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.

IBM expanding partnership with Apple to transform medical research

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

IBM announced on Monday that it will be expanding its partnership with Apple in an effort to help transform medical research. Utilizing its Watson artificial intelligence tech, it's created a new Health Cloud platform that can support health data gathered by iOS apps using Apple's ResearchKit and HealthKit frameworks.

Apple first introduced HealthKit in the summer of last year, as a platform for developers to create apps that integrate with iOS 8's new Health application. This year, it decided to build on that premise with ResearchKit, which allows medical researchers to collect app data from users with diseases such as diabetes or cancer.

IBM will push things even further with Health Cloud, which will de-identify and store health data in a secure, scalable cloud system that enables researchers to access and share data in an open ecosystem environment. Apps that use HealthKit and ResearchKit will be able to easily store, aggregate and model data, enriching research.

App Recap: notable discounts, updates and releases for April 13

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

The App Recap is iDB’s daily roundup of notable news from the wonderful world of iOS software. Below you’ll find a list of discounts, updates and new releases we think are worth checking out. Today's selections include some great updates for your favorite apps and a handful of app deals you don't want to miss.

Rules! available for free within the Apple Store app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Those of you who enjoy app deals may be interested to know that Rules! has gone free for a limited time. Apple is currently offering promo codes for the popular brain-teasing puzzler, which typically costs $2.99, within its Apple Store app.

For those who haven't played it before, Rules! is a well-designed puzzle game that puts your memory and reflex skills to the test. Players are presented with a 16-card board, and asked to remove cards based on increasingly difficult guidelines.

Apple seeds first iOS 8.4 beta to developers with all-new Music app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 8.4 to developers on Monday, less than a week after releasing iOS 8.3 to the public. Today's beta includes an all-new stock Music application, which Apple says will make exploring your music collection "easier and more fun."

The app features a beautiful, more-simplified design, with quick access to things like recently-added music and your custom playlists. It also offers a more streamlined iTunes Radio experience, a new Global Search option, Up Next queuing and much more.

Apple Watch deliveries may arrive sooner than expected

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Good news today for those hoping that their Apple Watches will arrive before their estimated ship dates. MacRumors reports that a reader, who emailed Tim Cook over the weekend regarding the lengthy lead times for the wearable, received a response from the executive team saying that preorders will most likely ship sooner than expected.

"[Apple] said that June preorders will most likely ship sooner than June," said reader Andrew Turko, after speaking with someone on Apple's executive relations team. "Of course he didn't make any promises, but that's the reason Apple is announcing such an extended ship date after all - to avoid disappointment through false guarantees."

Beats launches new iPhone colorways for its Solo2 wireless headphones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Apple's Beats Electronics announced new colorways for its popular Solo2 wireless headphone line on Friday. The 3 new colors are Gold, Silver, and Space Gray— the same offered on iPhones, iPads and the just-launched ultra slim MacBook.

While Solo2s already came in a variety of colors, these new options will allow customers to buy headphones to match their favorite Apple devices. Other than that, however, these new headphones are identical to other Solo2 wireless models.

Tim Cook: Apple Watch pre-orders have been ‘great’

Cody Lee ∙ April 10, 2015

Tim Cook took time out of his day on Friday to visit his local Palo Alto Apple Store, to greet folks trying on the Apple Watch. The CEO shook hands, posed for photos, and fielded questions regarding Apple's highly anticipated wearable.

CNBC was on hand for the meet-and-greet and managed to speak with Cook for a moment about the Watch, and what he's seen in terms of initial response. Unsurprisingly, he says the company has been "impressed" with consumer enthusiasm.

Apple approaching Taylor Swift and other artists for deals to promote Beats Music

Cody Lee ∙ April 10, 2015

Apple has asked Taylor Swift and more than a dozen other artists for exclusive deals to promote its incoming revamped Beats Music service, reports Bloomberg. The company hopes that such deals, particularly with Swift—who has pulled her music from other services—will help attract new users in the increasingly crowded streaming music space.

The move is similar to that of Tidal, the Jay-Z-owned cloud music service that launched earlier this month, and could be the start of a new trend in the space. Artists have long been fed-up with tech firms like Spotify, Pandora and others who pay them the minimum royalty rate, and seem to finally be ready to take matters into their own hands.

You can now pre-order your Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Heads up everyone, the Apple Watch is now available for pre-order. You can grab yours from either Apple's online store or the Apple Store app on your iPhone or iPad. Some of us are able to get through, while others aren't, so be patient. As usual, it seems the Apple Store app is your best bet.

As a quick reminder, the Apple Watch comes in three models: Sport, Apple Watch and Edition; two sizes: 38mm and 42mm; and with various bands. The Sport is aluminum and starts at $349, the Apple Watch is stainless steel and starts at $549, and the 18K gold Edition starts at $10,000.

Apple has spent $38 million on Apple Watch ads since March

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has spent $38 million on its "Watch Reimagined" television campaign, according to US ad-tracking firm iSpot.tv. Reuters points to the report, and notes that the company spent just under $42 million on TV ads for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus over the past 5 months.

iSpot.tv says that there has been more than 300 airings of the Apple Watch commercial within the last month, almost half of which have been in primetime spots. The ad played during the NCAA Championship game, AMC's "The Walking Dead," and other hit TV shows.

Scratch that: Apple Watch sapphire screen can take a beating

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 22, 2018

The iPhone 6, before it launched, was expected to feature an ultra-durable sapphire screen. So everyone wanted to get their hands on the material and put it through the ringer, to see how it would hold up in both every-day and not-so-every-day usage.

Well the Apple Watch, set to launch later this month, actually does have a sapphire screen, so naturally people are going to want to put it to the test too. In fact, the folks over at iPhonefixed already have, and they've uploaded a video of the torture session.

Apple names popular puzzler ‘Twisty Hollow’ its free App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Apple has named Twisty Hollow its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the popular puzzler for both iPhone and iPad, for free—saving you a solid $3.

In the game, you must support the imputation citizens of Twisty Hollow by fulfilling their increasingly eccentric needs. You do this by combining items to make requested goods, so for example, Bessie + cow + bucket = milk.