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
Sony Releases PlayStation Communities iOS App
Sony has released a new PlayStation Communities iOS app that allows players to interact with fellow PS4 gamers from their Apple phones and tablets.
The app works much like a forum portal: Players using the app can search for, join, and interact with groups, where they can post messages and images on a community wall. Members can stick to chatting about gaming or join groups to set up...
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Amazon to Crack Down on Counterfeit Goods Sold on its Marketplace
Amazon has acknowledged a worsening counterfeit problem on its site and says it has made fighting the fake products a "major goal" for next year (via The Verge).
Last month Apple filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star LLC which it accused of infringing upon its trademarks and copyrights by selling counterfeit power adapters and cables on Amazon. Apple claimed the fake products posed a risk to...
Google Releases 'Featured Photos' Screensaver for Mac
Google has released a free Mac screensaver that showcases popular high-quality photos shared and liked by Google+ users.
The company regularly showcases Google+ photography on idle Pixel phone screens as well as on TVs and monitors connected to its Chromecast and Google Fiber products. Called Featured Photos, the free screensaver download announced yesterday brings the same eye-catching...
Samsung May Split Company in Two to Allay Investor Concerns
Samsung Electronics announced on Tuesday it is considering splitting itself into a holding company and an operating company in order to boost shareholder value, in what could be the biggest shake-up in the South Korean tech giant's history.
According to Reuters, the move is part of a bid to improve investor returns after Samsung came under pressure from shareholders to simplify its business...
How to Delete iCloud Calendar Spam Without Alerting Spammers
A large number of iCloud users have reportedly received spam in the form of unsolicited Calendar event invitations over the last week.
Suspect Black Friday offers for cheap goods have been appearing in personal iCloud calendars, with the default options to "Accept", "Maybe" or "Decline" appearing at first to be the only way to respond to them.
Unfortunately choosing any of these options...
Google Offering 4-Month Free Trial of Play Music Streaming Service
Google is offering four free months of Play Music as part of its Cyber Week deals. The four-month trial includes a YouTube Red subscription for ad-free YouTube streaming and can be cancelled at any time. The Play music streaming service usually costs $9.99 per month, giving members access to over 35 million songs.
Google recently announced an overhaul of its Google Play Music streaming...
'TouchSwitcher' and 'Rocket' Apps Let You Switch and Launch Apps From the Touch Bar
Two free third-party Touch Bar apps have been making the rounds this week that may be of interest to some owners of new MacBook Pros. The apps essentially offer alternative ways of accessing pre-existing macOS functions.
TouchSwitcher adds an icon to the right side of the Touch Bar that when tapped brings up a list of currently running apps for quick app switching, similar to the Command + Tab ...
Apple Has an SSD Data Recovery Tool for Touch Bar MacBook Pros That Refuse to Boot
Since it's been revealed that Apple chose to use a soldered down, non-removable SSD in its 13-inch and 15-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pros, it's natural for users to wonder about the fate of their data in the event of a fault that requires a logic board replacement.
Fortunately it appears as if Apple has a proprietary in-house tool to rescue stored user data when disaster strikes. 9to5Mac reports ...
Apple Exploring New 3D Dual-Lens Camera Hardware for iPhone 8
Apple is working with LG on a new dual camera module capable of 3D photography effects for potential use in its 10th anniversary iPhone, according to a brief report in The Korea Economic Daily.
The article is short on details, but states that the "LG Innotek" dual-lens camera will likely be used in Apple's new products in the latter half of 2017.
Sources close to the situation said, "Apple ...
Microsoft CEO Stokes Surface Phone Rumors With 'Ultimate Mobile Device' Comments
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has stoked speculation this week that Redmond is prepping a new line of smartphones under the Surface brand for launch in early 2017.
In an interview with the Australian Financial Review published on Monday, Nadella said the company was conducting innovative research that would ensure it continued to have a presence in the smartphone market. However, rather than...
