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 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,...
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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...
AR Startup Blippar Showcases 'Halos' Facial Recognition Feature in its Mobile App
Augmented reality startup Blippar today announced a new social feature for its image recognition app that lets users build an AR profile using facial recognition technology.
Called "Halos", the feature offers users the ability to scan their face into the app and fill various bubbles around their head with personal details, such as their latest tweets, favorite songs on Spotify, YouTube videos, ...
WhatsApp Video and Photo Messages Reportedly Blocked in China
China has reportedly started blocking some features of the WhatsApp messaging service, as authorities continue to tighten controls over the country's internet.
WhatsApp users began reporting problems with sharing content on the chat platform yesterday, with many unable to send video and pictures. Despite initial fears of a communications-wide ban of the Facebook-owned service, text-based...
Google Search App Gains Personalized News Feed Section
Google today announced a new personalized news feed for its namesake iOS app, offering a stream of content based on user search history and topics they choose to follow.
The feed appears directly below the search bar in the Google app, where users will see a stream of personally relevant articles and media content powered by Google's machine learning algorithms.
The feed sits in place of...
Apple Users' Mixed Reality Future Teased in Latest ARKit Demo
Developers have wasted no time testing the limits of Apple's new ARKit platform, as each passing week serves up tantalizing previews of what's possible on an iPhone or iPad now that developers can quickly and easily build augmented reality experiences into their apps.
The latest demo to raise the bar comes courtesy of New York-based virtual reality developer Normal VR and offers a sneak peek...
Latest Report Claims All New iPhone Models Facing Production Delays
Reports of delays to Apple's upcoming iPhone line-up continued this week, with the Chinese-language Economic Daily News claiming on Monday that production of the so-called "iPhone 8" will not start until between November and December, with production of the more typical "S" cycle upgrades to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus also potentially facing delays.
According to the report, the flagship...
Encrypted Chat App Telegram to Remove Terrorist Content Following Ban Threat in Indonesia
Telegram is to form a team of moderators to remove terrorist-related content from the encrypted messaging platform in Indonesia, after the country's government threatened to ban the app.
Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has already blocked access to the web version of the chat platform, citing concerns that it was being used to spread "radical and terrorist...
Apple Launches Large-Scale Apple Pay Promotional Campaign in China
Apple today launched a large-scale promotion in China offering special discounts for consumers who use Apple Pay, in the company's latest bid to counter the dominance of rival digital wallets in the country.
Between July 18 and 24, Apple device owners who use the mobile payment system to make purchases in participating merchants across mainland China will receive concessions of up to 50...
Latest WhatsApp Update Brings Pinned Chat and Multi-Format File Sharing Features
The latest update to WhatsApp Messenger rolled out on iOS on Sunday and adds a couple of notable new features, one of which is the ability to share files of any type within conversations.
Version 2.17.40 of WhatsApp is the first to allow any file type to be sent using the Document option in the Share menu. Previously files were limited to PDF documents, but now the only limitation is file...
