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.
I’ve described one of Waterfield’s earlier backpacks as a mini-Tardis, as it carries way more inside than you’d ever expect from the compact form factor, and that’s even more true of the latest Shinjuku Backpack.
It looks like a slim backpack suitable for a MacBook, charger, and a few other bits and pieces, but the beautifully-organized layout means it’s surprisingly capacious …
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Apple and Google will become legally responsible for age verification of app store users in Utah, after the App Store Accountability Act was signed into law. It takes effect on May 7, giving the tech giants a little time to implement it.
Both companies have opposed the legislation, but similar laws look set to follow in at least eight more US states …
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The design of Samsung’s Android VR headset was clearly ‘inspired’ by Vision Pro, but Vivo has taken things to a whole new level with its Vivo Vision. While there are differences, it could certainly pass for the real thing at first glance …
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TSMC’s first US chip plant took significantly longer to build and begin production than was forecast, but the company says that future plants will proceed at a significantly faster pace. This will enable US-made chips for somewhat newer Apple devices.
But former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is dismissive of the initiative, suggesting that it will be of little help in enabling the US to be a global player in the chip business …
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While there may be debate about whether iOS 19 will be a UI revolution or evolution, there does seem to be a consensus view on app icons. Namely, that they are likely to switch from squircles – squares with rounded corners – to circles.
Whether one looks better than the other is of course a matter of subjective judgement. But there is a small problem with circular icons …
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Apple has donated 30 million yuan ($4.1 million) to Zhejiang University to help fund app development training in China.
CEO Tim Cook has also visited Hangzhou, China’s artificial intelligence hub and home to the developers of the controversial chatbot DeepSeek …
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The iPhone 16 ban last year imposed by the Indonesian government will finally be lifted, says a new report, the latest models going back on sale on April 11.
An end to the long-running battle between Indonesia and Apple has reportedly cost the Cupertino company at least $300M, and possibly up to $1B over ten years …
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We noted ahead of the iPhone 16 launch that the device could technically support 8K video recording, but it was possible Apple would hold this back for the iPhone 17.
Apple did indeed withhold it from the iPhone 16 – arguably with good reason – and a leaker with a decent track record backs our expectation that 8K video capability will be offered in the iPhone 17 line-up …
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Yesterday saw the latest episode in a Prosser versus Gurman battle over just how big a change we’ll see in the look and feel of the user interface in iOS 19.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says he’s seen evidence of a change almost as notable as that of iOS 7 back in 2013. Jon Prosser, on the other hand, says we should expect something far less dramatic …
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The European Union is reportedly set to announce that Apple won’t be fined for failing to comply with an antitrust law relating to choice of iPhone web browser. The maximum fine could have been as high as 10% of the company’s global revenue.
Apple initially made one change to iOS to allow users to set a different default browser, but the EU had ruled that this was not enough to make it compliant with the law …
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A group of US senators have written to President Trump to warn him that his handling of the TikTok ban is leaving Apple, Google, and Oracle exposed to “ruinous legal liability.”
The three companies are potentially at risk of being fined up to $850B (yes, billion not million) for continuing to offer the app despite it being banned from the US …
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In what that sounds like the plot of a thriller, an iPad thrown into London’s River Thames spent more than five years underwater before it was found and provided key evidence to convict three men of attempted murder – all the more so given that the man shot was a key figure in one of the world’s biggest ever armed robberies …
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China’s DeepSeek AI chatbot doesn’t exactly have the best of reputations. It has exposed chat history and other sensitive data; the iOS app has been shown to have multiple security flaws; is under investigation in both the US and Europe; and ARM’s CEO believes it will end up being banned in the US.
But none of this has stopped Apple CEO Tim Cook describing it as “excellent” during a visit to Beijing for the China Development Forum …
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Apple accessories have a certain reputation for being a little on the pricey side. For example, $129 and up for a Magic Keyboard might be considered expensive when third-party models are available from under $20. But the Seneca keyboard from Norbauer makes Apple prices look positively Dollar Store level …
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A report earlier this month suggested that Apple is working on embedding cameras into AirPods, followed yesterday by another suggesting the inclusion of Apple Watch cameras too.
Apple has for many years been exploring the idea of adding a camera to the Apple Watch, but the latest report suggests a very specific usage …
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An upcoming Philips Hue doorbell has been accidentally leaked by the company though an update to the Hue app. The company already offers a range of smart security cameras.
The app content reveals quite a lot about the device, which is not expected to launch until the fall, including a significant limitation …
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When I said I’d bought an M1 MacBook Air in 2025, I must confess I was rather expecting comments along the lines of “what were you thinking?” Instead, the prevailing view appeared to be that there really isn’t any reason to favor the latest and greatest model for my type of use.
Having had the chance to try out the new machine in an Apple Store, I’m not 100% sure I’d favor an upgrade even if it were the same price …
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The embarrassment over the state of Siri continues, with the discovery that the ‘intelligent’ assistant doesn’t even know what month it is.
My colleague Zac Hall suggested that things are now so bad the Siri brand is irredeemably tarnished, and any new version should be given a completely new name – but some think Apple should go further than this, and let us replace Siri with our own choice of AI chatbot …
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A leaker is out with a new set of iPhone 17 dummy models based on CAD drawings, and these latest ones have a detail not previously seen.
The mockups of the two iPhone 17 Pro models appear to indicate which areas of the case back will be metal and which will be glass …
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The Meta AI chatbot is finally rolling out to European countries from this week, and will be accessible in Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger. However, the headline feature of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses will not be available.
The generative AI feature first launched in the US back in 2023, but privacy concerns were raised when it came to light that the company had been training it on Facebook and Instagram posts since way back in 2007 ….
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The criminals behind a phishing attack aimed at Windows users are now targeting Mac users instead. The goal is to steal your Apple Account credentials (aka Apple ID).
The security researchers who uncovered the scam say that it’s one of the most sophisticated attacks ever mounted against Mac users …
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I last year described the touchscreen Mac as “the idea that will not die.” No matter how many times Apple says it won’t make one, we see continued suggestions that it will, or should.
To be clear, Apple absolutely has made prototypes of touchscreen Macs. The first of these dates back to at least 2008, and probably earlier …
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Growth in US Mac shipments hit more than 25% in the final quarter of last year, outperforming that of all PC makers. Only Acer came close with 20% growth, while market leaders HP and Dell both saw their shipments decline year-on-year.
A market intelligence company has suggested a key factor may be Microsoft forcing businesses to replace millions of existing PCs …
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The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be the slimmest iPhone Apple has ever made, and a report over the weekend suggested that the company even considered making it the first portless phone. It said the iPhone maker ultimately decided against this, in part because it feared removing the USB-C port would have brought it into conflict with the EU.
However, I’ve had confirmation from the bloc that dropping the USB-C port for a completely portless phone would in fact be completely legal …
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