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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

It will be great if Apple brings back the iMac G4 design for its smart home display

It will be great if Apple brings back the iMac G4 design (shown) for its smart home display

A report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that Apple’s upcoming smart home display might bear more than a passing resemblance to one of the most iconic Macintosh models, the iMac G4.

This is something I suggested might happen back in the summer, though personally I was hoping for a magnetic attachment for an iPad …

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Neither Apple nor Masimo could admit what the $250 case was really about

Neither Apple nor Masimo could admit what the $250 case was really about | One cent coin

The $250 (yep, there’s no missing ‘M’ from the end of that number) Apple was awarded in its patent infringement case against Masimo might seem amusing – as John Gruber wryly noted, it’s just about enough to buy one Apple Watch SE.

But what was even more amusing is than neither Apple not Masimo could admit what the case was really about for the respective parties …

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Smartphone buyers meh on AI, care much more about battery life

Smartphone buyers meh on AI | Priority notifications shown on the iPhone 16

Apple may be pitching Apple Intelligence as a key reason to upgrade to the iPhone 16, but it seems that most smartphone buyers are far more interested in the basics – like battery life.

A survey found that only a relatively small minority of consumers are currently using AI features on their smartphones, and it doesn’t yet seem to be a purchase driver …

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More than 100 million Americans had their health data exposed in a UnitedHealth hack

Patients and doctors were victims of a massive UnitedHealth hack | Doctor using smartphone

A UnitedHealth hack exposed the personal information and health data of more than 100M Americans – the first time the company has put a specific number on the security breach.

A ransomware attack was made on Change Healthcare back in February, but it was only yesterday that the company revealed its “unprecedented magnitude” …

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Bulk buyers are paying above retail for the iPhone 16, for four reasons

In most cases, you’d expect a shiny new Apple device to be worth less than you paid as soon as you walk out of the store, at least once you’re past the 14-day return period. You’d also expect companies buying in bulk to pay significantly less than retail.

But one of the biggest resellers in the business tells us that neither of these things is true, and that it is currently selling bulk lots of the iPhone 16 for above retail …

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Apple Watch Series 10 advanced display tech likely coming to iPhone

Apple Watch Series 10 advanced display tech | S10 on colorful background

A new supply-chain report notes that the Apple Watch Series 10 advanced display technology is expected to be adopted in future iPhones.

Apple’s trickle-down approach means that the Apple Watch always gets the most advanced display tech first before it later rolls out to other devices, and the S10 tech is likely to be later used for iPhones – but not next year …

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iOS 18.2 beta shows that the Apple Intelligence rollout isn’t as slow as some suggest

iOS 18.2 beta shows that the Apple Intelligence rollout isn't as slow as some suggest | Visual Intelligence shown

While the narrative around Apple Intelligence is that the company is leaning heavily on “coming later” asterisks, and we’ll have to wait a long time for any of it to actually launch, yesterday’s iOS 18.2 beta release tells a somewhat different story.

Now, sure, we have to include an asterisk of our own here – just because a feature is available in the current beta doesn’t mean it’ll make it into the release version in December – but it’s still a good pointer to the intended pace of the Apple Intelligence rollout …

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Carriers don’t want to unlock your iPhone, say it’s for your own good

Carriers don't want to unlock your iPhone | Padlocked door

Back in June, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a new rule, under which carriers will have to unlock your iPhone or Android smartphone within 60 days of activation.

Two of the biggest US carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile, are now arguing against this, claiming that it’s consumers who will suffer if they are forced to comply …

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Can we ever trust photos again, in an AI age? Apple and others working the problem

Can we ever trust photos again, in an AI age? | AI image created with Photoshop

At a time when you can ask AI to modify an existing photo in almost any way you please, or even ask it to generate a completely artificial image, can we ever trust photos again?

Apple is working to address the issue in two ways, and many of us are hoping it will also join an emerging new standard for content authenticity …

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Why the Apple Intelligence delays? What about the new Siri? Craig Federighi explains [Video]

Why the Apple Intelligence delays? | AI and Siri logos

When the iPhone 16 line-up was launched without most of the headline AI features, there was much criticism about the Apple Intelligence delays. The WSJ’s Joanna Stern has now sat down with Apple software lead Craig Federighi to ask him to explain why the roll-out is so slow.

In addition to the timeline of Apple Intelligence features, Federighi also talks about what we can expect from a smarter Siri

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TSMC says it reported itself to US govt; Apple chip production may be at risk [U]

TSMC may have breached US sanctions – Apple chip production could be at risk | Huawei smartphone shown

The US Commerce Department is carrying out an investigation into whether Apple chipmaker TSMC breached US sanctions against China by supplying smartphone and AI chips to Huawei. The probe was in part driven by Huawei’s surprising ability to resume competing with iPhones.

Update: A new report today says that TSMC reported itself to the US government based on its own suspicions about an order.

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Is Apple really two years behind on AI, and does it matter anyway?

Is Apple really two years behind on AI | Apple Intelligence logos on Mac, iPad, and iPhone

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported over the weekend that some Apple employees believe that the company is about two years behind the curve on artificial intelligence.

Tim Cook didn’t directly address that during an interview with the WSJ, but did say that the company’s aim is always to be best, not first – and that this includes AI …

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Quickly recover your Instagram or Facebook account with facial recognition | Screengrabs shown

Meta testing Face ID-like video selfie to recover your Instagram or Facebook account

Meta is testing facial recognition as a way of letting you instantly recover your Instagram or Facebook account if you find yourself locked out. The process of submitting a video selfie looks much the same as that used to register for Face ID, requiring you to turn your head in different directions.

The company is also using the technology to detect and block scams using celebrities …

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Tested: OneAdaptr OneGo and InfinaCore M3 Mini wireless battery packs for iPhone

OneAdaptr OneGo and InfinaCore M3 Mini

The iPhone 16 line-up offers an impressive boost to battery life, but there are still occasions when our iPhone needs some help to make it through a long day.

If you can’t rely on being in one place long enough to top-up by cable, a portable battery pack can save the day. I tested out two very different battery-powered wireless chargers …

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Internet Archive data breach exposes 31M users | Abstract image

Internet Archive hackers sending email replies to support tickets [U]

Update on October 21: The hackers still have access to support tickets and the email addresses of the users who submitted them, and are currently sending replies.

An Internet Archive data breach has been confirmed by the organisation, which has also been suffering Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. The home of the Wayback Machine was previously attacked back in May …

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Tim Cook defends Apple coming late to AI with four words

Cook defends Apple coming late to AI with four words | Cook posing with Vision Pro display

While the iPhone 16 launch was all about Apple Intelligence, many have accused the company of being very late to the AI party. Indeed, a new piece yesterday suggested that this view is shared by many inside the company.

But Apple CEO Tim Cook argues in a new interview that he doesn’t see it that way, and says that the company has taken its time with AI for the same reason it has with every innovation …

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