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.
iPad shipments grew 14% year-on-year in the first quarter of the year, further increasing Apple’s global dominance of the tablet market. Apple now has more than twice the market share of its nearest competitor.
The COVID-19 pandemic is now five years behind us, but is credited with being one of the main drivers for this year’s boost in demand for iPads …
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Interim Sonos CEO Tom Conrad said in an interview that two of the unpopular decisions the company made were deliberate, but the biggest problem was that it failed to understand how its products were used in the real world.
Conrad said that Sonos would never have released the new app had it fully appreciated the difference between its lab testing environment and real homes …
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A report over the weekend said that iOS 19 will have a small but useful new feature when using public Wi-Fi hotspots. According to Bloomberg, if we register with any of our Apple devices, then all our other ones will automatically log us in next time.
In other words, register for your coffee shop Wi-Fi with your iPhone and you’ll benefit from automatic login on your iPad or Mac on a subsequent visit. That’s great, but I’d love to see Apple go a step further …
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SoundCloud is the latest company to run into trouble after quietly adding an AI clause to its terms and conditions. The clause appeared to allow the company to use subscriber work to train AI models.
Update: The company has now taken our advice and updated its T&Cs to explicitly state that it will not do this.
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During Apple’s recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook revealed that absorbing the impact of tariffs was likely to cost the company about $900M in the current quarter. However, he refused to be drawn about whether we can expect iPhone 17 prices to be increased in response.
A new report today claims that Apple is considering raising prices for the new iPhone line-up, but almost certainly won’t give the real reason for this …
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Apple recently cited an award-winning cinematographer arguing that “we’re living in the age of democracy in filmmaking.” Anyone who owns an iPhone today can create a short film or creative video – and it’s a really fun and satisfying thing to do, whether you keep it short and simple like the example below, or don your Hollywood director’s cap for something more ambitious!
Of course, most Shot on iPhone films involve a lot of professional kit, but the single most desirable accessory for an iPhone filmmaker is now available in its most convenient and affordable form yet, thanks to Moment’s QuickLock VND Filter …
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Reddit has announced plans to fight back after a large-scale AI fraud was carried out against users of the highly popular Change My View subreddit.
However, the company’s plans to take to fight AI bots may not be popular with users, as it could compromise the platform’s long-standing approach to privacy …
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Despite the fact that the iPhone Fold display is being made by Samsung, it looks like it might be more advanced that the one so far used in the Korean company’s own Galaxy Z Fold series.
A leaker with a decent track record cites supply-chain sources as saying the upcoming Apple device will use a thinner and more advanced display than used in any of Samsung’s own products …
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If you used Siri between 2014 and 2024, and the voice assistant was ever activated by something random you said, you may be entitled to a cut of a payout from Apple.
Apple agreed back in January to settle a class action privacy lawsuit for unintended Siri activations between September 17 2014 and December 31 2024, and US residents can now register a claim …
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Apple SVP Eddy Cue yesterday suggested that we might not need an iPhone ten years from now. It echoes a report back in 2019, where the company’s execs were cited saying the same thing – also with a decade-ish time-frame.
Apple is absolutely right to take this possibility seriously. It’s the job of the company’s leadership to think long and hard about future scenarios, and there are four very good reasons why this possibility cannot be ignored …
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An update to the Matter standard will make it much easier to set up HomeKit-compatible smart home devices. In particular, it should make tap-to-pair a far more common feature, rather than something supported by only a handful of devices.
Multi-device QR codes will also make setup much easier for things like multi-packs of smart light bulbs, which will let you set up all of them at once, rather than having to do each one individually …
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TikTok has told advertisers that it’s in the US to stay, stating that “we are here” and “are absolutely confident in our platform and confident in the future of this platform.”
The statement came after Trump indicated that he would extend the current enforcement pause again if needed, despite that fact that this is probably unlawful …
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The Android and iPhone spyware company NSO has suffered a major defeat in a US court, after a judge ruled that the company must hand over its Pegasus code to Meta.
