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 Wi-Fi Exploit Could Have Let Hackers Remotely Access Nearby iPhones
Earlier this year, Apple patched an iOS vulnerability that potentially could have allowed hackers to remotely access a nearby iPhone and gain control of the entire device. Devised by Ian Beer, a researcher at Project Zero, Google's vulnerability research team, the exploit used a vulnerability in Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL), Apple's proprietary mesh networking protocol that enables...
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How to Reinstall macOS on an M1 MacBook Air, M1 MacBook Pro, and M1 Mac Mini
If you experience issues running macOS Big Sur on your M1 MacBook Air, M1 MacBook Pro, or M1 Mac mini, or you want to start afresh with a new installation of the operating system, you'll need to boot into macOS Recovery, which is done slightly differently on Apple Silicon Macs compared to Intel machines. Keep reading to learn how to start up in macOS Recovery and reinstall macOS 11 Big Sur on ...
How to Transfer Files Between an Apple Silicon Mac and Another Mac
If you have a newer Apple Silicon Mac and an older Intel Mac lying around, you can connect the two using Sharing Mode, so that the older Mac appears as an external hard disk to your new machine. Sharing Mode on Apple Silicon Macs replaces the older Target Disk Mode found on Intel Macs, and can be used similarly to transfer data between two Macs. Mac Sharing Mode turns the system into an SMB...
How to Use Apple Diagnostics to Test Your Mac
Formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, Apple Diagnostics is a system-integrated feature on newer Macs running macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey that can check your Mac for hardware issues. This article explains how to use it on Apple silicon Macs and Intel Macs. If you think your Mac has a hardware problem, you can use Apple Diagnostics to help you determine which hardware component might be ...
How to Adjust or Disable Font Smoothing in macOS Big Sur
If you recently installed macOS Big Sur and you're wondering why the text looks blurry on your display, it could be because font smoothing is enabled by default. This article shows you how to disable it with a simple Terminal command. Before macOS 11 Big Sur came along, Apple offered the ability to disable font smoothing in the General tab of System Preferences. Unfortunately for some,...
Swiss Apple Reseller Suggests MagSafe Duo Charger Launches This Month
When Apple revealed the MagSafe Charger for iPhone 12 in October, it also announced a MagSafe Duo Charger that would be coming in the future, but it didn't specify a release date. However, a Swiss Apple authorized reseller claims the MagSafe Duo Charger will officially launch as soon as this month. Digitec Galaxus is a popular store in Switzerland and is allowing customers to pre-order the...
WhatsApp Update Adds Custom Wallpapers for Individual Chats, Sticker Search, and More
WhatsApp has released a major update to its iPhone app that brings unlimited custom wallpapers to individuals chats for the first time. The new ability to set custom wallpapers for different chats is an effort to make it easier for users to distinguish and identify them in the blink of an eye. WhatsApp says there's no limit on the number of custom wallpapers users can assign to different...
Apple Expands Partnership With (RED) to Combat HIV/AIDS and COVID-19
This World AIDS Day, Apple has announced an expanded partnership with (RED) to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa while simultaneously protecting those communities from COVID-19. Apple says it will direct 100 percent of eligible proceeds from (PRODUCT)RED purchases to the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response to help provide services and treatment to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. In...
Apple Highlights PPE Donations to Zambia in Fight Against COVID-19 and HIV
Apple has published a feature highlighting its PPE donations to Zambia and how it has been redirecting PRODUCT(RED) proceeds to help the Global Fund's efforts in the fight against COVID-19 and HIV in sub-saharan Africa. This year, COVID-19 drastically changed the landscape of healthcare, and the Global Fund, which coordinates these shipments to help fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, had...
Spotify Tests Instagram-Style Stories in Mobile App
Spotify has started publicly testing an Instagram-style stories feature in its mobile app on iOS and Android, reports Engadget. The video clips appear on some albums and playlists, such as Spotify's Christmas Hits playlist, which includes short messages from artists like Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, and Pentatonix, in which they relate their favorite festive songs. The stories can be...