Amazon Slashes Prices Across its Echo Smart Speaker Range for Black Friday
Amazon today began offering devices in its Echo smart speaker range at discounted prices for the first time in the products' short history, as part of its Black Friday Deals Week.
For those unfamiliar with the devices, the connected speakers' array of microphones lets users query voice-based assistant Alexa, who can be asked to do things like play music, read the news, use apps, check the...
Fully Functional 'Apple Mirror' Augments Your Reflection With iOS Apps
A web developer and graphic designer has created a fully functioning touchscreen "Apple Mirror", offering a reflective look into an imagined future where Cupertino builds smart screens for the home.
New York-based Rafael Dymek created the mirror as a personal project, aping elements of iOS 10 to augment the interface, which appears to run off the back of a modified desktop touchscreen OS.
...
Second Source Claims Apple Will Launch 10.5-inch iPad in 2017
A report from the Taiwanese supply chain emerged overnight claiming Apple will release a 10.5-inch "education and enterprise" tablet as part of its iPad line-up next year (via DigiTimes). The 10.5-inch iPad is said to be equipped with Apple's A10X processor, also expected in next year's refreshed line-up, with production slated to begin next month.
Apple is launching the 10.5-inch iPad mainly...
Google Maps Now Lets You Check How Crowded a Store is in Real Time
Google has announced a new feature in its Search and Maps services that enables Black Friday shoppers to know how busy a store is in real time.
Dubbed "crowd control", the live feature comes on the back of the company's Popular Times feature, introduced last year, that lets users check how busy a place typically is at different times of the week.
Just in time for the Black Friday swarms, ...
iPhone 8 to Feature All-Glass Casing in Order to Support Wireless Charging
Apple will switch to an all-glass casing for next year's entire iPhone lineup in order to support wireless charging, with Pegatron being the exclusive supplier of the wireless charger. That's according to the latest research note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo obtained by MacRumors.
According to Kuo, the transition from metal to glass casing is key if Apple is to introduce a wireless...
Pebble 4.3 Update Improves Heart Rate Tracking, Adds iOS Reminders Support
Pebble has released a new firmware for its Pebble 2 and Time-Series smartwatches that brings a faster interface, improved heart-rate tracking features and Reminders support for iOS.
First off, the new 4.3 firmware update introduces a new watchface to 2-Series and Time-Series watches that includes at-a-glance readouts for time, step count, step progress for the day, and heart rate (2-Series...
Apple Exploring Possibility of Foldable iPhone With Flexible Display
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an Apple patent on Tuesday that shows the company has been researching a foldable iPhone design that uses a flexible OLED display.
First spotted by AppleInsider, a patent titled "Flexible display devices" describes an iPhone design that folds in two when not in use, reminiscent of the old clamshell cellphones Motorola used to make in the 1990s.
...
Touch Bar MacBook Pro Orders Begin Shipping to European Customers
The first wave of European shipments of MacBook Pros with Touch Bars appear to be out for delivery, after several Apple customers across the pond and beyond saw their orders enter the "Preparing for Dispatch" stage over the last 48 hours.
Many MacRumors readers in the EU are reporting notifications of imminent courier deliveries, while a handful of readers in Germany, Sweden, France, and...
Malicious Video Link Causes iOS Devices to Freeze, Requiring a Hard Reset
A malicious video link that when played in Safari causes iOS devices to crash has been discovered this morning.
Playing the MP4 video in question through Safari appears to have no effect at first, but gradually the operating system slows down before it freezes completely, after which only a hard reset will bring the device back to life. YouTube channel EverythingApplePro has posted a demonstrat...
Review: Zhiyun's Smooth II 3-Axis Gimbal Gives iPhone Video Footage Better Stability
Digital image and video stabilization features have been included in modern smartphones for a while now, with each new generation offering improved correction for jumps and jitters that typically occur during handheld shooting.
Still, even the latest handsets can't quite match the benefits that can be gained from using a motorized mount specifically designed to reduce vibration and unwanted...
