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
Facebook Quietly Kills Off 'Notify' News Alert App for iOS
Facebook has officially shut down Notify, its real-time, notification-based news app for iOS.
The company sent an alert to users of the app last night, explaining that it would be transitioning parts of the Notify service into its other products and that the app would no longer be supported.
Notify, which went live in November, enabled users to receive news notifications and choose their...
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Facebook Messenger for iOS Gains 1,500 New Emoji Characters
Facebook has announced that it is adding 1,500 new emojis to its Messenger app in order to cater for the diversity of its users.
The new emojis follow Apple's bulk addition of new emoji characters to iOS last year, but Facebook claims that Messenger is the first platform to feature a female police officer, runner, pedestrian, surfer, and swimmer, and notes that more are to come in the near...
Tesla CEO Expects No Apple Car Before 2020, Calls it 'Missed Opportunity'
Apple's rumored electric car is unlikely to hit full-scale production or be ready for shipping before 2020, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Musk offered his prediction to Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the Code Conference, where he claimed that Apple's ambitions, while admirable, were falling behind in a fast-paced industry.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk interviewed yesterday at the Code ...
Google Rolls Out 'Find Your Phone' Account Services to iOS Owners
Google has updated its My Account service to include a feature that helps iPad and iPhone owners locate their lost or stolen iOS device (via TechCrunch).
Previously only available to Android owners, the new feature now appears when users sign into their Google "My Account" page under the section "Find your phone", where options exist to locate a device, lock it remotely, call it, secure an...
Google for iOS Gains Accelerated Mobile Pages Support
Google has updated its eponymous voice-recognition search app with speed improvements the company claims will save users "a combined 6.5 million hours" this year.
"Each time you open the app or do a search, everything will load just a bit quicker," said Google VP Tamar Yehoshua in a blog post.
Not only should the app feel faster overall, says Yehoshua, news articles that show up in searches ...
Apple Set to Raise Up to $4 Billion in Asia-Pacific From Bond Sales [Updated]
Apple is set to issue bonds in Taiwan with the aim of raising $1 billion, according to Reuters.
The news signals the company's first attempt to sell bonds on the island where many of its supply chain partners operate, such as iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, contract chipmaker TSM, and camera lens producer Largan Precision.
The move would place Apple alongside a number of big global names...
Google's Echo Rival is a 'Dressed-up' Version of Chromecast
Last month, Google announced plans for its upcoming Amazon Echo rival, Google Home, a Wi-Fi enabled personal assistant that enables people to ask Google search queries, manage everyday tasks, enjoy music and entertainment, and more using hands-free "OK Google" voice commands.
Yesterday, a few more details emerged about Google Home, which will potentially go directly up against the smart device ...
'Workflow' for iOS Gains Apple Music Playlist Support, 20+ New Actions
Popular automation app Workflow has been updated with a number of new features and now provides added support for over 20 new actions.
For anyone not familiar with the app, Workflow is an automation tool that lets users create a variety of workflows to accomplish tasks like creating GIFs from a series of photos, pulling images from a web page, translating an article, calculating a tip, and...
Lightning-to-Headphone Adapters Appear Ahead of iPhone 7 Launch
While interest in the possible new features of the iPhone 7 remains as high as ever, perhaps the most controversial potential change to Apple's upcoming device is the removal of one long-standing feature – the headphone jack.
Rumors suggest that Apple will drop the 3.5mm audio jack to make its next-gen iPhone even thinner, and rely on an upgraded Lightning port, currently used only for...
Developer Excitement for Apple TV Easily Exceeds Interest in watchOS
Developer interest in coding third-party apps for Apple TV continues to surge, while interest in the Apple Watch has waned since the start of 2016, according to mobile app developer database Realm.
Realm hosts a database of apps used by approximately 100,000 developers, and contains details of apps used by around 1 billion people, giving it a unique view of which devices capture mobile...
Apple May Introduce Next-Gen Natural Language API in its Amazon Echo Competitor
Last week we reported that Apple is said to be readying an Amazon Echo competitor that could be used in the home for features like listening to music, asking for information and getting news headlines.
The product is thought to include a camera with facial recognition capabilities and said to learn over time about its users, which interact with the device via an enhanced version of Siri....
Apple Store Worker Says Staff Routinely Get Death Threats From Customers
Business Insider UK this morning published a detailed interview with someone claiming to be a UK Apple retail employee, which provides an intriguing insight into what it's like to work in an Apple Store.
The interview is unusual because every Apple staffer signs a confidentiality agreement on their first day in the job, which apparently prevents them from speaking publicly or announcing their...
Political Will for Encryption Law Has Weakened Since Apple-FBI Dispute
Support for encryption legislation in the U.S. has flatlined and the push for changes in federal law following the San Bernardino shootings has petered out, according to sources in congressional offices, the administration and the tech sector (via Reuters).
On February 16, a U.S. federal judge ordered Apple to help the FBI to unlock the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the...
Apple Shares Soar 9% on News of Warren Buffett Stake in Company
Apple shares have soared 9 percent since American business magnate Warren Buffett revealed his company's $1.2 billion stake in the company on May 16 (via Fortune).
Apple stock looked to be on the wane following Apple's earnings call at the end of April, when the company announced its first ever drop in iPhone sales and its first year-over-year revenue drop in 13 years.
Shares of Apple...
Apple 'Working Rapidly' to Bring Apple Pay to More Countries
Apple this morning elaborated on its plans to expand Apple Pay coverage and achieve its goal to deliver the mobile payment service to "every significant market" the company is involved in.
Currently Apple Pay is available in six countries, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and China, with plans already underway to bring the platform to Hong Kong and Spain. Earlier this week the...
Apple Patent Details Smart Walkie-Talkie Lightning Headphones
An Apple patent was published today detailing a headset and communications platform that uses point-to-point network technology instead of cellular (via AppleInsider).
The application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, called "Point-to-Point ad hoc voice communication", describes a headset invention capable of connecting with similar devices over local wireless ad hoc networks, ...
Skyscanner Launches Flight-Finding Facebook Messenger Bot
Holiday booking service Skyscanner has announced a chat bot that enables users to book their vacation and search for holiday inspiration from within Facebook Messenger.
The conversation bot's main function is to search for flights on request and redirect users to the Skyscanner website to confirm their booking and complete payment.
Users can also ask the bot to search for holiday...
Uber Adds Foursquare Location Data to its Address-Finding Arsenal
Ride hailing company Uber has agreed a deal with Foursquare to use its location information in Uber's app to enhance its address finding capabilities (via Mashable).
Uber's deal with the local search and discovery service will see its app incorporate Foursquare's Places data, so that riders can find the addresses for exact locations simply by typing in the restaurant or venue name....
Toys-to-Life Franchise Gets iOS Card Game With Skylanders Battlecast
Hugely popular toys-to-life business Skylanders announced its first mobile card game on iOS yesterday, as its seeks to further penetrate the $1.2 billion digital card market.
Officially launched by parent company Activision Blizzard, Skylanders Battlecast takes the traditional formula established by the former's wildly successful Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and injects a grab bag of...
Microsoft Lays Off Nokia Employees, Exits Consumer Phone Business
Microsoft has laid off hundreds of employees tied to its smartphone business, as the company finally exits the consumer phone market and attempts to streamline its worldwide mobile division (via The Verge).
The move will impact up to 1,850 jobs worldwide, said Microsoft's head of Windows and devices Terry Myerson, while up to 1,350 of the positions will be in Finland. The cuts are expected to...