Italy Fines Apple $12 Million for Misleading iPhone Water Resistance Claims
Apple has been slapped with a 10 million euro ($12 million) fine by Italy's antitrust watchdog for unfair commercial practices related to its iPhone marketing in the country. One of the Apple ads cited in the Italian watchdog's proceedings (credit: setteBIT) Specifically, Apple is being charged for misleading claims in promotional messages about how deep and how long iPhones can be submerged...
Mini-LED M1 MacBook Pro and Mini-LED iPad Pro Models Coming First Half of 2021
Apple is widely reported to be embracing mini-LED display backlighting technology for some products next year, and a new report today by DigiTimes has named several of Apple's partners in the supply chain that are expected to benefit from the switch. According to the report, Apple is set to launch its first mini-LED iPad Pro in the first quarter of 2021 and mass produce mini-LED MacBook Pro...
Shazam Promotion Offers Users Up to Five Free Months of Apple Music
Apple is offering up to a five-month free trial of Apple Music to new users of the streaming service, with the promotion appearing in the company's Shazam music identification app. Apple usually offers up to a three-month free trial of Apple Music to users who haven't subscribed to the service before, so this latest promotion represents one of its best deals yet. To access the promotion,...
How to Enable Facebook's Dark Mode on iPhone and iPad
When it came to adding a Dark Mode option to its iOS app, Facebook was late to the game. The social network announced it was coming in June 2020, but dragged its feet for months before eventually rolling it out to mobile users in November the same year, over 400 days after Apple first introduced the feature in iOS 13. Dark Mode has been available on the social network's website for a while ...
How to Tell Which Mac Apps Are Optimized for Apple Silicon
Following the launch of Macs powered by Apple silicon, numerous third-party apps have been updated to ensure they are optimized to run on Apple's custom processors. Even if an app hasn't been updated, Apple's non-Intel Macs can still run them, thanks to Apple's Rosetta 2 translation layer. But how do you know which of your apps are running natively as Universal executables and which ones are...
Apple Could Add Force Touch Sensors to Future MacBook Pro Touch Bar
Apple could add Force Touch sensors to the OLED Touch Bar on a future MacBook Pro if a new patent application by the company ever comes to fruition. The original Apple Watch was the first device to feature Force Touch, which sensed extra pressure when users pressed firmly on the display, allowing them to access additional content and controls depending on the context. In 2015, Apple...
ByteDance Granted Seven-Day Extension of TikTok Sale
TikTok owner ByteDance has been granted a seven-day extension on an order from the Trump Administration to sell the short-form video sharing platform (via Reuters). The administration had previously granted ByteDance a 15-day extension of the order issued in August, which was set to expire Friday. President Trump on August 14 directed ByteDance to divest the app within 90 days. According...
Apple Asks Foxconn to Move Some MacBook and iPad Production From China to Vietnam
Apple has asked Foxconn to move some of its iPad and MacBook assembly from China to Vietnam in an effort to minimize the impact of ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, according to sources cited by Reuters. Foxconn is building assembly lines for Apple's iPad tablet and MacBook laptop at its plant in Vietnam's northeastern Bac Giang province, to come online in the first half of...
Rumored 2021 High-End iPad Pro May Feature 5G With mmWave Support
Apple's rumored high-end iPad Pro models to be released next year will be 5G-enabled with mmWave support, according to sources cited by industry publication DigiTimes. Multiple rumors have suggested Apple is planning to release a high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display next year, with the possibility that there will be an 11-inch mini-LED model too, but details beyond that have...
Apple M1 MacBook Pro vs. Intel MacBook Pro (13-Inch) Buyer's Guide
In November 2020, Apple updated its popular 13-inch MacBook Pro lineup with the first Apple silicon chip for the Mac, the M1. The base 13-inch MacBook Pro was refreshed with the Arm-based Apple chip, bringing significant speed and efficiency improvements, yet Apple continues to sell the higher-end 13-inch MacBook Pro with Intel inside for several hundred dollars more. So is it still...
