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.

Mobile payment consortium MCX replaces CEO

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

The Merchant Customer Exchange, better known as MCX, announced Tuesday that it's replacing its CEO. Dekkers Davidson is out, and banking veteran Brian Mooney is in as the [interim] chief executive for the consortium behind Apple Pay competitor CurrentC.

The news is interesting for a few reasons. For one, it's not common for a company developing an app to replace its CEO before the app launches to the public. And two, it comes just 1 day after MCX member Best Buy announced it would start accepting Apple Pay.

Apple planning to rollout Apple Watch to more countries in June

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

During Apple's fiscal second quarter conference call on Monday, Tim Cook conceded that the demand for Apple Watch has been much greater than supply, but the company is working hard to remedy that.

"I think we're in a good position," he said. "And sometime in late June we currently anticipate being in a position where we could begin to sell the Apple Watch in additional countries. That's our current plan."

Best Buy app now accepting Apple Pay, coming to retail stores later this year

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Best Buy announced today that it will begin supporting Apple Pay within its mobile app, effective immediately, and within its stores later this year. This is a major partnership for Apple, as it’s the first one with a member of MCX—the Walmart led consortium of retailers that are backing payment app 'CurrentC.'

A Best Buy spokeswoman told Recode that “we remain invested in MCX,” but she would not comment on when CurrentC will be available to the public and if the electronics retailer would accept it at launch. “We are actively monitoring their pilots,” she said. “It’s too early to declare whether we will take it at launch.”

15 interesting points from Apple’s Q2 2015 earnings call

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple announced its financial results for its fiscal second quarter of 2015 this afternoon, and the numbers are impressive. The company sold 61.2 million iPhones and earned $58 billion in revenue, breaking March quarter records and beating Wall Street expectations.

We just finished up the conference call, where Tim Cook and other executives team discussed Apple’s performance over the three-month period, and offered up some insights into its future. And as usual, we’ve rounded up the 15 most interesting points from the call below.

Apple’s Q2 2015 earnings: 61.2M iPhones, 12.62M iPads, $58.01B revenue

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Apple has posted its [fiscal] second quarter earnings report for 2015 this afternoon, and they are impressive. The Cupertino company beat Wall Street estimates, recording $58.01 billion in revenue on the back of strong iPhone sales.

More than 61 million iPhones were purchased during the usually-slow, post-holiday second quarter. That's over 4 million above analyst estimates, and it looks like the handset did particularly well in China—up 72% year-over-year.

Instagram updated with new filters and emoji hashtags

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

Facebook's Instagram posted an update today for its iOS client, bringing the app to version 6.11.0. The update brings about a handful of improvements, including new filters and the ability to use emoji in hashtags.

The new filters include Lark, Reyes and Juno, and Instagram describes the creative tool additions "as a family of modern, subtle filters that brighten and enhance your photos in refined, beautiful ways."

Charge your iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously with these dual USB chargers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

The first night I took off my Apple Watch, I ran into a problem. I went to plug the charger into the outlet behind my nightstand, and I realized both spots were taken—1 by my iPhone alarm dock and the other by my lamp. So I started looking into dual USB chargers.

Figuring I wasn't the only one coming up a plug short, I decided to share my findings here on iDB. I've compiled a list of 8 dual USB chargers that I feel are worth checking out. They vary in price and design, and as usual, I've only included those with high ratings, making sure they are some of the best dual USB chargers you can use with your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

10 great pairs of Bluetooth headphones for your new Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

If you're wanting to listen to music privately, directly from your Apple Watch, you're going to need a pair of Bluetooth headphones. So for those of you who picked up a Watch this weekend, and don't already own Bluetooth headphones, we've put together a list of some we think are worth checking out.

The list contains 10 options, ordered from cheapest to most expensive, and it features various styles and price points for all tastes and budgets. It's also been curated to only include headphones that have received positive reviews from well-respected publications, or customers on websites like Amazon.

Apps to download for your new Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

If you're one of the lucky few that were able to get their Apple Watch pre-ordered within the first few minutes, there's a good chance that your wearable will arrive in the mail today. And after going through all of the stock apps and settings, there may come a time when you think to yourself "ok, now what?"

That's where we come in. For the past several weeks, iDB has been compiling a list of Apple Watch apps that we think are worth checking out. It's a curated list, so you won't see *all* of the apps here, but we've selected a wide variety of useful and innovative titles that we think make for a great starter kit.

10 great accessories for your new Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

The Apple Watch officially goes on sale today, and if you happen to be one of the lucky ones picking one up (or having one delivered to you), you may be wondering what kind of accessories are available for it. Unfortunately, as with most major product launches, the choices are limited.

But that doesn't mean there aren't any. We've put together a list of 10 accessories for your new Apple Watch, including cases, stands and replacement bands, that we think are worth checking out. All of the items on this list are either available now, or will be shortly, and have high ratings.

Apple posts 3 new Apple Watch ads: ‘Rise,’ ‘Up’ and ‘Us’

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2015

It's officially Apple Watch launch day, and Apple has already started celebrating by debuting 3 new advertisements for the wearable. On its YouTube channel, the company posted new videos entitled 'Rise,' 'Up' and 'Us,' respectively.

The ads are a major departure from the 'Reimagined' commercial Apple has been playing since March. Each one focuses on a tentpole feature—time, fitness and communication—and demonstrates them using real-world scenarios.

Apple offering online Personal Setup for new Apple Watch users

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple on Thursday night began emailing Apple Watch pre-order customers (whose orders have already shipped), informing them that their wearable would be arriving soon and that they can get help setting it up in "the comfort of their own home."

The online "Personal Setup" service is essentially a video session in which you get instructions on setting up your Watch and an overview of key features. As with in-store Personal Setups, online sessions require you to schedule an appointment.