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 two technothriller novels , a romcom novel, and an SF novella series.
He is old enough to have owned the original Macintosh. He currently owns an M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air 11, 12.9-inch iPad Pro (LTE 256GB), iPhone 13 Pro Max (256GB), Dell Ultrawide 49-inch monitor, an Apple Watch (Series 4 WiFi) and multiple HomePods – he suspects it might be cheaper to have a cocaine habit than his addiction to all things anodised aluminum.
He thinks wires are evil and had a custom desk made to hide them, known as the OC Desk for obvious reasons.
He’s known for his op-ed and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review:
He considers 1000 miles a good distance for a cycle ride and Chernobyl a suitable tourist destination. What can we say, he’s that kind of chap.
He speaks fluent English but only broken American, so please forgive any Anglicised spelling in his posts.
If @benlovejoy-ing him on twitter, please follow him first so that he can DM you if appropriate. If you have information you can pass on, you can also email him. If you would like to comment on one of his pieces, please do so in the comments – he does read them all.
Apple has said that those who wear eyeglasses will be able to buy Vision Pro prescription lenses at extra cost – but hasn’t said how much that extra cost might be.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has suggested that the cost will be “at least $300-600 per pair” – but will that really be the case? …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple briefly touched on using Vision Pro as a Mac Virtual Display, which could be a first step toward a true Mac-equivalent spatial computer.
But it did this so briefly, and in such a low-key way, that many missed it. I’ve seen quite a few posts asking whether you can use Vision Pro as a virtual monitor for your Mac. The answer is “yes, but”…
Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s Reality Vision Pro was in some ways one of the company’s worst-kept secrets. We’ve known for years that Apple was working on AR/VR devices, and our renders were close enough to give us a decent preview of the design.
But Apple still knocked it out of the park yesterday! What we witnessed was the most impressive implementation of mixed reality that’s ever been seen, and also the most persuasive (partial) answer so far to the question, Why would anyone use this tech? …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple software lead Craig Federighi has talked about the new privacy features announced in yesterday’s keynote, and how Apple intends to protect us from some of the threats presented by AI.
As part of this, he says, Apple will use AI to fight one of the dangers created by AI …
Expand Expanding Close
In addition to attempting to summarize each of the WWDC 2023 keynote announcements in just one paragraph each, Apple has also shared photos of both the event itself and the new products announced.
This was the biggest WWDC keynote the company has ever held. Even the 1,000-seat Steve Jobs Theater, which Apple built specifically for events like WWDC and iPhone launches, wasn’t big enough to accommodate the audience for this event – so it was held outdoors …
Expand Expanding Close
That was quite the keynote! While Vision Pro of course took the headlines, the company packed in a huge number of announcements. So much so that even Apple thinks we need a summary of everything announced at WWDC 2023.
The company has provided its own take on the highlights of the event, attempting to fit each section of the keynote into a single paragraph – even for Vision Pro …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple today formally introduced macOS 14, alongside iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 – and Apple is dropping support for almost all Intel Macs.
The company has provided a list of the Macs able to run macOS 14 …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple today formally introduced iPadOS 17, alongside iOS 17 and macOS 14. As always, Apple aims to allow as many older iPads as possible to support the latest version, without compromising performance on hardware too weedy to do it justice.
The company has provided a list of the iPad models able to run iPadOS 17 …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s reputation is rated No. 10 in a new poll of the best-known US brands, while social networks Meta and Twitter come in the bottom 10 – not far ahead of The Trump Organization’s last place.
Poll company Harris has been using the same methodology for 24 years now, asking a large, nationally representative sample of Americans to name the two brands they consider to have the best reputation, and the two they consider to have the worst …
Expand Expanding Close
Reddit is going dark in protest at Reddit’s new API pricing, after third-party app Apollo was faced with an unaffordable bill of $20M per year. Dozens of the biggest subreddits plan to go private for two days, with hundreds of others joining in.
In other app news, Elon Musk’s claim that Twitter advertisers have returned appears to be misleading …
Expand Expanding Close
There are very mixed views as to whether the Apple headset and its successors can be the device to transform AR/VR from a niche interest to a mass-market product. But a report today says that those working within the sector firmly believe that it can.
