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 several books, and creates occasional videos.
He is old enough to have owned the original Macintosh. He currently owns an M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, an M1 13-inch MacBook Air, an iPad mini, an iPhone 16 Pro Max, and multiple HomePods. He suspects it might be cheaper to have a cocaine habit than his addiction to all things anodised aluminum.
He’s known for his op-ed and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review:
He speaks fluent English but only broken American, so please forgive any Anglicised spelling in his posts.
He gets a lot of emails and can’t possibly reply to them all. If you would like to comment on one of his pieces, please do so in the comments – he does read them all.
New Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Jessica Rosenworcel has today told delegates at the Mobile World Congress that 6G launch planning should begin now, even though switch-on is not expected until 2030.
Her remarks follow the embarrassing clash between the FCC and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over the safety of the expanded 5G rollout …
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Global iPhone production reportedly set a new all-time record in the holiday quarter, Apple managing to balance huge demand for the iPhone 13 line-up with a well-managed supply chain operation to minimize the impact of component shortages.
Two additional factors were at play for Apple, according to market intelligence company TrendForce …
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A growing number of tech giants are applying Russian sanctions of the digital kind in response to the unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Update: Apple subsequently announced its own responses.
Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok are all limiting access to two Russian media brands, Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik …
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Two credible sources have suggested that Apple is working on a foldable MacBook display, and that this might unfold to see the largest screen ever created for a portable Apple device – around 20 inches.
We’ve this morning seen one possible take on what such a product might look like, but is Apple really working on something like this? …
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Many iOS apps sell your location data to data brokers, despite Apple’s privacy policies and clampdowns, says a new report today.
It says that while both Apple and Google have cracked down on one sneaky approach used by companies that buy and sell user data, a simple workaround is in widespread use …
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Apple has written a letter arguing that the change it has offered in the Dutch App Store complies with the law, despite that fact that the antitrust regulator has rejected the proposal as ‘not serious.’
The latest development follows the European Union suggesting that Apple was happy to pay fines rather than properly comply with antitrust rules …
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Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is suggesting that Apple should sell the existing iPhone SE for $199 as a loss leader in parts of the world where iPhones remain largely unaffordable to the masses.
Effectively he is arguing for the equivalent of the Apple Watch Series 3: a way to bring people on board who are unable or unwilling to pay even entry-level Apple pricing …
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We had two reports last week suggesting that Apple is working on some kind of foldable MacBook display. Designer Antonio De Rosa has created a set of renders – and a video – with his take on what such a device might look like.
Both reports came from reliable sources, so it seems clear that Apple is at least playing around with this idea, though the exact nature of any eventual product isn’t totally clear …
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The iPhone average selling price (ASP) hit double-digit growth last year, increasing 14% year-on-year. The popularity of the iPhone 13 was the key driver, helping propel the global smartphone market as a whole to record annual revenue of $448B.
Despite component shortages, the smartphone market grew 7% year-on-year, with Apple taking by far the largest slice of the pie …
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Apple News local news coverage is rolling out to Canada, starting with Toronto and Montreal. It follows a recent expansion of the service in the US.
Local news was first launched in the US in 2020, and now covers 11 areas: the Bay Area, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington DC …
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Facebook and Instagram‘s parent company Meta has labelled Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature ‘harmful.’ One analyst said that the privacy measure could be the biggest challenge the company ever faces.
A report today says that the loss of ability to target Facebook and Instagram users by their interests is seeing businesses abandon the platform in favor of Google ads …
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Apple has shared photos of its spectacular new Al Maryah Island Apple Store, ahead of tomorrow’s opening. Vlogger Emkwan has also posted a video tour.
The latest Abu Dhabi store has a dramatic water feature, blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, has a golden carbon fiber roof, and offers panoramic views of the skyline …
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Update: The gunman has now died from injuries sustained when he was hit by a police vehicle. Police intervened to save the hostage when he ran from the store and the gunman gave chase. The gunman has still not been named, but police say he was an Amsterdam resident with a criminal record …
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Apple doesn’t care about the fact that it is regularly being fined €5M ($5.7M) by Dutch antitrust regulators, and would rather pay the fines than comply with the law, it is claimed.
The accusation was leveled by the European Union’s competition regulator Margrethe Vestager, after Apple was fined for the fifth time …
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It seems scarcely a week goes by without a fresh batch of AirTag scare stories – whether it’s misuse by an abusive partner, stalker, or thief.
We’ve previously explained why Apple’s protections make them a really dumb choice of tracker for anyone with malevolent intent – but the scare stories may, ironically, have done more good than harm …
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We’ve known for several years that an in-house Apple 5G modem design was in the works, to enable the Cupertino company to finally ditch Qualcomm as a supplier. A fresh report today says that Apple is in talks with a potential company to assist with this work.
Apple is expected to switch to its own modem design from 2023, though this likely won’t entirely end the company’s relationship with Qualcomm …
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Development of an Apple Car autopilot chip appears to be a step closer to reality as Apple has reportedly placed an order with a Korean company.
To be clear, the order is not for the final chip – which would almost certainly be fabricated by Apple’s A-series and M-series chipmaker TSMC – but for modules that will eventually be incorporated into the chip …
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Supply chain sources say that Apple AR headset testing has now reached the next phase of engineering validation after moving beyond the prototype stage.
This means there are now likely 100+ units that combine the functionality of the final device with something that looks less like a prototype and more like a real product …
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Twitter appears to be working on a feature that will allow you to untag your Twitter username from an unwanted thread, aka escape from ‘Twitter canoes’ …
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AirTag stalking concerns continue to be voiced, despite the fact that Apple’s tracker is the least suitable one on the market for anyone with malicious intent.
One campaign group is calling for all companies making Bluetooth trackers to cooperate in the development of new safety measures, and a university is conducting a study designed to assess the scale of the problem …
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The very first phase of iPhone 14 production is reportedly underway, in a stage known as trial production. In this phase, a small number of devices are assembled in order to gather data that will guide later mass production.
Trial production has four main goals …
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The Apple vs Ericsson patent trial saga continues. We learned a couple of days ago that the Ericsson case against Apple would be heard in June of next year. This is where Ericsson accuses Apple of patent infringement in the 5G chips used in the latest iPhones.
We’re today learning that Apple’s countersuit, accusing Ericsson of infringing Apple patents in its base stations, will be heard the following month, in July. So far, things are still not looking good for the Cupertino company…
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A description of the Coinbase App Store policy makes very clear the disproportionate power Apple holds over the tech sector, argues a new piece today.
The company’s CEO says that whatever Apple wants, it gets – which doesn’t exactly help Apple’s antitrust argument that its App Store is simply one platform…
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The Joe Rogan Spotify podcast cost was widely reported to have been $100M, though neither party commented on it. However, a new report today says that the actual cost was at least twice that…
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