Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer who started his career on PC World and has written for dozens of computer and technology magazines, as well as numerous national newspapers, business and in-flight magazines. He has also written two technothriller novels , a romcom novel, and an SF novella series.
He is old enough to have owned the original Macintosh. He currently owns an M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air 11, 12.9-inch iPad Pro (LTE 256GB), iPhone 13 Pro Max (256GB), Dell Ultrawide 49-inch monitor, an Apple Watch (Series 4 WiFi) and multiple HomePods – he suspects it might be cheaper to have a cocaine habit than his addiction to all things anodised aluminum.
He thinks wires are evil and had a custom desk made to hide them, known as the OC Desk for obvious reasons.
He’s known for his op-ed and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review:
He considers 1000 miles a good distance for a cycle ride and Chernobyl a suitable tourist destination. What can we say, he’s that kind of chap.
He speaks fluent English but only broken American, so please forgive any Anglicised spelling in his posts.
If @benlovejoy-ing him on twitter, please follow him first so that he can DM you if appropriate. If you have information you can pass on, you can also email him. If you would like to comment on one of his pieces, please do so in the comments – he does read them all.
Apple has recently started in-store testing of a Presto system, which can provide software updates to iPhone stock in Apple Stores without even opening the boxes.
We now have more details about how Presto works, and it’s even more sophisticated than it first appeared …
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Apple chip production is largely back on track following the major earthquake in Taiwan, thanks in part due to “world-class seismic mitigation measures” in TSMC’s plants.
Some plants were temporarily evacuated to ensure the safety of employees, and there was some damage – the worst of which appears to have been to the company’s most advanced plant, using the 2nm process expected to be used for the iPhone 17 Pro chips …
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With Apple now having dragged its decade-long car project to the trash can, the company is reportedly now working on another skunk-works project: an Apple Robot.
Both self-driving cars and home robots have a lot in common. They have long been a science-fiction dream, and nobody has come anywhere close to realizing that dream. But a truly useful and capable domestic robot is an even bigger challenge than an autonomous car …
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A Right to Disconnect law introduced by a Californian lawmaker aims to end the tyranny of employers who expect their staff to respond 24/7 to emails, Slack alerts, text messages, and other out-of-hours notifications.
It mirrors similar laws already passed in several European countries …
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The biggest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years has killed at least four people, with TSMC plants evacuated as a safety precaution.
Apple’s chipmaker is still assessing the impact on production; even the slightest vibration can result in entire batches of chips being destroyed …
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We’ve already seen at least two examples of a Vision Pro headset assisting with surgery, and another first has now been notched up in Florida.
Vision Pro was used to provide “touch-free access to the surgical setup, inventory, and procedural guides from within the sterile field of the operating room” during a shoulder replacement – specifically, a reverse one …
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Installing a third-party app store is now possible for iPhone owners in the EU – but it’s not exactly a quick-and-easy process.
It seems a safe bet that this is a deliberate move on Apple’s part to deter people from doing it – something which is likely to land the company in court on antitrust charges …
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A remark by EU competition head Margrethe Vestager has suggested that Apple may be required to let iPhone owners delete the Photos app.
While this possibility hasn’t previously been raised, Vestager mentioned in a brief speech that this was one of the things Apple had failed to do in its DMA response – and it would obviously involve a massive change to the way iOS works …
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A potential new Apple Watch emergency SOS feature described in a new patent application could help save some swimmers from drowning.
The patent describes how the Watch could detect “irregular behaviour” and automatically transmit a call for help …
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Jon Stewart interviewed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) head Lina Khan yesterday, saying that he’d wanted to do it while his show was hosted on Apple TV+, but the company wouldn’t allow it.
The revelation comes after one of the (many and varied!) complaints in the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit was that Apple was controlling content and impacting on free speech …
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A recent report suggested we might be seeing some form of Apple Pencil for Vision Pro, and that idea appears to be supported by an Apple patent application published this week.
