Just Got Even Darker for Some
If you opened Twitter in your desktop browser today and something seemed different in the website's appearance, you're not wrong. In a change to its usual dark blue tint, Twitter is switching its desktop dark theme to a pure black.
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Twitter has told The Verge that the change is part of an update that's rolling out to make the Twitter website respond to the light...
