Cody Lee

Cody Lee, iDownloadBlog.com’s longest-serving Editor, joined the site in 2008. He specializes in uncovering the best deals on Apple products, apps, and accessories. With years of experience in technology journalism, Cody helps readers save money while staying informed about the latest trends and updates in the Apple ecosystem. Cody’s history with smartphones goes almost as far back as he does. As the son of a Nokia employee, he was exposed early on to handsets like the N91 and the Communicator. He has since been involved in nearly every aspect of the mobile phone industry. While going to college, he worked at a Nokia factory, building handsets, and later moved on to a sales position at a major wireless carrier.

Hands-on video compares size of alleged iPad Pro cases with iPad Air 2

Cody Lee ∙ May 1, 2015

Popular YouTube channel Unbox Therapy on Friday posted a hands-on video with 2 alleged iPad Pro cases, comparing them in size and design with the iPad Air 2. The clip gives you a good idea of how much bigger the rumored 12-inch iPad would be than the current 9.7-inch model.

Additionally, the cases add weight to the accuracy of previous industrial renderings and case leaks. Despite the fact that they come from different manufacturers, and are made up of different materials, they're identical to both each other and many past cases in terms of size and features.

Read More

Rumored iPad Pro appears in new rendering

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The long-rumored "iPad Pro" surfaced in a new industrial rendering on Friday, further fueling speculation that Apple is working on a larger 12-inch tablet. French blog nowhereelse.fr shares the image, calling the device the 'iPad Air Plus' and saying that the sketch is dated December 2014.

The alleged rendering offers up dimensions for the Pro tablet, measuring 305.70mm long x 222.60mm wide x 7.20mm deep. Converted to inches, that's about 12 x 8.7 x 0.30. These numbers line up with those seen in previous renderings of the device, which is expected to have a 12.9" display.

Read More

Apple confirms tattoos can impact heart rate sensor performance on Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

In an update to an Apple Watch support document this week, Apple confirms that tattoos around the forearm and wrist area can impact the heart rate sensor performance on the wearable. Earlier this week, Watch owners took to Twitter and Reddit to complain that their tattoos were causing all sorts of errors with the device.

Apple addresses the issue in a document entitled "Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it." Many factors, it says, can affect the performance of the Watch's heart rate sensor, including skin perfusion (blood flow), irregular motion/movements, and permanent or temporary changes to your skin.

Read More

T-Mobile again offering free MLB At Bat Premium subscription to customers

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2015

Football season has long been over and basketball is getting there, but baseball season is just getting started. And for fans of the sport who are either on T-Mobile, or thinking about it, you'll be interested to know that the carrier is once again offering MLB At Bat Premium to customers.

As noted by Droid-Life, the promotion is season-long, beginning May 1 and running through the end of September. To qualify, customers must download the MLB At Bat app on Android or iOS while on T-Mobile's network—you will not get the discount if you are on Wi-Fi or roaming.

Read More

Apple Store app updated with support for Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2015

Apple updated its Apple Store app on Thursday, bringing the software to version 3.2.1. The change log for the release is short, with just one new feature mentioned, but it's a significant one: Apple Watch support. Now, owners can use the wearable to access information both inside and outside of retail Apple Stores.

Read More

Apple TV shipping estimates slip to 1-2 weeks ahead of rumored WWDC refresh

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Shipping estimates for the Apple TV slipped to 1-2 weeks on the US Apple Online Store today, further fueling rumors that Apple is getting ready to refresh the device. In March, BuzzFeed reported that the company is planning to unveil a new, slimmer set-top box at WWDC in June.

It's worth noting that some users have reported that the device is showing "in stock" for them online today, but at Check Out many are still seeing later ship times. Regardless, the fluctuation in available stock is consistent with inventory behavior of past Apple products ahead of refreshes.

Read More

‘Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down!’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2015

Apple has just named WayForward's "Might Switch Force! Hose it Down!" its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to download the award-winning pick-up-and-play puzzler for iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $1.99.

For those unfamiliar with the game, you play as a member of Planet Land's Fire Brigade that has to help put out fires around Tangent City and evacuate any trapped Hooligan Sisters. You accomplish this by strategically moving and rotating tiles to direct your water towards the flames.

Read More

EU probe of Irish tax policy could have ‘material’ impact on Apple

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

The European Commission's investigation into Ireland's tax deals for multinational corporations could have a "material" impact on Apple, the company said in a 10Q filing to the S&E Commissions this week. If it's determined that Dublin's tax policies represented unfair state aid, the Cupertino firm could suffer significant losses.

Read More

WSJ: slow Apple Watch rollout due to faulty Taptic Engine

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Faulty Taptic Engines may be behind the extremely limited availability of the Apple Watch, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the publication says that after mass production of the Engines began in February, quality testing found some of them to be unreliable.

The component, which Apple uses in its Watch to produce the sensation of being tapped on the wrist, is made by two suppliers: AAC Technologies Holdings Inc. and Nidec Corp. Apparently some of AAC's Taptic Engines were found to break down overtime, so Apple has moved a majority of its production over to Nidec.

Read More

Time Warner CEO ‘pretty confident’ Apple is launching a TV service

Cody Lee ∙ April 29, 2015

Time Warner's Jeff Bewkes is "pretty confident" Apple is working on a subscription TV service. ABC's Jon Erlichman reports on Medium today that during Time Warner's quarterly earnings call, the CEO said that the Cupertino firm is "very forward thinking" on the future of television.

Bewkes' comments are interesting because Apple and Time Warner recently partnered up to launch 'HBO Now' on Apple TV, and rumors have been bouncing around for years that the two were looking to do TV together. In July 2013, Bloomberg reported they were "close" to reaching a deal.

Read More