The lack of a physical surface to press against means that things like drawing and handwriting can be tougher in a virtual environment, and Apple describes a couple of interesting solutions to this …
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A new supply-chain report suggests that Apple is seeking to be an early player in what some believe will be the next big thing in chip development: printed circuit boards (PCBs) made from glass substrates.
While that might not sound exciting, it offers the prospect of an entirely new way of mounting and packaging chips, which could offer much better thermal performance, allowing processors to run at maximum power for longer periods …
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Redditors who took advantage of their privileged access to stock ahead of the IPO have seen Reddit share value rocket from $34 to $59.80 by yesterday’s close – an 86% increase.
Update: Subsequent share sales by the company’s CEO and COO – coupled to a report describing the stock as “grossly overvalued” – saw the price fall to $49.32, below the closing price on the day of the IPO …
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If you’re shooting spatial video on your iPhone 15 Pro – and there can be good reasons for doing so, even if you don’t own a Vision Pro – then you may want to invest in a $3 iPhone app.
While Apple’s native camera app only shoots spatial video in 1080p at 30fps, Spatialify lets you record in 4K at the same frame rate …
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A new report claims that Apple has developed a new finish for the titanium frame of the iPhone 16 Pro models, with the brushed look of the iPhone 15 Pro replaced by “a more polished material.”
The switch from stainless steel to titanium frame in the iPhone 15 Pro brought three benefits, but not everyone is a fan of the rather dull-looking finish, and that’s something Apple may have addressed …
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Following the company’s successful IPO, and a deal with Google to allow Reddit posts to be used as training data, the expansion of another Reddit data-sharing agreement has been signed – this time with Cision.
The data is likely to be used to help companies understand consumer perceptions of their brands, and insights into comments on their products …
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There was a surprise upgrade for some in iOS 17.4: tests reveal that it enabled iPhone 12 Qi2 charging, at the full 15W speed.
Support for 15W Qi2 charging was first announced for the iPhone 15, and then extended to the iPhone 13 and 14 through the iOS 17.2 update back in December of last year – and is now available for the iPhone 12 too …
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As 2024 looks like the year that Apple makes its big push into generative AI, the federal government is also encouraging the use of AI by its own agencies …
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The practice of parts pairing – which can prevent third-party repair shops from cannibalising broken devices for parts – has been outlawed by Oregon, taking effect for any product made after January 1, 2025.
The legislature just passed the toughest right to repair law seen to date, and it now requires only the governor’s signature to pass into law. Update: Governor Tina Kotek has now signed, and the bill is now law.
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A new supply-chain report reiterates earlier reports that some engineers previously working on Vision Pro have been moved to working a folding iPhone or iPad project.
It also claims that the planned launch of a foldable iPhone has been delayed from 2026 to 2027, but that suppliers have been told to stick to their existing schedules …
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An antitrust lawsuit against Apple brought by Venmo has been dismissed, the judge finding that there was no evidence of anticompetitive behavior.
The Paypal-owned app company has, however, been given one final chance to make its case – though the judge made it very clear this would be a long-shot …
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The Grok AI chatbot, which was previously going to be exclusive to X’s top-tier Premium+ subscribers, will instead be coming to all premium subscribers this week.
The move is likely geared to boosting revenue in the face of falling usage and an exodus of advertisers, but it’s leading some Premium+ subscribers to question what they are now getting for their money …
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A new supply-chain report says that Samsung declined to make displays for the iPhone SE 4, expected to debut in 2025 with a major upgrade.
The Korean report says that Samsung was unable to reach agreement with Apple on the price of the displays, and so they will instead be made by China’s BOE …
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An iPad and iPhone fraudster who is estimated to have cost Apple more than $6M in replacement devices has been sentenced to 51 months in prison.
His two co-defendants were sentenced to 41 months each back in 2023. The trio also had property and cash seized to the value of more than $4M …
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