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
Review: Bragi's 'The Headphone' Wireless Buds Are Neat, but Lack the Finesse of AirPods
Bragi announced its Dash earphones at CES way back in 2015, when wireless Bluetooth headsets were still relatively niche. Since then we've seen Apple, Samsung, and a host of other companies launch their own "truly wireless" headphones, prompting Bragi to give the market another pop with "The Headphone" ($149), a less expensive, more awkwardly named variant of its original cord-free buds....
Read Full Article • 24 comments
Google Home Speaker Criticized For Spreading Fake News
Google's search algorithms came under renewed fire on Sunday after the BBC highlighted examples in which the company's Google Home smart speaker promotes "fake news" and conspiracy theories through its virtual assistant.
BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones tweeted a video yesterday that appears to show the smart device responding to the question "Is Obama planning a coup?" with the...
How a Home Button and Function Bar Could Work on the 'iPhone 8'
The iconic home button has been a mainstay of Apple design ever since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. Even the buttons on the elevators at Apple Park are said to resemble it. The button's tactile circularity promises an escape route to familiarity should users get lost or apps go wrong. However, its delicate components converge upon a recess in the phone's bezel, an area that could otherwise...
Apple to Open New Schildergasse Retail Store in Cologne, Germany, on March 25
Apple today announced that its second retail store in the German city of Cologne will open later this month. The address of the brick-and-mortar store is Schildergasse 1-9, which sits on one of the busiest shopping streets in Europe. Doors open on March 25.
The announcement confirms long-held rumors that Apple has been planning a second store in the city. Evidence surfaced in January that...
'Vantage Calendar' is Apple's Free App of the Week
Apple is currently promoting Vantage Calendar as its Free App of the Week on the iOS App Store. Notable for its novel visual approach to calendar presentation, the app also features a number of lively design options for highlighting upcoming events in the user's schedule.
Central to Vantage is a 3D vertical timeline that users scroll up and down to move forwards and backwards through their...
Apple Losing Out to Microsoft and Google in U.S. Classrooms
Use of iPads and MacBooks in U.S. schools hit a new low last year, with Apple struggling to make further inroads into the education sector, according to new figures (via The New York Times).
According to research company Futuresource Consulting, in 2016 the number of devices in American classrooms that run iOS and macOS fell to third place behind both Google-powered laptops and Windows...
Apple Has a Redesigned Fingerprint ID Solution For the iPhone 8
Apple is set to feature its own in-house developed integrated fingerprint ID technology in the OLED version of its next iPhone, according to a new report out on Friday.
Apple's upcoming "iPhone 8" is expected to feature a virtual home button embedded in the display, but questions persist over the role of Touch ID in such a radical redesign, as conflicting reports from analysts, rumors of biomet...
Google Has No Plans For More Pixel Notebooks
Google has ended production of its Pixel laptop, which originally aimed to compete with Apple's MacBook Air.
During a small meeting with journalists today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Google's senior vice president for hardware Rick Osterlohthe responded to a question about future Pixel notebooks, saying the company has "no plans to do one right now".
According to TechCrunch, ...
Prisma Photo App Update Adds Filter Store, User-Created Filters Coming Soon
Popular photo filter app Prisma has been updated with an in-app store for users to download additional filters for free.
The photo app uses the predictive analyses of neural network technology to achieve its stylistic interpretations, which typically makes them more unique than standard photo filters.
Prisma says the new store will bring even more originality to users' pictures, with the ...
Spotify Testing New Lossless Audio Quality Subscription Tier
Spotify is prepping the launch of a lossless audio version of its streaming service, according to The Verge. The new subscription tier is said to be called Spotify Hi-Fi and will offer higher bandwidth lossless audio quality to members.
Currently, Tidal is the only major music streaming service to offer an optional "lossless" audio tier, although other, lesser known lossless services do exist. ...
'Google Keep' iOS Notes Now Integrate With Google Docs on the Web
Google has integrated Google Keep notes into Google Docs, allowing users of the Google Keep iOS app to drag-and-drop their notes directly into online documents.
