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
Apple Testing Chinese Memory Chips in iPhones and MacBooks
Apple has been testing memory chips from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) across product lines including iPhones and MacBooks, according to a report today from The Wall Street Journal ($).
Laptop makers HP and Acer have already started using memory chips from CXMT in devices sold outside the U.S. Meanwhile, Apple has held early talks with CXMT about supplying components for...
Read Full Article • 46 comments
OLED iMac Panel Could Include Extra Layer to Fight Screen Burn-In
LG Display is developing a five-layer OLED panel structure that could end up in a future iMac, with an extra layer added to prevent screen burn-in and increase brightness, reports The Elec.
LG Display already builds four-stack OLED panels for high-resolution monitors, and arranges the light-emitting layers in a blue-green-blue-red pattern. The five-stack version reportedly under development...
iPhone 18 Pro Costing Apple 38% More to Make, TrendForce Estimates
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro will cost nearly 40 percent more to build than its predecessor because of soaring memory prices, according to new data analyzed TrendForce.
The research firm's latest smartphone analysis puts the bill of materials for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro roughly 38 percent above the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro, and says higher retail prices will be unavoidable as a result.
Memory is ...
Apple Dropped Plan to Ship Leased iPhones Already Set Up for Users
Apple considered a so-called "white-glove" element for its Apple Upgrade leasing program that would have delivered each new replacement device already loaded with the customer's data, but the idea never made it out of planning, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple Upgrade launched in the U.S. on July 28, replacing the iPhone Upgrade Program and iPhone Payments. The plan lets customers ...
New MacBook Pro and Refreshed iMacs Likely Coming in October
Apple is likely to unveil a new M6 MacBook Pro and refreshed iMacs in October, based on its typical release schedule, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Writing in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman reiterated his belief that Apple is readying the launch of a refreshed base-model MacBook Pro with a 14-inch display powered by an M6 chip.
The base model is expected...
Apple Will 'Watch Everything Burn' When AI Bubble Bursts - Ed Zitron
Memory prices have doubled, Macs and iPads have gone up, and iPhones are expected to follow. Ed Zitron – who writes the Where's Your Ed At newsletter, hosts the Better Offline podcast, and has been described by Politico as the AI boom's most "acerbic gadfly" – has spent years arguing the buildout driving those costs will never pay for itself.
We asked him what happens to Apple if he's...
Apple Pushes Emergency Mac Fix for Screen Sharing Flaw - Update Now
Apple doesn't usually release a Mac update a week after the last one, but macOS Tahoe 26.6.1 isn't routine – it fixes a critical vulnerability.
An identified flaw allowed an attacker already on the same Wi-Fi network to authenticate Screen Sharing without valid credentials. Apple says it has addressed the authentication issue with "improved state management."
The update arrived on...
Apple Account Card Expands Again: What It Is and What It Isn't
Apple this week expanded support for its Apple Account Card in the Wallet app to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta. The Apple Account Card option for Wallet started rolling out in 2022, and Apple has been gradually expanding the feature to more countries since then.
What is the Apple Account Card?
So what is it, exactly? The card displays the balance associated with a user's Apple...
iOS 27's New Compact Clock Gives Your Wallpaper Room to Breathe
In iOS 26, Apple let you stretch the Lock Screen clock down your iPhone's display until it dwarfed everything else. In iOS 27, Apple has a new clock option that does the opposite, with the introduction of a compact mode that shrinks the time to roughly the size of the date and tucks it into the row at the top of the screen.
The result is a Lock Screen that genuinely shows off your wallpaper, ...
Set a Custom EQ for Your AirPods in iOS 27
Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser owners have been able to adjust the audio frequency spectrum of their headphones for years, whereas AirPods owners have had to make do with Apple's default tuning. That's no longer the case in iOS 27, which adds a three-band equalizer to the AirPods settings screen.
It's worth noting that iOS has had an EQ setting for years – it's buried in Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Music, ...