Oculus founder Palmer Lucky said last month that the Apple headset is “so good,” and others in the business are said to be “jubilant” at today’s announcement …
Expand Expanding Close
US Amazon Prime members may soon be able to get highly discounted or even completely free mobile service, according to a report citing people close to negotiations with carriers.
Amazon is said to have been in discussion with three different mobile carriers for the past six to eight weeks, as part of a plan to revitalize Prime …
Expand Expanding Close
We learned yesterday that an Apple Store at Battersea Power Station would be one of around 50 new retail stores the company plans to open in the next four years – and it turns out we don’t have long to wait for that one. The company has now revealed that it opens on June 15.
The former power station is home to Apple’s UK headquarters, and it was known that the company planned to open a store there too, but only now do we have a few details …
Expand Expanding Close
A serious Windows iTunes security vulnerability has been revealed, affecting all versions prior to the latest update, released a week ago …
The
We all know Apple doesn’t jump on the latest fads, so while Samsung rushed out foldable smartphones, the Cupertino company has been in no hurry to offer a folding iPhone.
But with Motorola pointing to growing numbers of iPhone users abandoning Apple to buy its foldable phones, and our sister site concluding that the Motorola Razr finally nails the form factor, the pressure is now starting to build …
Expand Expanding Close
I won’t be buying Reality Pro. That’s partly down to the anticipated price, but also because I haven’t yet found either augmented or virtual reality to be in any way compelling.
Cute, yes. Impressive, also yes. But I can’t remember the last time I used an AR app, and while I did buy a VR headset, I also can’t remember the last time I dug it out of the back of a drawer …
Expand Expanding Close
Hello Games founder this week tweeted two Apple emoji, interpreted as potentially teasing two upcoming announcements. A No Man’s Sky Mac app was promised at last year’s WWDC, and has today launched. That accounts for one Apple emoji.
The second one is widely assumed to relate to No Man’s Sky landing on the upcoming Reality Pro headset …
Expand Expanding Close
Ring camera privacy has been under fire since 2019, with two separate issues leading to a formal complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). That has now resulted in Ring owner Amazon being fined – but only $5.8M.
The company was also fined $25M for using Alexa data from children to train its algorithms, something the FTC said was clearly illegal …
Expand Expanding Close
Russia has claimed that the NSA hacked iPhones belonging to both Russian citizens and foreign diplomats based in the country.
More than this, it claims that Apple assisted the NSA by providing backdoor access into iPhones …
Expand Expanding Close
Just a few days before Apple officially unveils Reality Pro, an Oppo MR headset has been announced – but it will only be available in China, and is aimed solely at developers.
The Oppo MR Glass Developer Edition has the same mixed-reality (MR) focus, reflected in the name, and the company’s long-term goal is very much in line as that rumored for Apple Glasses …
Expand Expanding Close
Back in January, a top US Air Force general predicted that a Taiwan invasion would occur in 2025, while the US is distracted by the likely fallout from the 2024 presidential election. That scenario is gaining in credibility among companies in Apple’s supply chain – but they say there is no possible way to put in place the necessary contingency plans.
Production of iPhones would likely be rendered impossible given the company’s complete dependence on both Taiwan and China …
Expand Expanding Close
The Apple Watch Ultra was launched to appeal to those wanting a more rugged and powerful version of its existing wearable, and a new range of Garmin Pro smartwatches is now following suit.
While a different proposition to the $800 Ultra, the new Fenix Pro and Epix Pro models do have some overlap, including the starting price …
Expand Expanding Close
Elon Musk recently admitted that Twitter is now worth less than half of the $44B he paid for it, but it now appears that the current Twitter valuation may actually be a third of the sum he paid …
Expand Expanding Close
Late last year, Apple finally updated the entry-level iPad to bring it into line with the all-screen design of its more expensive models – and that decision appears to have paid off.
Market intelligence data suggests that Apple achieved dramatic growth in iPad shipments during the first quarter of this year …
Expand Expanding Close