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 TV tvOS Simulator Shown Running in 4K Resolution
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith today shared the spoils of his latest hacking efforts by tweeting screenshots of Apple's tvOS Simulator running in 4K – the screen resolution said to be supported in a rumored fifth-generation Apple TV.
tvOS is officially made to run in the standard 1920x1080 HD resolution, but what Troughton-Smith's hack shows is that the Apple TV operating system is...
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Noted Mobile Leaker Shares Image of 'iPhone 8' in Protective Case
Serial mobile phone leaker Evan Blass posted an image on Twitter this morning offering his followers a glimpse of what Apple's finalized "iPhone 8" design will look like when wrapped in a protective case.
The image shows a render of the 5.8-inch iPhone with the now-familiar edge-to-edge display sans physical Home button and a notch along the top of the device housing the camera, infrared...
Apple Used Bluetooth Low Energy Audio for Cochlear Implant iPhone Accessory
Late last month Apple revealed it had partnered with hearing aid company Cochlear to launch the first Made For iPhone Cochlear implant, which can stream audio from an iOS device directly to a surgically embedded sound processor.
Now, in a new Wired article titled "How Apple is Putting Voices in Users' Heads – Literally", the company has offered up a few more details on how it was able to...
First-Person Shooter 'BioShock Remastered' Coming to Mac This Year [Updated]
Feral interactive has announced that BioShock Remastered, a new high-definition version of the popular first-person shooter, is coming to macOS later this year to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the game's original release.
Originally developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K for PC and consoles, BioShock is set in the decaying underwater city of Rapture, a darkly imaginative...
'Real People' Don't Need Encrypted Messaging Services, Claims U.K. Home Secretary
The U.K. home secretary Amber Rudd has argued that "real people" do not want secure end-to-end encryption on messaging platforms and are more concerned with usability and features than unbreakable security (via Yahoo News).
Rudd made her case in a newspaper article, published ahead of a meeting today with technology companies in San Francisco, where she will warn tech giants that their...
Apple Pulls VPN Apps From China App Store As Russia Signs Law Banning Their Use
Russia has banned VPNs and other software that enables users to gain anonymous access to websites. The new law was signed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday and will come into effect on November 1st (via TechCrunch).
Leonid Levin, chairman of the Duma's committee on information policy and technology, was quoted by state-run media as saying that the new law is not targeted at "introducing...
HomePod Firmware Reveals Further Details on Apple's Smart Speaker
Yesterday, Apple pushed out firmware for its $349 HomePod smart speaker ahead of the device's launch in December, and developer Steve Troughton-Smith has been sharing some interesting tidbits online that he managed to unearth in the code.
Bearing the name "AudioAccessory1,1", the firmware reveals that the HomePod runs a full iOS stack – essentially like an iPhone without a screen – and...
YouTube Red and Google Play Music to Merge in New Subscription Service
Google Play Music and the ad-free YouTube Red service are set to merge in a new streaming package, according to YouTube's head of music (via The Verge).
Lyor Cohen revealed the coming change during a panel session at the New Music Seminar conference in New York on Wednesday, saying the two services needed to be combined to educate consumers and attract new subscribers.
The important thing ...
Google Search and Maps Apps Gain 'SOS Alerts' Feature
Google launched a new feature for its Search and Maps apps today that aims to help users stay on top of events when a natural disaster or other crisis occurs near their location (via TechCrunch).
Called "SOS Alerts", the notifications will appear at the top of Google search results and Maps when a user looks for information about an incident or the affected area.
In the Search app,...
Facebook Smart Speaker Coming Next Year With 15-inch Touch Panel
Facebook is planning to release its own smart speaker to compete with similar connected devices offered by Amazon, Google, and Apple, a report out of Taiwan claimed on Tuesday.
However, instead of voice recognition functions in the vein of Siri or Alexa, Facebook's speaker will focus more on displaying visual imagery via a 15-inch touch panel, according to sources in the supply chain.
Amazo ...
