Ewan Spence
Ewan Spence uses recurring smartphone columns to track how the mobile industry’s biggest players shape everyday technology, treating each leak, policy change and product delay as part of a longer story about platforms and power. He writes a regular technology column for Forbes that concentrates on consumer hardware and the ecosystems around it, with a particular emphasis on Apple, Android and the app economy. His work blends news, informed speculation and clear, service-minded analysis for readers who follow flagship devices and the strategies behind them.
Smartphone ecosystems and flagship devices
Spence’s core subject is the modern smartphone, viewed less as a gadget and more as the central node in a wider personal technology stack. He uses launches and leaks around flagship devices such as the iPhone Pro line and leading Android handsets to examine decisions on design, silicon, cameras, battery life and form factor. Headlines that follow the evolution of future iPhone models, including long-range pieces on anticipated iPhone 18 Pro features and foldable plans, show him tracking roadmaps multiple generations ahead rather than treating each release in isolation.
Within those stories he pays close attention to trade-offs that matter to engaged users: performance versus efficiency, camera systems versus device thickness, or cutting-edge form factors against durability and repairability. He frequently connects component-level choices, such as display technologies or modem selection, to knock-on effects for network performance, battery endurance and price. Coverage of delayed or reconfigured products, including foldable iPhone discussions and other ambitious hardware projects, underlines his interest in the technical and supply-chain constraints that sit behind polished launch keynotes.
Alongside Apple, he follows leading Android manufacturers and their flagship cycles, using design revisions and feature sets to compare how each brand defines a “premium” device. He highlights when a company leans into differentiation—such as camera-first flagships or stylus-centric devices—and when it follows prevailing industry templates. His writing often contrasts the long-term strategies of ecosystem owners with the realities of carrier deals, subsidies and regional model variations, making it clear that hardware choices are commercial and political as well as technical.
Apple Loop and Android Circuit weekly coverage
Spence is best known for his recurring round-up formats, especially his Apple Loop column on Forbes, which packages the week’s Apple news into a single, narrative-led piece. In these columns he pulls together hardware rumours, software updates, policy shifts and cultural moments involving the company, using individual headlines—such as the return of Fortnite to the App Store or fresh detail on iPhone delays—to illustrate how Apple manages its platforms and brand over time. The format allows him to give minor updates and speculative leaks context without overstating their significance.
On the Android side, his Android Circuit pieces play a similar role, surfacing the most consequential developments across a fragmented ecosystem. Rather than treating each handset announcement as standalone, he uses the column to track long-running themes such as update policies, AI feature rollouts, camera competition and the race between chipsets. Taken together, the two series position him less as a news-wire reporter and more as a weekly editor for the smartphone beat, deciding what deserves attention and how it fits into the broader picture.
Across these round-ups, Spence’s tone is analytical but accessible. He explains technical points—chip architectures, display specs, connectivity standards—in plain language, and he often frames them in terms of what they will change for the end user. He is comfortable acknowledging uncertainty around early leaks or incomplete information, but he uses patterns from previous product cycles to outline plausible implications for pricing, positioning and upgrade decisions.
Apps, platforms and the business of mobile
Beyond the devices themselves, Spence regularly covers the rules and economics that govern today’s app platforms. Stories on issues like Fortnite’s path back to the App Store show him treating app distribution and platform policies as central parts of the technology beat, not niche legal subplots. He dissects changes to app store terms, commission structures, sideloading rules and regulatory interventions as questions of power between platform owners, developers and users.
He often situates these developments in the context of a broader shift from one-off software purchases to ongoing services. Columns that bring together subscription trends, in-app monetisation tactics and new platform fees frame the smartphone as a gateway to recurring revenue models for both large tech firms and independent creators. When covering high-profile disputes between platforms and major app makers, he examines how technical enforcement mechanisms, contractual fine print and public messaging interlock.
This focus on business models extends to adjacent topics such as mobile gaming, media streaming and cloud services. He connects device capabilities—storage tiers, network speeds, display quality—to the kinds of content experiences platforms can promote, and to the revenue they can extract. The result is coverage that treats app icons on a home screen as front doors to complex commercial relationships rather than passive shortcuts.
Technology, culture and long-running narratives
Alongside his smartphone and platform work, Spence has a parallel track covering how technology intersects with popular culture, most notably long-term coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest. That strand of his career shows in his technology writing as a sensitivity to fandoms, brand loyalty and the rituals surrounding big tech events. He approaches product launches, developer conferences and gaming flashpoints with the same interest in narrative arcs, recurring characters and audience expectations that he applies to entertainment coverage.
Across his body of work he favours continuity: columns often reference earlier reporting to show how a rumour matured, how a design decision played out in real-world use, or how a regulatory challenge evolved over several years. He writes in compact, declarative sentences, structuring pieces so that time-pressed readers can absorb the main argument quickly while still having enough detail to understand the stakes. For technology stories that sit at the intersection of hardware, software, business and culture, Spence offers a consistent, narrative-driven lens grounded in the week-to-week reality of the smartphone world.
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