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.
Security researchers came up with a pretty wild Vision Pro exploit. Dubbed GAZEploit, it’s a method of working out the passwords of Vision Pro users by watching the eye movements of their avatars during video calls.
They’ve put together a YouTube video (below) to demonstrate how tracking the avatar’s eye movements accurately detects the virtual keys the Vision Pro user is looking at when typing …
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It was May 2022 when Ikea proudly announced its Diregera hub, bringing Matter support to the company’s smart home line-up. Some two years later, and rather later than scheduled, that upgrade is finally available.
But better late than never, as Matter support means that you can now control any compatible Ikea smart home product via Apple’s Home app …
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When Apple issues the firmware upgrade needed to use AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid, it will put the company into direct competition with existing over-the-counter (OTC) products.
Most OTC hearing aids offer Bluetooth headphone functionality, so a single device will serve both functions either way, but AirPods will offer two significant advantages …
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If you’re planning on using Apple trade-in to upgrade to an iPhone 16, you’ll want to quickly book it in for repair if it has any damage.
As one of my fellow tech writers discovered, Apple doesn’t just deduct the necessary repair fee from the value of your device (which could cost as little as $29 if you have AppleCare) – the company instead declares your phone worthless in its online estimate …
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Apple software SVP Craig Federighi says that the Private Cloud Compute servers used for Apple Intelligence features are really basic – and with good reason.
The exec says it’s one of a number of decisions the company made to ensure that it’s AI cloud servers form a “hermetically sealed privacy bubble” with your iPhone …
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One of the upgrades coming to the iPhone 16 line-up is faster wireless charging, and you may be tempted to upgrade to a new MagSafe charger, coupled to a beefier charging brick, to take advantage of the 25W charging speed.
But just because you can charge your phone faster doesn’t mean that you should …
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Apple’s announcement about the upcoming AirPods hearing aid capability hasn’t just upset the share price of existing brands – it’s also likely to lead to some social norms being challenged.
In addition, the uncertainty of whether someone wearing a pair of AirPods means that they either can or can’t hear you is likely to create some comedic moments …
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Meta has admitted to scraping all public Facebook and Instagram posts made since 2007 in order to train its generative AI model, adding to the privacy contrast with Apple Intelligence.
While the admission was made during a public enquiry in Australia, the company’s statement applies globally …
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Tech analyst Omdia said back in May that Apple is “highly likely” to launch its first OLED MacBook Pro models in 2026, despite some reports that the switch would happen in 2025.
Two more analysts have now expressed the same opinion, stating that Apple will stick to mini-LED screens for next year’s models …
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Apple’s announcement of the new AirPods Pro hearing aid feature has triggered a fall in the stock value of major standalone hearing aid brands.
The Cupertino company had long been expected to add hearing aid features to AirPods, and Monday’s event revealed the details …
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An AT&T ‘free’ iPhone 16 promo invites both new and existing customers to “get the new iPhone 16 Pro, on us, with eligible trade-in, guaranteed.”
As is usual with such offers, however, the headline giveth and the small print taketh away – with two big catches …
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While Apple headlined its keynote with the new Apple Intelligence features coming later to the new iPhone 16 line-up, there was also big news on the camera front.
This included good news for those who tend to buy the standard or Plus models over the Pro and Pro Max, as a lot of the photographic goodies come to all four models …
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The final appeal over the Apple Irish tax case has been decided by Europe’s highest court, and the Cupertino company has lost. It must now pay €13B in back tax to the Irish government.
The ruling ends an eight-year court battle between Apple and the Irish government on the one side, and the European Union on the other …
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Yesterday’s ‘Glowtime’ event of course saw the announcement of the new iPhone 16 line-up, with the rest of the announcements spanning both hardware and software.
While most of the pre-event reporting on the iPhone 16 models was accurate, there were a few surprises – with a mix of pleasant and unpleasant ones …
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The rumor mill was unclear on whether we were going to see an Apple Watch Ultra 3 announced today, and the naysayers were right: there was no new model of the high-end Watch. Instead, Apple announced a new satin black titanium version of the Ultra 2.
The original Apple Watch Ultra was launched in 2022, and was primarily positioned as a rugged model for those into adventure activities like rock climbing and scuba diving …
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I didn’t always upgrade my iPhone every year. That process started with the iPhone X, but it has continued since then, and it’s generally been the camera features which have parted me from my money.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max doesn’t seem like it will quite have a single killer feature for me, but it does appear that it would only take two rumored new features for Apple to ring up a sale …
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The new Ultimate Ears Miniroll Bluetooth speaker has gone on sale, positioned as the smallest and cheapest model in the company’s line-up. It weighs less than a pound, and costs $79.99.
A built-in flexible strap means it can be easily attached to backpacks and shoulder bags, or even attached to a belt …
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One of the expected features of the iPhone 16 is a dedicated Capture button for photos and videos. CAD drawings and dummy models suggest all four models will get the button.
That might not sound like too big a deal, especially for those who own an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, that already has an Action button configurable to activate the camera. However, if it works as we’re expecting, then it could turn out to be the main feature which persuades me to upgrade from my 15 Pro Max …
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Generative AI systems are trained by letting them surf the web to scrape content. Apple allows publishers to opt out of its scraping, and a new report says that many of the biggest websites have specifically opted out of Apple Intelligence training.
This includes both Facebook and Instagram, as well as many high-profile news and media sites like The New York Times and The Atlantic …
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Sign in with Apple was launched back in 2019 as a faster, more convenient, and privacy-focused way of registering with an app or website. But a new report says that it was being offered by multiple deepfake nudes sites.
The inclusion of sign-in options for Apple, Google, and others has been used to create a veneer of respectability for the distasteful sites used to create non-consensual nude images …
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A new market intelligence report today projects that the iPhone 16 launch will help Apple’s revenue will hit a record $400B this year.
Indeed, Counterpoint research predicts that all of Apple’s key hardware product lines are likely to experience growth this year …
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I’d hoped the era of pointless AI wearables was at an end after the Humane Ai pin saw its returns exceed its sales, and MKBHD called the Rabbit R1 “barely reviewable,” but it appears not. The NotePin is the latest nonsensical AI wearable that should be an app.
Plaud has already launched an AI voice recorder that has to be paired with an iPhone that could do the same job without the extra hardware. Not content with this, it has now announced a wearable that has to be paired with an iPhone that could do the same job without the extra hardware …
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There was a time when I attempted to keep my Mac completely stock, but that didn’t last long! Not only are there third-party apps I prefer to the Apple ones, but I just have too many Mac utilities which are part of my daily routine.
These are the seven utilities which live in my Mac menubar, and make my everyday life just a little easier …
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Apple 15W wireless chargers are set to be banned from sale in China, with both MagSafe and Qi2 charging pads affected.
The Chinese government says that the prohibitions are to prevent interference and “maintain the order of airwaves” …
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