Bio

My name is Ben David Walker. I'm a Computing student from Chesterfield, Derbyshire. I study at Manchester Metropolitan University.

My first foray into the world of Apple was back in the Spring of 2005 when I got an iPod Mini. Back then I was young, and I didn't fully appreciate the design and simplicity of Apple products. However, I knew there was something special about the device. I had the Mini for a couple of years before I moved onto an iPod Nano, and from there, to a Classic. All the while I was becoming more familiar with iTunes and the process of curating my music library. As iTunes evolved (with the addition of album artwork and more complex metadata), so too did my appreciation for a well-maintained music library.

In February 2008, I purchased my first Mac, and from there everything changed for me. I fell in love with the crisp, clean user interface OS X Leopard boasted, the silky smooth animations and ease of use. It wasn't long after that I got my first iPhone. I had MobileMe, and the synchronisation that the service provided between my devices was wonderful (I wasn't one of those who experienced problems). I was the envy of all my friends for a long time; the iPhone wasn't the ubiquitous device it is today back then.

Years passed, and my love of Apple continued to grow. I watched all the keynotes, kept up on all the news, and boasted their greatness to all who would listen. I upgraded my iPhone 3G to a 4 in 2010, my iMac to a MacBook Pro in 2011, and got myself an iPad in 2012.

In addition to Apple, I'm also passionate about video games — in particular, Blizzard Entertainment and Valve, and the games they create. Like Apple, these two companies dedicate a level of attention to detail that is generally unmatched across the industry. World of Warcraft is probably my most favourite game of all time, if nothing else but because of the years and years of enjoyment it has provided, and the friends it has allowed me to make. There's no game quite like it.

My intent with this website is to share my thoughts and opinions about Apple, and my theories about where they could go and what they could do in the future. I might occasionally write about Blizzard or Valve, too, as well as other related technologies and companies. If you like what I've got to say, then please subscribe.

Current Devices

  • Macbook Pro, 15-inch, Early 2011 model (Purchased June 2012)
    Processor: 2.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 ("Sandy Bridge")
    RAM: 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
    Graphics: 1 GB AMD Radeon HD 6750M, Intel HD 3000 
    Storage: 512 GB SSD
    Display: 1680 x 1050 glossy display, 132 PPI (high resolution)

  • iPhone 5, Black & Slate, 32 GB (Purchased September 2012)

  • iPad mini, Black & Slate, 16 GB, 2012 model (Purchased January 2013)

Past Devices

  • iPhone 4, Black, 32 GB (Retired September 2012)

  • iMac, 20-inch, Mid 2007 model (Retired June 2011)
    Processor: 2.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo ("Merom")
    RAM: 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2
    Graphics: 256 MB ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO
    Storage: 320 GB 7200 RPM HDD
    Display: 1680 x 1050, 99 PPI

  • iPhone 3G, Black, 8 GB (Retired August 2010)

  • iPod Classic, Silver, 160 GB (Retired August 2010)

  • iPod Nano, Silver, 4 GB (Retired December 2007)

  • iPod Mini, Silver, 4 GB (Retired October 2006)

Apps

I think the general consensus with apps is you get a lot, you try them out, and you're constantly trying new things. I, however, much prefer to find a solid solution to a problem, and then stick with it. I'll only switch if I've really got a good reason to. I tend to use the default Apple apps for most things (Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Music, Mail, Safari) because I feel you get the most out of both operating systems and iCloud by sticking with what they provide. These apps have all the functionality I need day-to-day.

For podcasts, I use Instacast. I've dabbled with Apple's Podcasts app, but it's not as feature-filled and seems to cater for the casual podcast listening audience. I listen to around 20 podcasts a week, so I need a client that's powerful enough to keep up.

I use Reeder to keep on top of my RSS feeds, and Instapaper to 'read articles later'. Netbot is my App.net client of choice; likewise Tweetbot is my Twitter client of preference. I'm a diabetic, and I use Diabetes Diary to keep on top of all the blood tests and injections I have to do. 1Password is my password manager of choice.

I read all my books in iBooks now (I started reading eBooks with the launch of iBooks, so I've got no investment in Kindle), and I read comics in Comixology. I use Day One to write my articles for this website. It has full Markdown and iCloud support, both of which work flawlessly; I know its primary purpose is a digital journal, but it fits my needs perfectly fine. When I need to edit images, I use Pixelmator.

For all of the aforementioned apps, I use them across all my devices where possible. Some apps are only available on one platform, but the majority can be obtained on both OS X and iOS. One final shoutout I've got to give is to Mactracker; without its help, I wouldn't have been able to get all the information about the devices I've owned over the years.