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
iOS 10: Taking a Closer Look at Apple's 'Swift Playgrounds' for iPad
At WWDC last week, Apple revealed its all-new Swift Playgrounds iPad app, which aims to help younger users learn how to code in Apple's programming language by making the experience more interactive and fun.
For those unfamiliar with Swift, the open-source language was announced by Apple at WWDC 2014, and developed over four years to be "concise and expressive" in order to make coding for iOS, ...
Read Full Article • 78 comments
NASA Launches Official Apple TV App Featuring Real-Time View of Earth
NASA has launched its official app for the fourth-generation Apple TV, joining the app's popular iOS versions on iPhone and iPad, which have been downloaded over 17 million times.
The Apple TV app lets users watch high-definition live streams from NASA TV, and allows them to enjoy a real-time view of the Earth from the International Space Station.
The app also informs users of their next ...
Google Simplifies 2-Step Verification Process With iOS Search App Prompt
Google is making the two-factor authentication process to log into a user account a simpler affair by integrating it into the company's iOS search app.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to users' Google Apps accounts by requiring them to enter a verification code in addition to their username and password when signing into their account. The two-step verification...
Microsoft Launches 'Flow' Workflow Service Management App for iOS
Microsoft yesterday launched a management app for its online workflow service and IFTTT competitor, called Flow.
For those unfamiliar with the idea, services like IFTTT let you connect different digital platforms and automate actions between them, like having all Gmail attachments save to a Dropbox account, or making every new entry added to a contact list sync to a Google spreadsheet....
Bank of America Starts Offering ATM Withdrawals Using Apple Pay
Bank of America has begun rolling out support for withdrawing cash from its ATMs using Apple Pay.
Approximately 650 card-less ATMs were deployed in the San Francisco area in May, and the technology expanded to 2,400 ATMs, including eleven in the Raleigh-Durham region, in early June.
The new ability was also spotted by a Reddit user located in Redondo Beach, California, who took a picture of ...
watchOS 3: Bringing Attention Back to Apple's New 'Breathe' App
During the watchOS 3 segment of Apple's keynote presentation at the Worldwide Developer's Conference last week, Apple introduced a new mindfulness-based app called Breathe.
The idea behind Breathe is to help Apple Watch owners better manage everyday stress, and works by prompting users to take a short time out to focus their attention on the simple act of breathing.
By default, Breathe...
Apple Maps Introduces Transit Data for Denver, Colorado
Apple Maps has been updated with comprehensive Transit information for the city of Denver, Colorado, enabling iPhone users in the area to navigate using public transportation, including buses, subways, and commuter rails.
Transit routing was introduced in iOS 9 with support for a limited number of cities, but Apple has since expanded its public transportation coverage for over 20 cities...
Apple Withholds Republican Convention Donations Over Trump Politics
Apple has informed Republican leaders it will not be supporting the party's 2016 presidential convention in Cleveland next month, according to sources who spoke to Politico today.
The decision is reportedly due to comments made by presumptive nominee Donald Trump which the company takes issue with, in particular his controversial positions on the subjects of minorities, women, and immigrants.
...
Microsoft Follows LinkedIn Acquisition With Chatbot-Based 'Wand' Buyout
Microsoft has announced it is acquiring natural language and AI messaging startup Wand Labs as part of a larger strategy to build out "conversation as a platform" (via TechCrunch).
Founded in 2013 by former Google staffer Vishal Sharma, Wand Labs' stated aim is "to tear down app walls, integrate your services in chat, and make them work together so you can do more with less taps"....
How a Nine-Year-Old Australian Landed a Coveted WWDC Apple Scholarship
During Apple's opening keynote address at this week's Worldwide Developer's Conference in San Francisco, CEO Tim Cook gave a shout-out to Anvitha Vijay, the youngest ever developer to attend WWDC.
Aged just nine, Vijay applied for and won one of 350 coveted Apple scholarships to attend the conference's coding and programming sessions, which are typically dominated by high school and college...
Facebook Includes Secret Soccer Game in Latest 'Messenger' App Update
Facebook has included a secret soccer game in the latest update to its Messenger app to celebrate Euro 2016 and Copa America.
To play the game, called "Keepy Up", update the iOS Messenger app and send a friend a soccer ball emoji, then tap the emoji in the chat thread to launch the game, the aim of which is to keep the ball in the air.
The game can be started again using the same emoji in ...
Samsung Leak Reveals 'Smart Glow' Rear-Side Notification System for Phones
An interesting leak has emerged online this morning that suggests Samsung is about to bring a new type of light notification technology to the rear case of its smartphones.
Android phones often come with a separate notification LED on the front of the handset that alerts users to missed messages and calls. Otherwise, notifications are usually assumed to relate to the display of a mobile...
Apple Invites Retail Employees to Test Pre-Release Versions of macOS Sierra
Apple has begun inviting its retail store employees to try pre-release versions of macOS Sierra, the latest version of its Mac software platform and renamed successor to OS X El Capitan.
Staff who sign up to the voluntary AppleSeed program are set to receive pre-release versions of macOS Sierra to install on their personal computers for use on their own time.
Apple is hoping that staff...
Apple Launches 2016 Back to School Promotion in Europe, Free Beats With Qualifying Purchases
Apple has extended its Back to School promotion to countries in Europe, offering a free pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless Headphones with eligible purchases.
At the beginning of June, Apple launched its annual Back to School promotion in the U.S. and Canada, offering the headphones to qualifying students and select others that purchase an eligible Mac, iPhone, or iPad Pro with education pricing.
...
Alleged Leaked Image of iPhone 7 Shows Touch-Sensitive Home Button
Photos have emerged online purporting to show the front of an iPhone 7 with a touch-sensitive home button flush with the front of the handset.
Ever since the launch of the original iPhone, Apple's handsets have featured a physical button that users press to return to the home screen, and press and hold for other functions.
But photos passed to mobile tech site mobipicker.com appear to...
Apple Steps up Procurement for New Apple Watch, Targets Late 2016 Debut
Apple has stepped up procurement of chips and components for the second-generation Apple Watch, according to sources from the supply chain (via DigiTimes).
Shipments of chips and components for the second-gen Apple Watch are reportedly set to begin in the third quarter, indicating a launch later this year.
Orders for the upcoming Apple Watch have been higher-than-expected, according to...
U.S. Appeals Court Rules in Favor of FCC Net Neutrality Rules
A U.S. appeals court yesterday upheld landmark federal rules preventing internet service providers from obstructing or slowing down consumer access to web content (via Reuters).
The backing for the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules came in a 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The outcome reaffirms the...
Apple Touts 'Differential Privacy' Data Gathering Technique in iOS 10
With the announcement of iOS 10 at WWDC on Monday, Apple mentioned its adoption of "Differential Privacy" – a mathematical technique that allows the company to collect user information that helps it enhance its apps and services while keeping the data of individual users private.
During the company's keynote address, Senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi – a vocal advocate of...
Apple Granted Patent For iPhone With Wraparound All-Glass Display
Apple has been granted a patent for a possible future iPhone with a wraparound all-glass display (via Patently Apple).
The application was submitted in 2011 but granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today, detailing various embodiments of a portable consumer device with a wraparound screen.
In one example, the device is described as having a transparent housing and a flexible...
Apple Drops Requirement for tvOS Games to Use Siri Remote as Controller
Apple has quietly dropped the requirement that tvOS developers make their games playable using the Siri Remote as a controller.
The policy change was discovered in an update to an existing Apple TV support document covering the use of game controllers, and highlighted by MacRumors' sister site TouchArcade as a revision that will surely be welcomed by developers and gamers alike.
The ...
