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 Defeats Privacy Law Claims in California Data Tracking Suit
Apple has beaten a class action's claims alleging that it records users' mobile activity without their consent despite the company's privacy assurances, reports Bloomberg Law.
Filed in November 2022, the lawsuit accused Apple of "utterly false" assurances that users are in control of what information they share when they use stock iPhone apps like the App Store and Apple Music....
Read Full Article • 9 comments
OpenAI on Track to Unveil First AI Device This Year, Could Rival AirPods
OpenAI is "on track" to unveil its first AI device in the second half of this year, Axios reported this week.
The comment was given to the publication by OpenAI's chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane, who listed "devices" as one of the big coming attractions for the company in 2026.
Lehane didn't go into specifics about the upcoming product, which is being designed by former Apple...
Apple Pay Likely to Launch in India This Year
Apple Pay is set to go live in the Indian market by the end of 2026, according to a new report by Business Standard.
The service still requires regulatory approvals before it can go live in the country, but Apple is reportedly working with banks, regulators, and card networks to bring the payment service to India within the year, claims the publication's sources.
Once launched, Apple Pay...
Apple Shifts iPhone OLED Orders to Samsung Amid BOE Troubles
Apple's Chinese supplier BOE is struggling with iPhone OLED production again, causing millions of panel orders to be shifted to Samsung Display, reports The Elec.
Multiple industry sources told the publication that BOE still hasn't resolved manufacturing issues that emerged in November and December of last year. Problems in a specific production process have reportedly forced the company to...
Latest iPhone 18 Pro Leak Corroborated by Respected Former Analyst
Respected veteran display analyst Ross Young has added his support to a new leak today about the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design.
In a new post on X (Twitter), the now-retired Counterpoint Research VP said that Chinese leaker Instant Digital's latest explanation of how Apple will shrink the Dynamic Island is what he was alluding to in a report last year.
Back in June 2025, Young said...
iPhone Air to Get Minor Refresh This Year, Claims Leaker
Apple will launch a second-generation iPhone Air this year, despite reports that it has been delayed until 2027, according to the Weibo leaker known as Fixed Focus Digital.
Doubling down on a similar claim they made late last year, the leaker says feedback coming from the production line still suggests that the iPhone Air 2 will launch in the fall – presumably alongside the iPhone 18 Pro...
iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely.
Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Google Chrome Is Getting a Safari Data Import Option on iPhone
Chrome for iOS will soon feature an option for iPhone users to import their Safari data into Google's mobile browser, avoiding the need to perform the transfer on desktop.
Starting in Chrome 145, currently in beta, the new feature will guide users through the process of importing bookmarks, browsing history, and passwords from Safari, since Chrome cannot transfer the data directly because of ...
iPhone 18 Pro: Dynamic Island May Move to Top-Left Screen Corner
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models will have a front camera cutout in the top-left corner of the screen alongside a new under-display Face ID system, which will see the Dynamic Island software feature relocated to the same corner. That's according to the latest YouTube video from Front Page Tech's Jon Prosser.
Introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro, the Dynamic Island is the pill-shaped interactive area...
The MacBook Pro Feature Many Apple Fans Dreaded Is Finally Happening
Steve Jobs repeatedly argued that touchscreen laptops fail because they violate basic ergonomics. In 2010, during the launch of the iPad, he explained that vertical touch surfaces cause fatigue over time.
That argument appears to have reached its expiration date. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and corroborated by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's redesigned OLED MacBook Pro models...
Apple's OLED MacBook Pro Launch Moves Closer With Panel Production
Development of Apple's rumored OLED MacBook Pro took another forward step this month when the next-generation production line responsible for manufacturing its displays commenced operation.
Samsung Display is expected to make the panels for Apple's MacBook Pro, and has invested heavily in an 8.6-generation OLED production line located at its Asan campus in South Korea.
An 8.6G fab uses...
iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Pro Models Set to Debut A20 Pro Chip
Apple's foldable iPhone will share the same next-generation A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models when it debuts this September, according to industry analyst Jeff Pu.
In his latest investor note, Pu outlined the projected specifications for all three premium devices that will take center stage this fall, with the regular iPhone 18 and more affordable iPhone 18e...
Opera One R3 Gains Music-Reactive UI Theme and 4-Way Split Screen
Opera has updated its flagship browser, introducing a rebuilt AI engine and expanded multitasking features, as well as an animated UI theme that reacts to music playing in the browser.
The browser's AI assistant now uses architecture borrowed from Opera's experimental Neon browser, which the company says delivers 20% faster responses. Notably, the AI can now operate within the context of...
Apple's Google Gemini Deal Could Be Worth $5 Billion
Apple's newly announced partnership with Google to use Gemini models for Siri and Apple Intelligence could be worth as much as $5 billion, according to one analyst's estimate.
The deal is structured as a cloud computing contract that will see Apple pay "several billion dollars to Google over time," according to the Financial Times (paywalled), citing a person familiar with the agreement....
MacPaw Pulls Plug on Setapp Mobile iOS Store, Citing 'Still-Evolving and Complex Business Terms' for Alternative EU Marketplaces
Ukraine-based developer MacPaw is set to close Setapp Mobile, its alternative app store for iOS devices in the European Union, next month.
The service will officially cease operating on February 16, 2026. Setapp Mobile launched in open beta in September 2024.
In a support page, MacPaw said Setapp Mobile is being closed because of app marketplaces' "still-evolving and complex business...
Apple Expands Cross-Border Apple Pay Support in China
Apple today announced expanded cross-border Apple Pay support for users in mainland China, allowing them to use Visa credit and debit cards issued by local banks to make contactless payments both in-store and online while traveling abroad.
Eight major Chinese banks now support the feature, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, and...
iPhone 17e to Gain Dynamic Island But Display Still Stuck at 60Hz
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17e will feature a Dynamic Island instead of a notch at the top of the screen, but unlike the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, the display itself will still refresh at 60Hz, according to a known Weibo leaker.
Apple made major improvements to the iPhone 17's display last year, introducing ProMotion display technology with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, similar to recent...
End-to-End Encrypted RCS Messages Referenced in Latest iOS 26.3 Beta
Apple appears close to supporting end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, almost a year after the GSM Association said it was working to implement the privacy feature for messages sent between Android and iPhone devices.
As shared by Tiino-X83 on X (Twitter), the latest iOS 26.3 beta includes references to a new carrier bundle setting that will let carriers enable and disable E2EE for ...
Apple's Enhanced Siri Is Just Google Gemini in Disguise
When Apple finally rolls out its next-generation Siri this year, it won't actually be Apple's technology doing the heavy lifting. It'll be Google's.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Apple and Google today confirmed a multi-year collaboration under which Google Gemini will power Apple's revamped assistant, which is expected to be introduced with iOS 26.4 in March or...
Samsung Briefly Showed Off Apple's Foldable iPhone Display
At last week's CES 2026, Samsung briefly showcased a creaseless foldable OLED panel beside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 – a screen that, according to SamMobile who saw it, had "no crease at all" compared to Samsung's current hardware.
The demo reportedly showed text flowing seamlessly across the panel fold at every viewing angle, a stark contrast to the visible ridge that has plagued foldables since ...
