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
WhatsApp Quietly Extends Encryption to iCloud Backups of Chat Logs
WhatsApp has bolstered the security of the iCloud backup feature in its messaging platform, in an attempt to protect archived chat logs from being accessed in a readable form (via TechCrunch).
WhatsApp has offered end-to-end encryption on its messaging service for some time, but that encryption did not previously extend to iCloud backups of messages. Given that Apple holds the encryption keys...
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Chinese Mobile Payment Service Alipay to Launch in the U.S.
Alipay, the mobile payment system offered by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is coming to the U.S., thanks to a deal brokered with credit card processing service First Data Corp.
The expansion follows limited trials in California and New York, and will bring Alipay into direct competition with Apple Pay, Android Pay, and PayPal. Alongside online payments and money transfers, Alipay users can ...
Amazon Debuts London Music Show 'Live Events' Service Exclusive to Prime Customers
Amazon has started running and promoting its own live music gigs in the U.K. as an extra incentive for customers to sign up to its Prime membership (via Engadget).
Called Prime Live Events, the initiative will offer music concert tickets at iconic London venues by major artists performing "up-close and personal". Tickets to the music shows will be exclusive to Prime subscribers and all of the...
Harman Kardon Product Page Reveals Design of Cortana-Based Smart Speaker
Harman Kardon has teased its upcoming Cortana-integrated connected smart speaker with a product page that revealed a little more about the device's design and features.
The web page for the Invoke speaker appears to have been removed since it was spotted by Thurrott.com this morning, but it offered a better glimpse at the device's sloping cylindrical design, which appears to fall somewhere in...
'iPhone 8' Production on Schedule for September Launch, October Sales
Apple will begin selling its new range of iPhones in October this year following a September unveiling, according to a report out on Monday. Previous rumors have claimed that Apple will struggle to meet its usual fall launch timeframe for its upcoming OLED iPhone, which is set to debut alongside two more typical LCD models, with several sources claiming the "tenth anniversary" phone faces a...
'Real Time' Surveillance and Breakable Encryption Proposed in U.K. Government Technical Paper
An alleged leak of a draft technical paper prepared by the U.K. government contains proposals that endorse the "live" surveillance of British web users' online communications, it emerged this week.
Civil liberties organization the Open Rights Group received the document on May 4 and decided to publish the draft, which states that telecommunications companies and internet service providers...
Handbrake Developers Issue Mac Security Warning After Mirror Download Server Hack
The developers of open source video transcoder app Handbrake have issued a security warning to Mac users after a mirror download server hosting the software was hacked.
The alert was issued on Saturday after it was discovered that the original HandBrake-1.0.7.dmg installer file on mirror server download.handbrake.fr had been replaced by a malicious file.
The affected server has been shut...
Facebook to Debut Original TV Programs as Early as Next Month
Facebook is actively developing around two dozen television shows with plans to premiere some of them in mid-June, according to a report on Saturday.
The social media company has big-budget marquee shows geared towards a TV audience in the works, alongside a tier of less expensive shows that will span about 5 to 10 minutes, according to sources who spoke to Business Insider.
The news comes...
Apple VP Phil Schiller Implies Voice-Activated Smart Speakers Could Benefit From a Screen
Gadgets 360 published an interview with Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller this week that could shed some light on Apple's plans for a dedicated Siri-based voice-assistant for the home. Rumors have swirled in recent weeks about Apple's plans to unveil an Amazon Echo-like smart connected speaker, possibly as early as WWDC in June, so Schiller's thoughts on the topic could potentially...
Uber Facing Criminal Probe Over Software Used to Identify Driving Regulation Officials
Uber found itself in more hot water on Thursday after Reuters revealed that the ride-hailing service is facing a criminal investigation by the U.S. government.
The Department of Justice has reportedly begun an investigation over the company's use of "secret" software that allowed its drivers to operate in areas where Uber was banned or restricted.
First reported by The New York Times, the...