Update: NSO was yesterday ordered to pay Meta more than $167M in damages for the attack. It’s the latest setback for the company, which has been blacklisted in the US, sued by Apple, seen victims alerted by the iPhone maker, and faced severe financial problems …
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Epic Games‘ five year legal battle against Apple has cost the developer well over $100M in legal fees alone, and CEO Tim Sweeney says that the total cost has been north of a billion dollars.
While Sweeney thinks it was worth it, one high-profile Apple commenter has his doubts – suggesting the legal victory doesn’t necessarily mean Fortnite will be allowed back into the App Store …
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Global Apple Watch shipments have now been in significant decline for two years, according to a new market intelligence report. The news is made worse by all competing premium smartwatch brands seeing their shipments grow during the same period.
The report lays the blame on fewer reasons to upgrade, suggesting that Apple needs to focus on introducing new features and possibly design changes too …
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Instacart has launched a new Fizz app aimed at Gen Z users. While the Instacart app is geared to food delivery, Fizz is all about booze and snacks. The company says it incorporates a number of features specifically geared to a younger demographic.
However, it may have run into an issue with the name – see the update at the bottom of the piece …
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When Apple CEO Tim Cook praised Warren Buffett at the weekend, it followed the billionaire investor modestly stating that Apple had made more money for his Berkshire Hathaway investment fund than he ever did through his other investment picks.
Buffett also said that while Steve Jobs was vital to the formation and early days of the company, Cook was equally vital to its growth since then …
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![Cringeworthy Google ad mocks the iPhone 17 design even before it launches [Video] | Screengrab shown](https://9to5mac.my/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/Cringeworthy-Google-ad-mocks-the-iPhone-17-design-even-before-it-launches-Video.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1600)
A new ad for Google’s Pixel 9 Pro mocks the upcoming iPhone 17 line-up for copying its camera bump design, even before the new models launch.
The highly unsubtle ad features an iPhone talking to a Pixel and admitting to the “coincidence” of launching Night mode, photo Clean Up, and widgets years after the Pixel …
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An argument could be made that this year’s iPhone line-up will have two top-tier models, depending on your priorities: either the iPhone 17 Pro Max or the iPhone 17 Air.
If you value iPhone photography, or all-round performance, you’ll want to stick to the Pro or Pro Max. If you prioritize sleek design, you might instead consider the Air to be the best model. But Apple seems to know that its sleek new model isn’t for most people …
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If there’s one thing likely to put the damper on any overseas trip, it’s racking up a huge data roaming bill on your iPhone. I once managed to notch up a bill of about $40 in the 15 minutes between switching on my phone after the plane landed and organizing a local data plan while inside the airport terminal.
These days, I have a simple solution to instantly acquiring a local eSIM at a competitive price, but using this on a recent trip made me think how sensible it would be for Apple to make this a standard iPhone feature …
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Apple has been ordered to pay Optis $502M for the use of standards-essential 4G patents in both iPhones and cellular iPads. Interest also has to be paid, bringing the total due to over $700M.
The court ruled in favor of the patent troll, despite an unconvincing attempt by Apple’s lawyer to claim that the company might withdraw the iPhone from sale in the UK if it was forced to pay …
Expand Expanding Close![Severance-inspired keyboard could cost up to $699 – have your say [Video]](https://9to5mac.my/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/Severance-inspired-keyboard-could-cost-up-to-699-–-have-your-say-Video.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1600)
Apple might not really be able to sell you a Lumon terminal, but we noted earlier this month that you will be able to buy a Severance-inspired keyboard. The good news is that you now have a chance to have your say on the specs for the device (as well as see video demos) – the bad news is that it will cost up to $699 …
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When the US Supreme Court upheld the court ruling in the Apple vs Epic Games case, I said that the iPhone maker’s response was clearly made in bad faith, and was effectively giving the middle finger to the judge in the case.
The judge has now officially confirmed this view. She has not only directly called out Apple for ignoring her ruling, but said that a senior Apple exec lied under oath, and referred the matter for prosecution …
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Apple has notified iPhone users in 100 countries that their devices have been infected with spyware, implying that it may be NSO’s Pegasus.
The company has warned victims to take it seriously, and to immediately take a number of security actions in response. One of the recipients has shared almost the entire message, the first time I can recall seeing more than a brief excerpt …
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