Rival Mobile Makers Reduce Chip Orders in Anticipation of 'iPhone 8' Debut
Mobile chip suppliers in Apple's supply chain are reportedly seeing a drop in orders from rival handset makers as other companies adopt a "wait-and-see" approach in anticipation of what the "iPhone 8" might bring, according to a new report on Monday (via DigiTimes).
While chip makers saw Apple's orders pick up last month, demand from non-Apple customers has been slow, according to sources at...
Apple Buys Specialist Machinery to Set Up OLED Panel R&D Line in Taiwan
Apple has acquired specialist machinery from Sunic System to build its own OLED panel research and development line in Taiwan, according to a report on Monday.
Korea-based Sunic manufactures systems for OLED display production and supply for both pilot and mass production lines. According to ET News, Apple has purchased chemical vapor deposition (CVD) machines from the company to reduce its...
Telegram Encrypted Chat App Gains Self-Destructing Video and Photo Messages
Encrypted messaging app Telegram received an update on Sunday that makes it the latest chat platform to embrace Snapchat-style disappearing messages.
Up until now, Telegram users have only been able to send text-based "secret chats" that self-delete, but in version 4.2 of the app they can now share videos and photos armed with a self-destruct timer.
Timers are set using the clock icon in ...
Latest Drone Footage Reveals Landscaping Progress in Apple Park's Inner Circle
Drone videographer Duncan Sinfield posted a new video on his YouTube channel today, offering a "late July" bird's eye view of Apple Park, the company's new headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Sinfield's video reveals landscaping around the campus has picked up momentum in the last few weeks, with a large grove of trees in the inner circle of Apple Park being the clearest sign of progress. ...
Firefox 8.0 for iOS Brings New Tab Experience, Night Mode, and QR Code Reader
Mozilla has released Firefox 8.0 for iOS with several notable new features including a Night Mode, a built-in QR code reader, and a redesigned tab experience.
Changes to the web browser's tabs mean users now see recently visited sites whenever they open up a new one, combined with highlights from previous web visits. Mozilla says this change in particular will be rolled out to users gradually...
Report Claims LG Will Be Sole Supplier of Batteries for Next Year's 'iPhone 9'
LG Chemical will be the sole supplier of batteries for Apple's "iPhone 9" next year, according to The Korea Economic Daily. If the report is accurate, the South Korean firm has scored a big win, since Apple usually takes a multi-vendor approach when it comes to sourcing batteries for its iPhones.
Citing industry insiders, the newspaper said LG has made a sizable investment to bolster the...
SwiftKey Update Brings Emoji Prediction, 'Oxygen' Themes, and More Languages
Microsoft today released an update for SwiftKey that includes a handful of new features including emoji prediction and enhancements to 3D Touch gestures.
Users who tap on the emoji key will now see a new prediction panel that automatically suggests up to 18 relevant emoji depending on what they type, saving them the trouble of searching through the entire list.
The update also includes...
Changes to iCloud Put Apple on Collision Course With Governments Seeking Access to Encrypted Messages
Apple has sent its top privacy executives to Australia twice in the past month to lobby government officials over proposed new laws that would require companies to provide access to encrypted messages.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Apple privacy advocates met with attorney general George Brandis and senior staff in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's office on Tuesday to discuss their...
Bear Notes 1.2.2 Update Brings Text Highlighting, Multiple Windows, and More
Popular note-taking platform Bear received an update on Wednesday across Mac and iOS that adds a number of community-requested features to the Apple Notes rival.
Top of the feature list in version 1.2.2 is the ability to highlight parts of notes in a neon color to indicate importance, by bracketing text in "::" tags.
Over on the Mac, it's now possible to break out Bear notes into separate...
Snap's Camera Spectacles Now Available Through Amazon
After debuting exclusively inside special pop-up vending machines last year before becoming available as direct web orders, Snap has now begun selling its video-recording Spectacles through Amazon for the first time.
When synced with the Snapchat mobile app, users can tap a button on the Spectacles to begin recording a 10, 20, or 30-second video, which is saved in the "Memories" section of...