2TB iCloud+ Plan to Feature Another Key Benefit With iOS 27
Apple has indicated there will be increased AI limits for certain iCloud+ subscriptions when iOS 27 launches this fall with Siri AI and new Apple Intelligence features.
At WWDC in June, Apple revealed there would be daily usage limits for some Apple Intelligence features, like the much-improved Image Playground, but it said that users could get increased access through iCloud+ plans.
In...
iPhone 18 Pro Models Could Be Up to $300 More Expensive, Says Analyst
This year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max could be $250-$300 more expensive than existing iPhone 17 Pro models due to higher silicon and memory costs, an analyst claimed today.
According to an earnings note by Jeff Pu of GF Securities, higher 2nm silicon and DRAM/NAND costs could drive the price hikes, as Apple grapples with global component shortages owing to the AI infrastructure...
Spotify Adds Running Mode to iOS App With Tempo-Matched Music
Spotify today announced a new Running Mode that turns playlists into structured running sessions built around workout type, tempo, and listening habits. It's launching on iOS first.
Located in the app's Fitness Hub, the feature lets runners choose from 25 presets that can be tweaked to fit workout type (interval, steady, or pyramid, for example), with options for duration, beats per minute,...
iOS 27 Finally Unlinks Alarm Volume From Your iPhone Ringer
For the better part of two decades, an iPhone's alarm volume has matched its ringer. In other words, if you slide the ringtone volume down to silence your iPhone overnight, you're also turning your alarm's volume down with it. That's no longer the case in iOS 27.
Settings now includes an "Alarms and Timers" section with its own Match Ringtone Volume toggle. If you toggle it off, a dedicated...
iOS 27: Tone Down Liquid Glass Transparency
If you've never been a fan of Liquid Glass – Apple's glass-like interface effect introduced in iOS 26 – then there's some good news in iOS 27. Apple has added a setting that lets you finely adjust the level of translucency, giving you more control over the look and feel of your iPhone.
Perhaps you find notifications too see-through, or you want to see more of your wallpaper through...
iOS 27 Lets You Hide the Messages Button Everyone Hits by Mistake
If you accidentally press the dictation or voice icon after sending a text in Messages, your music may pause while your iPhone starts listening. It's a small annoyance, but a frequent one, since the dictation/audio icon sits so close to the send arrow that stray taps are almost inevitable. In iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, Apple has finally given you a way to get rid of it.
The issue is one that...
iOS 27 Speeds Up the iPhone You Already Own: Here's How
Apple has spent a good chunk of development time on its upcoming iOS 27 software update to improve the speed of your iPhone, rather than simply adding new features or AI bloat.
Apple says that app launching on iPhone and iPad is up to 30 percent faster, while photos taken on iPhone appear in iCloud Photos up to 70 percent sooner.
Not only that, AirDrop transfers are said to run up to 80...
iPhone Driver's Licenses May Soon Expand to Another US State
Driver's licenses and IDs may soon be available in Apple Wallet for iPhone and Apple Watch users living in Oklahoma. MacRumors discovered signs of an Oklahoma ID in Apple's backend.
With input from Apple, a House bill was passed in March 2026 that allows Service Oklahoma to issue mobile or digital versions of state identification cards, driver's licenses or permits – suggesting this is...
WhatsApp Rolls Out Web Calling, Call Transfer Across Devices, and More
WhatsApp has announced a handful of enhancements for group calling over the encrypted platform, including seamless call transfers across devices and a new web calling feature.
It's now possible to make and receive audio and video calls, including both one-on-one and group calls, directly from WhatsApp Web. The new browser-based service provides access to common features available on other...
Samsung Can Name Its Price on MacBook Pro OLED Panels
Apple will rely on Samsung Display exclusively for the OLED touch panels going into its redesigned MacBook Pro models, according to Korean outlet The Elec.
The 14-inch and 16-inch panels are set to be made on Samsung's 8.6-generation line at Asan, starting with an initial run of around 2.5 million units. Mass production is expected to start next month.
The report says Apple never...
