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.

Apple updates Pages and iMovie for iOS 8 [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Following its release of iOS 8 this morning, Apple has begun updating its mobile apps to support the firmware. It looks like Numbers and iMovie were first on the list, with both apps showing up in the App Store's Updates tab today touting iOS 8 compatibility.

The change log for Numbers is fairly brief, mentioning only support for iOS 8, iCloud Drive compatibility, and stability improvements and bug fixes. iMovie's update, however, is a bit more extensive, bringing about new features like slow motion and video filters.

Update: it looks like Apple has also pushed out iOS 8 updates for Pages and Keynote as well.

Update 2: iMovie was experiencing issue so Apple apparently pulled it from the App Store. It should be fixed and come back quickly.

Update 3: as expected, Apple resolved the issue quickly and iMovie is once again available in the App Store.

PanguTeam confirms it’s working on iOS 8 jailbreak

Cody Lee ∙ September 17, 2014

Good news for those of you missing out on today's iOS 8 festivities in order to save your jailbreak, the PanguTeam says it's on the case. As part of a PSA yesterday to remind users to jailbreak while still possible, the team confirmed it has already begun work on hacking the new firmware.

Now before you go getting your hopes up, note that just because an iOS 8 jailbreak is being worked on, does not mean we will see one anytime soon. This is, however, more intel than we had a few days ago, and it may be pertinent to those deciding on whether or not to update to iOS 8.

Apple releases OS X 10.9.5 with Safari 7.0.6 and various improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Rounding out its day of software releases, Apple this evening has pushed out OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 for Mac users. Developers have been testing the beta over the last few months, and it includes a new version of Safari and various improvements.

Among those improvements is better reliability of VPN connections that use USB smart cards for authentication, which should please enterprise users, and easier access of files located on an SMB server. It's definitely more of a maintenance release.

Bloomberg talks to Tim Cook, Jony Ive, and other execs about Apple Watch and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 28, 2017

"With an Apple Watch wrapped around his hand brass-knuckle style, Ive reveals that the project was conceived in his lab three years ago, shortly after Jobs’s death and before “wearables” became a buzzword in Silicon Valley." This is just one of the many interesting anecdotes in Bloomberg's new piece on Apple.

Bloomberg Businessweek's Brad Stone and Adam Satariano interviewed several Apple executives, including Tim Cook, Jony Ive and Jeff Williams, after their big event last week. The conversations cover a wide range of topics, including the new Apple Watch, iPhone 6, and how the culture is changing in Cupertino.

Initial iPhone 6 and 6 Plus reviews rave about displays, battery life

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 7, 2024

Right after its big iPhone event last Tuesday, Apple gave a select group of journalists early access to its two new handsets: the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Both devices feature larger displays than their predecessor, and both launch this Friday.

The move is a familiar one for the company, who typically gives out products to [favorable] writers for analysis ahead of launch. And as usual, we've put together a roundup of excerpts from these reviews to give you an idea of the general consensus.

Appeals court tosses out VirnetX’s $368 million victory over Apple

Cody Lee ∙ September 16, 2014

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit tossed out a verdict today handed down by a Texas jury in late 2012 that would've forced Apple to pay $368 million to patent holding firm VirnetX. The jury determined that Apple's FaceTime feature infringed on on the firm's intellectual property.

The Wall Street Journal reports this afternoon that the appeals court has ruled that the verdict was "tainted" by erroneous jury instructions in the case and therefore is invalid. It also held that some trial testimony from a VirnetX IP "expert" should have been completely excluded from the case.

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus may not launch in China until 2015

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple could have to wait until next year to launch the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in China, according to 21st Century Business Herald. The Chinese news site is reporting today that the handsets have failed to receive the necessary approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

If true, this would be a huge blow to Apple, who some believe was hoping to ship as many as 80 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units by the end of the year. China of course has two of the largest carriers in the world, China Mobile and China Unicom, and is an important market for the company.

iCloud web portal again employing two-factor authentication

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Several users have noticed that iCloud.com is once again employing two-factor authentication for users who have activated the security measure. The two-step process first popped up on the iCloud web portal back in June, but the feature was quickly pulled for unknown reasons.

For those unfamiliar with Apple's implementation of two-factor authentication, it requires users to verify their identity via text message or Find My iPhone push notification. It provides an extra layer of security in the event a user's device or Apple ID info becomes compromised.

Some extensions not working yet in iOS 8-optimized apps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

After announcing last week that iOS 8 will be released to the public on September 17th (that's tomorrow), Apple invited developers to begin submitting their apps and app-updates for the new firmware. In fact, it's already approved a number of iOS 8-optimized apps into the App Store.

But there's a problem that you've probably noticed if you're running a beta version of iOS 8 right now: extensions for many iOS 8 apps aren't working properly. According to MacRumors, the issue seems to be related to code-signing on Apple's end, and it's currently working on a fix.

Early hands-on videos for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus hit the web

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus don't officially launch until Friday, but it seems that some users have managed to get their hands on the two devices early. YouTube channel UNDERkg, which appears to be based in South Korea, has posted hands-on videos for both a Space Gray iPhone 6 Plus and a Gold iPhone 6.

The two clips are 4 minutes long and 7 minutes long respectively, and are both shot in 4K for excellent detail. The videos do a good job of exploring the external hardware of the handsets, as well as some of the more nuanced features in the iOS 8 software. If you have the time, they're definitely worth a look.

Tim Cook talks user privacy in part 2 of Charlie Rose interview

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

PBS has posted a new clip of Tim Cook's interview with Charlie Rose to YouTube this evening. The two-part interview, of which the first half aired on Friday night and the second half airs tonight, covers a wide range of topics, including Steve Jobs, the Apple Watch and more.

The latest clip sees Cook talking with Rose about user privacy, and how Apple approaches the hot button issue. Cook explains that Apple isn't in the business of collecting user data, and it purposefully designs its services—email, iMessage, etc.—to collect as little of it as possible.