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
Italian Judge Agrees to $50K Settlement for Apple Exec in Irish Tax Probe
An Italian judge has accepted a nearly $50,000 settlement agreement with the head of Apple's Irish-based unit as part of a probe into allegations that the company failed to pay taxes in Italy (via Reuters).
A six-month jail sentence for the Apple executive has been converted into the payment of a 45,000 euro ($49,126) fine as part of the settlement agreement, according to Reuters' source....
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Amazon Rolls Out 'Alexa' Voice Assistant to its Fire Tablets
Amazon began rolling out Alexa voice assistant to its Amazon Fire tablets yesterday, extending the feature beyond its original smart devices, such as the Echo speaker.
The rollout means owners of 7-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch Fire tablets will be able to issue voice commands for specific requests, like playing music or having the news read to them, but unlike the always-listening smart...
IBM Extends 'Watson' Cognitive Technology to its Enterprise iOS Apps
IBM announced at its "World of Watson" event in Las Vegas on Tuesday that it intends to combine the cognitive computing technology with its MobileFirst for iOS enterprise apps.
Watson is the company's cloud-based deep data analytics and natural language processing framework, which has previously seen limited use in secure cloud and analytics services for enterprise versions of Apple's...
Jony Ive's Next One-of-a-Kind Design Project is a Christmas Tree
Apple design chief Jony Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson are set to design London hotel Claridge's 2016 Christmas Tree, it has been revealed (via The Verge).
The Claridge Christmas tree has become something of a festive Mayfair landmark, drawing Londoners and tourists alike, with notable designers having created the seasonal decoration since 2009.
Ive and Newson's creation will be ...
Xiaomi Unveils 'World's First' 6.4-inch Phone With Edgeless Display
Xiaomi surprised at its Beijing event today by announcing the Mi Mix, the "world's first edgeless display" phone, alongside the company's new Mi Note 2.
Designed by French designer Philippe Starck, the Mi Mix is a 6.4-inch device that features a 2040x1080 pixel, 17:9 aspect ratio borderless display that takes up 91.3 percent of the front of the handset. The only significant bezel sits at the...
Xiaomi Seeks to Impress in Premium Space With 5.7-inch 'Mi Note 2' Phone
Xiaomi unveiled its latest phablet phone, the Mi Note 2, at an event in Beijing today, with the clear intention of filling the void left by the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
The Note 2 is the newest model in Xiaomi's premium Mi line and features a 5.7-inch flexible OLED display that sits under a panel of wraparound glass and curves around the sides of the handset.
On the rear is a...
Apple Sponsoring Annual Fashion Met Gala for Second Year Running
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has shared details on its annual 2017 Gala and Costume Institute exhibition, where Apple will be a sponsor for the second year running.
The 2017 event, which will take place on May 1, will have a focus on fashion designer Comme des Garçons's Rei Kawakubo, who will also co-chair the event, alongside Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour....
Sony MDR-1000X Review: Wireless Hi-Res Headphones Offer Next-Level Noise Canceling
The wireless headphone market has been shaken up so much recently that it's hard to know where to begin when a new entry appears on the stage and announces itself as the next big thing.
Fortunately this latest Bluetooth offering from Sony is targeting a very specific market segment best referred to as "premium noise cancelation", and the company seems pretty confident that with the MDR-1000X...
Pixel Phone Reviews: A 'Truly Great Camera' and a 'Home Run' for Google
The first round of reviews of Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones appeared online this morning. Most sites have come away with largely positive impressions of the devices, hailing in particular the Pixel's camera performance compared to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
The Verge called the Pixel a "home run" for Google, noting that while it looks like an iPhone from afar, "there are a lot of...
Microsoft Hails 'Historic Achievement' in Speech Recognition Technology
Researchers at Microsoft claim to have created a new speech recognition technology that transcribes conversational speech as well as a human does (via The Verge).
