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.
Yep, I admit it: My sole interest in the 2021 iPad mini was that it’s a super-cute gadget. I mean, it’s much more than that, but for me personally, I couldn’t really see a use for one.
I have the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and I have a 6.7-inch iPhone. It’s hard to see a role for an 8.3-inch device to sit between the two, which is why I admired the new iPad mini, but didn’t order one. I wanted to, though! Which prompted an experiment …
Expand Expanding Close
Some popular iPhone apps are using some sneaky techniques to uniquely identify you, even if you refused permission for app tracking. The data they are gathering includes everything from your iPhone’s Last Restart Time to your screen brightness setting measured to 15 significant digits.
A former iCloud engineer says that this type of privacy workaround makes Apple’s App Tracking Transparency rules a “dud” …
Expand Expanding Close
A chart showing iPhone performance gains over the years shows that diminishing returns have largely set in, but the overall gains are still impressive.
In particular, if you upgrade every three to four years, as the average smartphone user does these days, you’re going to see around a doubling in performance …
Expand Expanding Close
We’re of course expecting to get a detailed look inside the iPhone 13 when iFixit does its usual teardown, but in the meantime a couple of photos provide a sneak peek.
The photos show five visible changes when compared to the iPhone 12 …
Expand Expanding Close
Cinematic Mode video is one of the headline new features of the iPhone 13. The big question has been what performance would be like in real life. Apple’s own demo was incredibly impressive, but that of course relied on professional lighting and as many takes as were needed to get a great result.
We’ve already had one answer, from the WSJ’s Joanna Stern, who shot a music video in a studio, again with professional lighting and mounting equipment. But a new music video shot with nothing more than the iPhone 13 itself gives a much more realistic idea …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple chipmaker TSMC fired seven employees, stating that they “violated the company’s core values.”
Local reports say that the fired staff were caught leaking information about the company’s customers, of which Apple is the largest …
Expand Expanding Close
A Mac shortcut bug can enable an attacker to take over your machine when you open an email, using nothing more than a standard internet shortcut file.
Apple claims to have patched the bug in Big Sur and Monterey, but the security researcher who discovered the issue says that this is only partly true.
Expand Expanding Close
A new supply chain report suggests that the first Apple headset will go on sale in the second half of 2022, while the separate consumer-friendly product widely dubbed Apple Glasses won’t be available until “after 2023.”
The Apple headset – which is expected to be a very expensive product aimed at developers and enterprise – is said to have completed the second phase of prototype testing …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple recently sold its two-billionth iPhone, according to a new analyst report, which argues that the Steve Jobs legacy is still evident in the iPhone 13.
In one way, Apple has greatly departed from a principle Steve demanded when he returned to the company in 1997: simplification of the product lineup. But an analyst argues that it’s another of Steve’s beliefs that is still driving Apple’s success today …
Expand Expanding Close
There were a lot of people buying a new iPhone on Friday, and I was one of them, despite saying that I didn’t consider it an especially exciting update for most people.
But for me, I’m upgrading to the iPhone 13 for the same reason I bought the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s zero net emissions goal for its supply chain is now looking unlikely to be met, as A-series and M-series chipmaker TSMC has set a much less ambitious target for itself.
Apple achieved net zero emissions for its own operations back in 2018, and has promised to do the same for its entire supply chain by 2030. However, TSMC doesn’t appear to be on board for this …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple believes that an iPhone could detect depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline, using a number of digital clues. Health data used would include physical activity and sleep patterns.
For privacy protection, Apple is aiming for all of the diagnosis work to be carried out on the device, with no data sent to its servers …
Expand Expanding Close
The first new section of the London Tube network this century opened today, providing service to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station – which will be home to Apple’s London campus …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has really gotten itself into a CSAM no-win situation. If it presses ahead, then it will be condemned by civil rights groups and security professionals. If it doesn’t, it will be condemned by child protection groups.
The company has currently bought itself some time by delaying the rollout while it tries to think of additional safeguards, but the question remains: What could those be? …
Expand Expanding Close
The upcoming Ikea Sjömärke could be an attractive wireless iPhone charger for the minimalists among us. It’s designed to keep the charging pad invisible by placing it beneath a desk or table.
It’s very attractively priced too, at just $40 …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has offered a very basic Find My AirPods feature for several years, but that only worked when the devices were close enough to have a Bluetooth connection to your phone. Otherwise, the only thing you can do is see where they were when they were last connected to one of your devices.
iOS 15 will offer a true Find My AirPods feature, but don’t expect to see it today …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple giving into Russia twice this week on key civil liberties issues proves that the company’s CSAM misuse assurances cannot be trusted, argues a high-profile security expert.
Apple today pulled from the App Store an opposition tactical voting app after the Russian government threatened specific local company employees with “punishment” if they refused. It turns out that Apple also turned off its Private Relay service in Russia just yesterday, likely also in response to government pressure…
Expand Expanding Close
The Russian government introduced a new law specifically to outlaw this app. The law doesn’t come into force until November, but both Apple and Google have removed the app ahead of this.
Apple has been blackmailed into removing from the App Store a Russian tactical voting app, Navalny, which was designed to help voters support the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.
Both Apple and Google have removed the app after specific company employees were threatened with “punishment” …
Expand Expanding Close
We knew that Apple has redesigned the packaging for the iPhone 13 box, eliminating the plastic wrap. What we didn’t know was how it would manage to keep the boxes securely closed during transit and handling.
A photo tweeted this morning reveals the answer …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has issued a memo offering reassurance and support to employees who may be affected by the Texas abortion ban …
Expand Expanding Close
Update: Readers report getting two different stories from Apple – either the same as below, or that you instead have to buy via a specific iUP link. Might be best to have that link open as a plan B.
If you want to join the iPhone Upgrade Program in the UK, you have to visit an Apple Store in person in order to present documents and sign the paperwork. Which raises the obvious question: How does the process work if you want to pre-order the iPhone 13 online or in the app to ensure you get it on day one … ?
Expand Expanding Close
An AAPL shareholder resolution calls for Apple to “cease its anti-repair policies” to avoid damage to the company’s reputation.
In particular, the resolution says that Apple making DIY and third-party repairs difficult contradicts the iPhone maker’s stance on the environment.
Expand Expanding Close
If you’re planning on buying the iPhone 13, the process just got easier, says Apple, thanks to two changes.
The company also highlighted some existing features and services designed to facilitate a purchase.
Expand Expanding Close
An iPhone exploit sold to the United Arab Emirates for $1.3M was developed by a US company that used American mercenaries to facilitate the sale, according to the Department of Justice …
Expand Expanding Close