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

Apple gift card safety questioned after terrifying account lockout

Apple gift card safety questioned after scary story of Apple account lockout | Photo shows bank vault door

The safety of buying Apple gift cards from anywhere other than the company itself has been called into question after a frankly terrifying story of a well-known developer and author getting locked out of his account.

Organizer of the /dev/world conference Paris Buttfield-Addison described what happened after he attempted to redeem an Apple gift card purchased from a well-known bricks-and-mortar retailer …

Expand Expanding Close

The iPhone Air 2 seems likely to be way more successful than the original

The iPhone Air 2 seems likely to be way more successful than the original (shown)

The iPhone Air appears to have been one of the least successful iPhones ever, but it seems that hasn’t discouraged Apple from trying again in 2027 with an iPhone Air 2.

The latest report suggests that the company may fix the two biggest problems with the device, and if accurate, I would expect the 2nd-gen model to be significantly more popular …

Expand Expanding Close

Bluesky launches ‘privacy-first’ method of uploading your contacts

Bluesky launches 'privacy-first' method of uploading your contacts | Screengrabs shown

Many social media apps encourage you to give them access to your contacts. If you do so, they will let you know which of your contacts are on the platform so that you can send them a friend request.

This can be problematic because you may not wish to share your online presence with everybody in your contacts, and because you are effectively sharing the personal data of other people without their consent. Bluesky says its own “privacy-first” approach is different …

Expand Expanding Close

Apple shared ‘bendgate’ lessons as it helped small US manufacturers innovate

Apple shared 'bendgate' lessons as it helped small US manufacturers innovate | Abstract image of bent lines

Back in the summer, a new Apple Manufacturing Academy was announced, partnering with Michigan State University. The initiative provides free training and consultancy to American businesses to help them innovate their production processes.

Small businesses that received help from Apple engineers said that the company shared frank lessons about its “bendgate” experience …

Expand Expanding Close

A small but crucial detail provides a clue on iPhone Fold pricing

A small but crucial detail provides a clue on iPhone Fold pricing | Render shown

There’s never been any doubt that next year’s iPhone Fold is going to be an extremely expensive device, but a small detail in a report published yesterday provides a further steer on what to expect.

We’ve so far seen pricing estimates in the $1,800 to $2,500 range, and yesterday’s report may be one reason to expect something closer to the higher end …

Expand Expanding Close

Here’s everything expected from next year’s iPhone Fold

Here's everything expected from next year's iPhone Fold (render shown)

Next year’s flagship iPhone is widely expected to be a folding phone branded as the iPhone Fold. With a great deal of consistency across leaks and other reports, we do now have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

The latest post by a Chinese leaker with a pretty decent track record differs from previous ones in a few small respects, but the fundamental elements remain the same …

Expand Expanding Close

PSA: Better mobile carrier deals may be yours for the asking

Better carrier deals may be yours for the asking | Photo shows, calculator app, and graphs

Competition between mobile carriers is now so intense that they are not only trying hard to poach customers from each other, but even fighting legal battles over their tactics.

AT&T has sued T-Mobile over its EasySwitch tool, intended to allow customers to compare rates and receive a personalized deal from the self-proclaimed “uncarrier” …

Expand Expanding Close

Apple and Google will be asked to block nude photos unless user age is verified

EU also investigating as Grok generated 23,000 CSAM images in 11 days | Pixelation shown

A new report says that the British government will be asking Apple and Google to block the taking and sharing of nude photographs unless the user has been verified to be an adult.

Additionally, the report says that the government wants iOS and Android to prevent nude images even being displayed on the device unless the user has been verified as an adult …

Expand Expanding Close

Would you accept this compromise for the 20th anniversary iPhone? [Poll]

Would you accept this compromise for the 20th anniversary iPhone? | Render shown with no visible bezels or cutouts

There have been persistent rumors that Apple will be pulling out all the stops for the 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027. It’s been suggested this will be the year the company will finally achieve its long-held ambition of turning the iPhone into “a single slab of glass.”

What’s meant by this is that there will be no visible bezels and no Dynamic Island or cutout of any kind on the display. While this is already technically achievable, it would involve one significant compromise …

Expand Expanding Close

Startup wants to relaunch Twitter, as Reddit launches verification checkmarks

Startup wants to relaunch Twitter, as Reddit launches verification checkmarks | Stylized 3D version of Twitter logo

Deciding to abandon one of the world’s best-known brands was one of a number of imaginative decisions made by Elon Musk when he purchased Twitter and renamed it X. Now a startup wants to revive the name, arguing that X corporation no longer has any use for the trademark.

The legal arguments could get interesting, especially given that one of those involved in the venture is Stephen Coates – Twitter’s former general counsel …

Expand Expanding Close

Attackers using ChatGPT to trick Mac users into installing MacStealer

Attacker used ChatGPT to trick Mac users into installing MacStealer | A close-up photo of fingers typing on a Magic Keyboard attached to an iMac

Security researchers have found that attackers are using ChatGPT to trick Mac users into pasting a command line into Terminal which installs malware. Specifically, it installs MacStealer, which allows the attacker to obtain iCloud passwords, files, and credit card details.

The attack targeted people who were searching Google for instructions on how to free up some disk space on a Mac …

Expand Expanding Close

Apple reportedly broke the law by ignoring US sanctions on apps

Apple reportedly broke the law by ignoring US sanctions on apps | App Store icon overlaid on a Russian flag

Apple has been accused of breaking the law by failing to comply with US sanctions after the App Store was found to have contain dozens of apps from sanctioned companies. The same was true of Google, though at a smaller scale.

The banned apps were identified by the Tech Transparency Project, which says it demonstrates that Apple failed to live up to its promises that the App Store represents a safe and trusted source …

Expand Expanding Close

Apple may have accidentally made it almost impossible for governments to ban iMessage

Apple may have accidentally made it impossible for governments to ban iMessage | Image shows iMessage bubbles floating in space

Authoritarian governments don’t like their citizens being able to have private conversations using end-to-end encrypted messaging apps. This is the reason Russia has just banned FaceTime, but it was surprising iMessage had escaped a ban.

A potential reason for this has now been discovered: Apple may have accidentally made it almost impossible for a government to ban its end-to-end encrypted text messaging app …

Expand Expanding Close