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.
Apple has expressed caution about a proposal to increase the share of streaming music revenue paid to artists from the current typical 16% to a far higher 50% rate.
The British government has proposed a “complete reset” of the business model for streaming music, so that artists and songwriters are better compensated …
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Non-invasive blood sugar measurement has been described as the holy grail of consumer medical tech, and an Apple supplier has now formally announced its solution. It says it is now moving into the test phase.
The first stage will be a standalone wristband, but the hope is that the tech will make it into future Apple Watch models …
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This month has seen a streak of AAPL record-high values, the stock hitting three all-time-high closing prices so far, and looking set for a fourth when trading opens this morning.
At the time of writing, AAPL was showing $148.70 in pre-market trading, and looks likely to reach $150 any time now …
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A poll has revealed that many Brits are deleting the contact tracing app in order to avoid the risk of being asked to self-isolate.
The behavior is in part enabled by an odd decision around digital COVID vaccine passports …
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The Harber London leather messenger bag is the latest in the company’s line of premium bags pitched squarely at the Apple-owning demographic …
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JetBlue first got FAA approval to use iPads on the flight deck of its fleet of airliners back in 2013, and is now introducing the latest M1-powered iPad Pro models.
JetBlue says that the iPad quickly proved to be an invaluable tool, replacing reams of paperwork as well as providing convenient access to operational apps …
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A data scientist yesterday questioned the Twitter verification of bots – accounts which didn’t meet the social network’s own stated criteria for the blue checkmark, and which appeared to be part of a botnet.
Twitter has now said that it made a mistake, though an alternate theory has been suggested …
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After IDC posted its own estimate of Mac market share at 7.4%, Gartner has now weighed in with its own number. The market intelligence firm doesn’t include Chromebooks in its definition of PCs, so paints a more optimistic picture, giving Apple 8.5% of the PC market.
That definition also means that Mac market share increased rather than decreased …
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Update: The vaccine purchase has now been made.
Apple suppliers TSMC and Foxconn are working on buying millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Taiwan. The plan is for the two companies to buy the vaccines, then donate them to the government for distribution to the people of the island nation.
The indirect arrangement, where the government authorizes private companies to buy vaccines on behalf of the country, is designed to thwart Chinese interference …
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Apple and Samsung laptops are leading global growth in the notebook computer sector, according to a new TrendForce report.
It says that laptop sales grew by almost 26% last year, and are set for a further 15% boost this year …
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Apple might leave the UK market if it is forced to pay too much money to a patent troll, after losing a case last month, says the company’s lawyer. The case relates to a claim by Optis Wireless, which initially won a $506M award against Apple in the US, before the judgment was overturned on appeal.
Optis – which bought some standards-essential LTE patents in order to make claims like this – then won a separate case against Apple in the UK, this time claiming billions rather than millions …
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The NHS contact tracing app used in England and Wales is having its settings adjusted to send fewer COVID-19 exposure alerts, as England prepares for the end of lockdown on July 19.
Currently, users are alerted if a contact tests positive after they spent at least 15 minutes within two meters (6.5 feet) of them …
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A new President Biden executive order adds to the right to repair pressure on Apple. One of 72 initiatives in the order specifically calls on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to introduce rules against restrictions on DIY and third-party repairs.
While some of the text references the agriculture industry – and tractors in particular – there is a separate reference to “cell phone manufacturers” …
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Apple has claimed in a new interview that the M1 MacBook battery life was so good they originally thought the battery indicator was buggy, failing to respond as the remaining life fell.
The claim is made by Apple marketing VP Bob Borchers, who also suggests that future generations of Apple Silicon might be good enough to turn Macs into gaming machines …
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Apple’s European tax rate is likely to increase from 12.5% to 15%, despite Ireland being reluctant to impose the higher rate.
Apple based its European headquarters in Ireland, and has historically funneled most of its revenue from all 27 EU countries through the country in order to benefit from the low rate of corporate tax charged there …
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We’re still awaiting a US ruling in the Epic Games antitrust case against Apple, but the games company has now received the go-ahead to take the same case to court in Australia.
Apple had successfully blocked legal proceedings in the country, arguing that the matter was already being decided in the US, but Epic has now managed to get that ruling overturned – at least, for now …
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There are some products that can only be described as “for the Apple fan who has everything” – and the Bandwerk Milano Apple Watch band is one of two seen this week.
The first was the Nomad Leather Cover for MagSafe Charger, tested by our sister site 9to5Toys …
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A large number of Brits using Apple TV to watch the Euro 2021 semi-final found that the livestream was interrupted by a problem with the ITV Hub app. ITV was the only channel showing the match, meaning there was no other option available to those whose viewing was affected.
The soccer match saw England beat Denmark 2-1, in a match watched by around 24M people …
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Warren Buffett’s AAPL mistake cost Berkshire Hathaway up to $18B, after the billionaire investor earlier admitted that selling some of the conglomerate’s holdings at the end of last year was “probably a mistake.”
AAPL closed on a record high yesterday, which would have seen Berkshire’s pre-sell-off stake worth $146B …
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A couple of disturbing reports revealed the comparative ease with which criminal gangs were able to use stolen iPhones to access the owner’s bank accounts. The initial report didn’t explain the method used, but a subsequent one did: swapping the SIM to a new device in order to reset the Apple ID password.
Apple is already working on one security measure – making it easier for users to remotely wipe data from a stolen iPhone – but the reports also highlight a security weakness that seems worryingly common among non-techies: using the Notes app to store passwords …
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A well-intentioned law to allow digital platforms to detect and report child abuse is likely to itself break European privacy law …
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If you’ve been using Kaspersky Password Manager (KPM) on your iPhone for a while, you may need to generate some new passwords. A security researcher has discovered two flaws that could result in an attacker having to try as few as 100 passwords to find yours …
Update: Kaspersky has shared an official statement on the flaws:
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Many Apple devices are auto-suggesting the woozy face emoji when a user types the word ‘stammering.’ This is a term for a condition more commonly known as stuttering.
A British charity for designed to support those who stammer has described the link between the emoji and the word as “demeaning and damaging” …
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An AI system is being used to measure how much time politicians spend on their phones during debates and other televised government meetings …
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