With Google Keep for iOS, users can input notes, lists, photos, and voice memos, set reminders about notes, and organize their note collections with labels and colors.
While in Docs on the web, users can now access the Keep...
Apple Pay Japan 'New Life' Promotion Brings Support For Six New Credit Cards
Apple today posted a limited-time promotion on its Japanese site for its "New Life" campaign, which allows customers using certain company-issued credit cards to receive cashback and other benefits on Apple Pay purchases and store rewards.
As noted by Japanese blog Ata Distance, the Apple Pay promotion runs between March 1 and April 30 and takes in app purchases and online services including...
Samsung Galaxy S8 Image Leak Reveals Design of 'iPhone 8' Rival [Updated]
Reliable mobile phone leaker Evan Blass this morning posted what looks like an official press image of the Galaxy S8, Samsung's first flagship phone of 2017.
Coming on the back of last year's Note7 debacle, the S8 represents a hopeful comeback for Samsung's smartphone business and is likely to be the biggest rival to Apple's radically redesigned "iPhone 8" expected to launch later this year.
...
Google Home Smart Speaker Coming to the U.K. This Spring
Google has revealed to the BBC that it will bring its Home smart connected speaker to the United Kingdom this spring. Rick Osterloh, Google's vice president of hardware, told BBC reporter Rory Cellan-Jones that he believes the Home's "AI skills and vast data" will give it the edge over rival Amazon Echo.
A Google spokesperson later confirmed to Engadget on Tuesday that the company's smart...
iPhone 8 Will Have Curved OLED Screen and USB-C Connector
In line with previous reports, The Wall Street Journal today said Apple's rumored iPhone 8 will feature a curved OLED display supplied by Samsung.
Tuesday's report corroborates previous claims from KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo that Apple will release three devices this year: Two "S" cycle iPhones with LCD displays to succeed the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, as well as a special...
Amazon Developing 'Voice ID' Technology for Alexa Assistant
Amazon is building upon the Alexa voice-recognition technology found in its Echo range of speakers so that the virtual assistant can distinguish between individual users based on the sound of their voices.
According to anonymous sources who spoke to TIME, Amazon's feature would work by matching the person speaking to a pre-recorded voice sample, or "voice print", to verify the speaker's...
SoundCloud Launches Cheaper $4.99 Streaming Subscription Plan
SoundCloud has introduced a new lower priced subscription plan to entice users to sign up to its music streaming service, less than a year after its paid membership scheme was launched (via The Verge).
The new SoundCloud Go budget tier costs $4.99 per month, half the price of the previous low cost subscription option that rolled out last March. Membership gives users access to over 120 million ...
MWC 2017: Nokia Announces Withings Rebrand and Nokia 3310 Reboot
All Withings products will be rebranded under Nokia by the summer, according to Withings CEO Cédric Hutchings. The announcement was made on Sunday during Nokia's event at Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.
Withings makes iOS-compatible smart connected home products as well as a range of health and fitness wearables. Nokia bought the French health tracking company last year for an ...
Amazon and Netflix Celebrate First Oscar Wins For Streaming Services
Amazon and Netflix yesterday collected the first Academy Awards for streaming services, sharing four gold statuettes between them at this year's Oscars.
Amazon Studios bagged a Best Actor trophy for Casey Affleck's portrayal of a grieving man in "Manchester by the Sea". Bought by Amazon for $10 million at the Sundance film festival, the movie also won Best Original Screenplay. It has earned...
MWC 2017: Samsung Focus on New Tablets in Absence of Galaxy S8
With reference to the upcoming Galaxy S8 at this year's Mobile Wold Congress limited to a March 29 launch date confirmation, Samsung chose to put the focus on two new tablets, the Android-powered Galaxy Tab S3 and the Galaxy Book, which runs Windows 10.
Aiming to compete with the iPad Pro, the Tab S3 comes with a 9.7-inch HDR-ready Super AMOLED display running at 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. On...
