Ian Carlos Campbell

Ian Carlos Campbell was an Associate Editor at Inverse, working with the Gear team. He writes on VR, AR, and mobile technology, including reviews for flagship smartphones like Google’s Pixel 7 Pro and cutting-edge VR headsets like Meta’s Quest Pro.

Previously, Ian was an Associate Editor at Input writing reviews and editing guides, and before that, he was embedded with The Verge’s news team as part of the inaugural class of Vox Media’s fellowship program. Ian received a BA in Screenwriting from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

His other passions include: obsessively keeping up with the latest film and TV releases, playing and thinking critically about video games, and spending an unfortunate amount of time on Twitter.

Review

Nowatch Review: A ‘Smartwatch’ That Puts a Rock on Your Wrist. Yes, Really a Rock.

Removing the stress of screens doesn’t make for a better smartwatch, just a prettier one.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

Google's Pixel 9 Might Take Its Cameras to a Place iPhone Would Never Dare

Google’s obsession with AI-powered computational photography could push the boundaries of what’s acceptable on the soon-to-be-announced Pixel 9 even more.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

Why the Death of the Xbox Console Is Inevitable

The Xbox as a hardware box that sits under your TV is looking more and more like an endangered species.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

It’s Time for the Apple TV To Become Its Final Form: A Game Console

Steve Jobs once called the Apple TV a “hobby,” but that was 14 years ago when it couldn’t run AAA games. Now the streaming box definitely can.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

Why Meta’s Ray-Bans Have Succeeded Where Other Smart Glasses Have Failed

Meta’s second-generation smart glasses have been a surprise success thanks to AI.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Retrospective

14 Years Ago, Apple Lost an iPhone at a Bar and Changed Phones Forever

Many of the iPhone 4’s firsts, like its Retina display and custom silicon, would go on to become hallmarks of all of Apple’s products going forward.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

The Most Important Part Of the Ai Pin’s Design Is Also Its Biggest Flaw

No one is sure how AI gadgets should be worn.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Retrospective

18 Years Ago, This Handheld Saved Nintendo From Losing Everything

The sleeker DS Lite greatly helped Nintendo destroy Sony’s more powerful PlayStation Portable.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

Apple Intelligence Feels Like Just Another Spellcheck

Apple’s approach to generative AI feels unoriginal and surprisingly tasteless coming from a company known to be the exact opposite.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Retrospective

23 Years Ago, This Best-Selling Nintendo Handheld Walked So the Switch Could Run

Moving from a vertical design to a horizontal form factor broke with tradition, but it proved to be exactly what Nintendo’s handhelds needed.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

Why Apple’s AI Debut Is Doomed to Disappoint

With billions of customers to account for, Apple can’t take as many AI risks.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
AR

This Laptop and AR Glasses Combo Is the Practical Alternative to Apple Vision Pro

The Spacetop G1 could be a better way to get spatial computing than strapping on a bulky and expensive headset.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

Microsoft Is Giving Windows a Memory and It Might Change Everything

Do we want our computers to remember everything we did on them? Yes.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Retrospective

5 Years Ago, the Original Quest Reinvented Video Games With a New Dimension

Gaming in VR is still small compared to consoles, but the experiences have never been more immersive.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

AI Can’t Change the Surface Pro’s Ugliest Truth

It might as well be false advertising at this point.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

Apple Previewed the Future of the iPad and Nobody Noticed

Controlling things with more than just your fingers is the future of the iPad.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Retrospective

8 Years Ago, Google Beat Alexa. Then It Just Let the Assistant Waste Away

Instead of leading the way, Google is again playing catch up, only this time it’s to OpenAI’s ChatGPT not Amazon.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Opinion

The New iPad Pros Are Hardware Beasts, But Apple Neglected One Key Feature

Apple hasn’t improved this one feature in 14 years.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Review

These New Color E-Readers Are Proof Amazon’s Kindle Is Falling Behind

Kobo’s new Libra Colour and Clara Colour color e-readers should make Amazon very worried.

By Ian Carlos Campbell
Guide

7 of the Most Popular AI Chatbots, Ranked From Worst to Best

From ChatGPT to Gemini to Copilot, which AI assistant chatbot is actually worth a monthly subscription?

By Ian Carlos Campbell