Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy

benlovejoy

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.

Connect with Ben Lovejoy

No iPhone Ultra today? Three possible explanations …

No iPhone Ultra today? Image shows an Apple logo on a premium-looking product box

It was widely expected that the first foldable iPhone set to be launched later today would be named the iPhone Ultra. However, a report yesterday said that the device will instead be called the iPhone Duo.

If accurate, it’s an interesting development as it might potentially point to the company reserving the Ultra suffix for a completely different future model …

Expand Expanding Close

Samsung ‘advice’ to Apple suggests it fears the build quality of the iPhone Duo

Samsung 'advice' to Apple suggests it fears the build quality of the iPhone Duo | Mockup of Apple's upcoming folding iPhone shown

Samsung says it welcomes Apple’s entry into the foldable smartphone market, although the company appears to feel threatened by the likely build quality of the iPhone Duo/Ultra.

A Samsung exec said he sees Apple’s launch as “acknowledging and recognizing” the Korean company’s “pioneering” lead …

Expand Expanding Close

The Cadillac Lyriq EV is the first crack in GM’s CarPlay ban

The Cadillac Lyriq EV is the first crack in GM's CarPlay ban | Interior shot shown

General Motors first announced that it was ditching CarPlay in all future EVs back in 2023, subsequently issuing a series of ridiculous justifications – and at one point even implying it’s what Steve Jobs would have done.

But it seems there is now one exception. Since that U-turn was reportedly based on customer feedback, perhaps GM is now rethinking its life decisions …

Expand Expanding Close

Apple will quickly become a dominant player in folding phones – Counterpoint

Samsung 'advice' to Apple suggests it fears the build quality of the iPhone Duo | Mockup of Apple's upcoming folding iPhone shown

Counterpoint Research has predicted that global foldable phone shipments will surpass 100 million units by the end of this year, with the iPhone Ultra playing a major role in this growth. The firm says it expects Apple to take 25% of the entire market this year – and it may be the biggest player by the same time next year.

In timing unlikely to be coincidental, the Xiaomi 18 Fold, leaked last month, is officially launching in China the day before Apple’s event …

Expand Expanding Close

A foldable Mac is years away, but Apple is still working on it

Folding MacBook would be along the lines of the Lenovo Yogabook (shown)

There have long been reports and rumours about Apple working on a foldable clamshell device that is either an iPad, a Mac, one of each, or a hybrid of the two.

A recent report said that although this was once a priority for new CEO John Ternus, the project had been cancelled – but I don’t think that’s entirely accurate …

Expand Expanding Close

How do Apple Refurbished products compare with Amazon and Walmart?

Apple Certified Refurbished products versus Amazon and Walmart | Image shows the graphic from Apple's certified refurbished store

If you’re willing to exercise a little patience rather than rushing out to buy a shiny new Apple product on launch day, then Apple’s refurbished store has always been an excellent option. Typically, there will be around a three-month wait between a product launch and the first refurbished models appearing on Apple’s website.

Other companies offers their own alternatives, like Amazon Renewed and Walmart Restored, but it’s important to understand the different standards and warranties that apply …

Expand Expanding Close

Will the iPhone 18 Pro’s biggest upgrade really deliver?

Will the iPhone 18 Pro's biggest upgrade really deliver | A portrait photo with a shallow depth of field

In general, we’re not expecting the iPhone 18 Pro to be a significant upgrade over its predecessor. Indeed, if you currently have an older iPhone there are arguments for buying the iPhone 17 Pro ahead of next week’s launch.

Of the few upgrades we are expecting, the biggest one on paper is going to be a variable aperture lens for the primary camera. But will this make a significant difference in reality … ?

Expand Expanding Close

Apple faces yet another lawsuit over App Tracking Transparency, with a twist [U]

Apple faces yet another lawsuit over App Tracking Transparency | Photo shows a defendant nameplate in a courtroom

While Apple has long used privacy as a selling point for both its hardware and services, I do wonder whether it now regrets introducing one privacy measure: App Tracking Transparency (ATT).

For something with rather limited scope, it sometimes feels like scarcely a month goes by without a new antitrust lawsuit or regulator challenging it. A third ATT lawsuit is being brought in the UK – this one with a twist.

This piece has been updated with a response by Apple at the end of the piece …

Expand Expanding Close

Syncing Hue lights to your TV now starts at $120; Nanoleaf integration too

Syncing Hue lights to your TV now starts at $120 | Photo shows living room lighting being synced to a photo displaying a space scene

Syncing your Philips Hue lights to your TV display used to be a rather expensive undertaking, at $385 for the company’s Sync Box 8K. A couple of new products now bring that cost down to as little as $120.

Additionally, you can now integrate Nanoleaf wall panels into your Philips Hue ecosystem thanks to a new $40 Wall Light Module …

Expand Expanding Close

AI will be the defining test of Apple’s environmental commitments, says Greenpeace

AI will be the defining test of Apple's environmental commitments, says Greenpeace | Photo shows part of a solar farm

Greenpeace says the adoption of AI poses the biggest threat to Apple’s environmental track record, and argues that how the company responds will be the “defining test” of whether it really means what it says.

Apple’s environmental achievements to date have been unrivalled, but the massive data center demands created by Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features could change all of that …

Expand Expanding Close

Dropbox breach seemingly caused by egregious authentication failure [U]

Dropbox breach seemingly caused by egregious authentication failure | Photo shows an abstract illustration of digital boxes

Multiple Dropbox users have been emailed by the cloud storage company to advise them that a security breach saw unauthorised access to their account. Update: the company has said that about 5,000 accounts were compromised, with files downloaded from around 1,500 of them.

The root cause appears to be a lack of authentication by Dropbox when attackers created a single sign-on option through a third-party company …

Expand Expanding Close

FBI investigates as hackers sell digital scans of 153M drivers licenses

FBI says cyber fraud cost Americans $21B last year – here's what you need to know | FBI meeting at a field office

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is reportedly investigating identity theft as digital scans of more than 153 million driver’s licenses went on sale on the dark web. Additional documents offered through a massive security breach include medical cards, residence cards, and more.

The licenses belong to people in the US and Canada, and appear to have been collected by hacking an identity verification service …

Expand Expanding Close