Bosch to Supply Up to Half of Motion Sensors in Future iPhones
Bosch has won orders to supply Apple with some of the motion sensors in its next range of iPhones, according to a report by Bloomberg, potentially loosening Invensense's position as the primary supplier of the smartphone components.
California-based Invensense exclusively supplied the gyroscopes and accelerometers in the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7, but Apple's new deal with Bosch could ...
YouTube to Spend Millions Producing Free-to-View Original Content
YouTube has announced plans to produce a raft of original programming beginning this year, as the Google-owned video site moves to counter the rising tide of premium streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
The difference in YouTube's approach to original content is that its shows will be free to view on its website and apps through an ad-supported format, rather than being tied to...
Apple's Affiliate Commission Changes Only Apply to In-App Purchases? [Update: Yes]
Last week we reported that Apple had emailed all iTunes Affiliate Program members to inform them that its commission rate for all apps and in-app content would be reduced to 2.5 percent on May 1, down from 7 percent, globally.
The news came as a blow to app review and discovery websites like AppShopper and TouchArcade that depend on the commissions to generate revenue.
However, this...
Imagination Tech Starts 'Dispute Process' With Apple Over Chip Licensing Rights
Long-time Apple chip supplier Imagination Technologies has started a "dispute resolution procedure" with Apple after failing to resolve a disagreement over licensing between the two companies (via Reuters).
Last month, Apple informed the British chipmaker that it plans to cease using its graphics technology in consumer devices over the next two years as it transitions to using its own in-house ...
Apple Claims 2 Million Jobs Created Across 50 U.S. States
Apple updated its website on Wednesday with U.S. job creation numbers from 2016, revealing that the company has generated a total of 2 million jobs across all 50 states.
Last year saw Apple spend more than $50 billion with 9,000 U.S. suppliers and manufacturers, and create around 90,000 supplier and manufacturer jobs, bringing the total number to 450,000 jobs, up from 361,000 in 2015....
Apple Pay Launches for HSBC Australia and 20+ U.S. Banks
HSBC has launched Apple Pay support for customers in Australia for the first time, enabling any Visa and MasterCard branded credit card issued by the bank to be added to Apple's mobile wallet.
HSBC said the majority of its customers' credit card payments are already contactless and it expects Apple Pay will be quickly embraced as part of the wider shift towards tap-and-go payments.
"Our...
Apple Offering Free Redeem Codes for Hit Game 'Chameleon Run'
Apple has made highly rated autorunner game Chameleon Run a free download for anyone who uses the Apple Store iOS app.
The fast-paced, colorful runner offers some unique jump mechanics amid the stylish graphics. The aim of each level is to reach the end of the course without touching a platform that has a different color to the main character. To do this, players must jump and switch between...
Alleged Leaked Fitbit Photos Show Upcoming Smartwatch Looks Like a Blaze
Photos emerged online overnight that allegedly reveal the design of Fitbit's first "true" smartwatch, rumors of which we covered last month. The images were originally published by Yahoo Finance and appear to show that the company's upcoming Apple Watch rival looks very similar to the $150 Fitbit Blaze fitness watch, which has been on sale since early 2016.
The watch's square face, physical...
Apple Exploring Electronic Tagging Solution For Easily Tracking Dietary Intake
Apple is exploring an electronic tagging solution to make it easier for Apple Watch users to track their calorie and nutritional intake as part of a healthy lifestyle, as shown in a patent newly granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Many of today's healthy eating and diet-based food apps require users to manually input nutrition information into their mobile devices, whether by...
Malware Uses Apple Developer Certificate to Infect MacOS and Spy on HTTPS Traffic
A malware research team has discovered a new piece of Mac malware that reportedly affects all versions of MacOS and is signed with a valid developer certificate authenticated by Apple (via The Hacker News).
The malware has been dubbed "DOK" and is being disseminated through an email phishing campaign which researchers at CheckPoint say is specifically targeting macOS users, making it the first ...
