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.
Whether or not we expect to buy, I suspect most of us would like to at least try Apple’s upcoming AR/VR headset. But the availability of Reality Pro demos is likely to be limited, even after the product goes on sale toward the end of the year.
It may even be that Apple takes a similar approach to the original gold Apple Watch – where you not only had to make an appointment, but one that took place off the main sales floor …
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There have been conflicting views on the risks to humanity posed by artificial intelligence, with some even going as far as suggesting that AI could make humans extinct. Surprisingly, however, that latter view is shared by many leading experts in artificial intelligence – including the CEOs of both OpenAI and Google DeepMind …
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One of the most oft-heard complaints about Apple’s AirPods is that they are only available in white. Many have wondered why the company doesn’t offer a range of colorful AirPods, to match iPhone colors.
The same Apple collector who yesterday revealed that Apple prototyped a color-matched MagSafe charger says that the company did the same for AirPods – and came very close to launching them …
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The US government banned the use of NSO’s Pegasus spyware 18 months ago, but a new report today says that at least one government agency is using very similar malware from a rival company: Paragon Graphite.
Graphite reportedly has the same capabilities as Pegasus, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is said to be using it …
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Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant – colloquially known as iPhone City – appears to be struggling to recruit and retain enough staff. The company is reported to have raised iPhone worker bonuses three times in one month as it preps for mass-production of the iPhone 15.
In particular, Foxconn is offering substantial incentives for remaining on the production line for at least three months, to see it through the busiest period, and avoid a repetition of last year’s major disruption …
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Apple offers color-coded MagSafe cables, to match its MacBook finishes, and also tested out color MagSafe chargers, likely to match iPhone colors.
However, while the company got as far as making at least one prototype, it appears that it decided against offering them for sale …
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Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman got to try out a prototype of the upcoming Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality headset, and likely the closest competition with Apple’s Reality Pro.
So far, most renders of Reality Pro have shown a rather bulky device, almost as thick as the Quest 2, but the fact that the Meta Quest 3 is notably slimmer could suggest that Apple’s headset may be sleeker than expected …
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ChatGPT for iPhone launched in the US last week, with OpenAI promising that it would come to more countries “in the coming weeks.”
The next phase in the rollout has now happened earlier than expected, with 11 more countries added on Wednesday, and a further 35 today …
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Academics have been told to delete Twitter data used for research purposes, unless they sign up for API access costing $42,000 per month …
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Apple Pride celebrations, ahead of Pride Month in June, are continuing. The company kicked things off with a new Apple Watch band and watch face, and has today announced new workouts with music playlists of LGBTQIA+ “artists and allies.”
In the ally category is an Artist Spotlight on Madonna, who Apple describes as a longtime social activist …
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Yesterday we got to enjoy a new Apple privacy video, created to highlight the way that the Health app protects our medical data. Today the Chinese version of the Apple website features another fun privacy video (linked below), and you don’t need to speak Mandarin to enjoy it …
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A Find My Apple Pencil feature could be on the way, described in a new Apple patent application published today.
Interestingly, the method Apple describes doesn’t use an ultra wideband chip, but rather an acoustic signal …
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WhatsApp usernames look likely to be offered in a future version of the secure chat app. This would potentially make it easier to add contacts, and offer greater privacy …
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Security researchers have documented the first known case of NSO’s Pegasus spyware being used in a military conflict. The hacks relate to the long-running military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, over a region claimed by both countries.
The victims – who included a United Nations official, journalists, human rights advocates, and a former government minister – received alerts from Apple that their iPhones had been hacked …
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Apple services chief Eddy Cue has told CNBC’s Jim Cramer that the company only makes things consumers care about.
Cue recycled a couple of Steve Jobs phrases while speaking at the first CNBC CEO Council Summit in Santa Barbara, California …
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The first quarter of the year saw Samsung challenging Apple in the European smartphone market, retaking the No. 1 slot from the iPhone maker.
A new market intelligence report says that Samsung is now trying to adopt Apple’s strategy of focusing on premium sales and the ecosystem. However, it says competing with the iPhone won’t be easy …
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The outcome of the long-running Irish tax battle between Apple and the European Commission will be decided by Europe’s highest court, after the EC lodged a final appeal against the ruling that the iPhone maker is not liable for underpaid tax in Ireland.
All parties have now presented their arguments, and we await a ruling on whether or not Apple will have to hand over €13B ($14B) in underpaid taxes …
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The latest Samsung advanced display tech has been announced, all of which will be made available to consumer electronics clients like Apple. The Korean company’s significant lead in screen technology means that it is still Apple’s primary display supplier.
The new features include a rollable screen (above), and an embedded fingerprint reader which would allow you to unlock your device by touching literally anywhere on the screen …
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Given the way that Apple Silicon closes the gap between consumer and professional Macs, the answer to the question “Which Mac should I buy?” is perhaps less straightforward than ever before. But however you decided to tackle it, don’t ask ChatGPT for advice …
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Apple has toyed with a number of different names for the Reality Pro OS – the operating system run by its upcoming AR/VR headset. The most likely bet appears to be xrOS, but there are other possibilities.
Indeed, Apple has now trademarked at least five different names …
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An Apple security fix in iOS 15.6.1 back in August of last year was said to close two major security vulnerabilities, one of which could have allowed a rogue app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges (aka do Very Bad Things). But it’s now been revealed that the more serious vulnerability wasn’t closed after all.
Apple did succeed in blocking a specific way of exploiting the vulnerability, but didn’t address the root issue until last week’s iOS 16.5 update, some nine months later …
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There’s been a lot of speculation lately about Apple’s Reality Pro launch plans, and also about the pricing of the device.
The consensus view so far has been that Apple will announce the Reality Pro AR/VR headset at WWDC on June 5, and that pricing will be around $3,000. But some are questioning both …
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iPhone maker Wistron – which was the first company to produce iPhones in India – has exited the business, saying that Apple’s tough negotiations on price meant the company was unable to make a profit.
The news comes at a time when the Cupertino company is moving more and more of its iPhone production from China to India …
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A Facebook privacy breach has seen parent company Meta fined $1.3B – the largest amount ever imposed for breaking Europe’s tough GDPR privacy laws, according to WSJ sources. The news is expected to be officially announced later today.
The fine also raises questions about the privacy of US Facebook users, as it was levied for exposing European citizens to the much looser rules that apply to American users …
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