The system's word error rate is reportedly 5.9 percent, which is about equal to professional transcribers asked to work on the same recordings, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft researchers from the Speech & Dialog research group ...
Samsung Sets up Note 7 Exchange Booths in 'High Traffic' Airports
Samsung has coordinated with aviation officials around the world to set up exchange booths in "high traffic" airport terminals for owners of recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphones (via The Verge).
The booths first appeared in South Korean airports, with similar exchange sites set to open across Australia and the U.S. for travelers to hand in the potentially dangerous devices.
According to one ...
Netflix Shares Soar on Surprise Third Quarter Subscriptions Boom
Netflix has reported surprisingly strong third quarter results, sending the company's share prices soaring 20 percent in late trade (via Reuters).
The streaming content company added over 50 percent more subscribers than expected, owing to original shows like Stranger Things and Narcos drawing significant numbers of new international viewers and retaining U.S. customers despite a price hike....
'Family Vault' Lets Amazon Prime Members Share Free Photo Storage
Amazon today launched a new Prime Photos feature called "Family Vault", which extends the unlimited photo storage that Amazon Prime subscribers get to their friends and family members (via TechCrunch).
For those unfamiliar with Amazon Prime, a $99 per year subscription includes free two-day shipping, unlimited streaming of movies, TV shows and music, and unlimited photo storage, among other ...
Apple Possibly Looking to Japanese Expertise to Improve Siri
Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that Japan has a big part to play in the company's ongoing development of AI, as he continued his travels around the country via bullet train on Monday.
Speaking to Nikkei Asian Review, Cook revealed that Apple's new advanced R&D center in Yokohama, currently scheduled for completion in December, would focus on "deep engineering" and would be "very different" from the ...
Apple Offers a Temporary Workaround if the Home Button Fails on an iPhone 7
With the introduction of the iPhone 7, Apple did away with the classic click-mechanism home button in favor of a "solid-state" pressure sensitive one that uses haptic feedback to mimic traditional button presses.
The programming that controls the Taptic Engine-powered feedback is deeply integrated into iOS 10, so much so that it appears Apple's latest iPhone is able to automatically offer a...
Facebook App Gains Video Streaming Support for Apple TV
Facebook yesterday announced an update to its flagship app that lets users stream video from their iOS device directly to an Apple TV.
Now, when a video is selected in the app's news feed or from the Saved tab, a small button appears in the top right corner which, when tapped, offers to send the video to an Apple TV on the same wireless network.
If you’re streaming a Facebook Live...
Samsung Offers Note 7 Recall Customers $100 in Credit to Stay Loyal
Samsung is offering $100 bill credit to U.S. customers caught up in its ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 recall if they're willing to stay loyal to the brand (via TechCrunch).
Samsung discontinued the Note 7 earlier this week after handsets deemed safe by the company began setting on fire just like the handsets they replaced. Samsung is now offering those who choose to exchange the phone for any other...
The Next Generation Apple Watch Could Identify Users by Their Heart Rate
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an invention today that suggests the next Apple Watch could identify its owner simply by checking their heart rate.
Apple's patent application is titled "User identification system based on plethysmography" and describes how a pulse oximeter is used to determine the biometric signature of a user's cardio rhythms. This data could then be used to...
Google Photos Can Now Fix Sideways Snaps and Generate GIFs to Share
Google has announced a few notable updates to its Photos app, with some new features powered by its machine-learning technology.
The app can now automatically generate animated GIFs from videos you upload to the service. Google says its technology looks for video segments that capture activity – "a jump into the pool, or even just an adorable smile" – and creates short animations that can ...
Western Digital Announces Redesigned My Passport Portable Hard Drives
Western Digital yesterday refreshed its popular portable and desktop hard drive range with a more colorful line-up and increased capacities.
As part of a "reimagined" design that WD says better reflects how data is now "much more of a personal commodity", the company's portable USB 2.0/3.0 My Passport drives are available in six vivid colors – Black, Yellow, Red, White, Orange and Blue. The...
