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 responds to Chinese media warning against iPhone location tracking

Cody Lee ∙ July 13, 2014

Last week, China's state-run China Central Television broadcasted a report that labeled the iPhone as a "national security concern." More specifically, the CCTV criticized the “frequent locations” function in iOS 7, which records time and location for the owner’s movements.

Yesterday, Apple issued an official response to the report on its Chinese website. The statement reaffirms the company's commitment to privacy, and states that the Location Services found in the iOS firmware are only used to help users for activities that require navigation...

FCC loosens labeling restrictions for iPhones and other devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

This is kind of interesting. The FCC's Office of Engineering & Technology issued new labeling guidance on Friday, saying that manufacturers can do away with the awful FCC ID etchings found on the backs of iPhones and other devices with integral screens.

Until now, the FCC has asked that any equipment requiring FCC certification sport a nameplate or etched label listing its FCC ID and other info. But with devices getting smaller and more complex, it wanted to update the requirement for the digital age...

Apple’s Maps team calling businesses to verify user address corrections

Cody Lee ∙ July 12, 2014

Continuing on with its efforts to refine its mapping software, Apple has apparently begun calling businesses looking to verify user-reported address corrections. In a recent Reddit post, a business owner said he had been contacted by someone with Apple Maps.

Reddit user swb1192 said he received an interesting phone call from a 408 number (a Cupertino, California area code) this week. The person said that they were with Apple's Maps team, and that a user had reported his business address as incorrect, which it was...

Apple wins lawsuit against Emblaze over live video streaming patent

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

In a verdict handed down late yesterday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple defeated a lawsuit brought on by Emblaze Ltd. The company claimed that the iPhone-maker infringed on one of its patents.

More specifically, Emblaze accused Apple of infringing on its live video streaming patent, with its HTTP live-streaming service (HLS) that it asks 3rd-party apps like MLB at Bat and WatchESPN to use. But the trial's jury found otherwise...

Apple joins ‘SupplierPay’ initiative to speed up payments to small businesses

Cody Lee ∙ July 12, 2014

Apple has joined Coca-Cola, IBM and other major companies as an early adopter in the new White House 'SupplierPay' program. The initiative is aimed at accelerating payments from these larger firms to smaller businesses in their supply chain.

The program is a private-sector extension of QuickPay, another federal initiative designed to ensure small contractors are paid within 15 days of submitting an invoice. This helps them avoid borrowing money, increasing their chances to succeed...

New Samsung Galaxy Tab S ad pans iPad for lack of multitasking

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

The iPad is no stranger to getting bashed in TV commercials—both Amazon and Microsoft have attacked the tablet over price, display quality, and productivity capabilities. And today, Samsung joins the party with its new Galaxy Tab S ad.

The spot, which went up on the Samsung Mobile YouTube channel this afternoon, is titled: 'Do more with Samsung GALAXY Tab S - Multitasking.' And unsurprisingly, it pans the iPad for its inability to run multiple applications at once...

Sharp in talks with Apple to regain control of iPhone panel plant

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Sharp is looking to regain control of its Kameyama plant back from Apple. Nikkei is reporting this afternoon that the company has proposed a deal to the Cupertino firm worth nearly $300 million, in an effort to diversify its customer base.

The Kameyama Plant No. 1 began operations in 2004 as a facility for manufacturing large panels for flat-screen TVs. But after consecutive years of profit losses, it called on Apple to help foot the bill to transition the plant to smaller panels...

Apple offering Xcode 6 beta for free on new Swift blog

Cody Lee ∙ July 11, 2014

Apple today launched a new blog on its developer portal for its Swift programming language. The company introduced the new language at WWDC last month, and it says this will be a way to keep devs up to date on its progress.

The news is interesting for a couple of reasons. For one, it's not like Apple to talk publicly about projects it's working on—particularly via a blog. It's also worth noting that it has posted a free version of its Xcode 6 beta on the site...

Apple caught cutting some iTunes song previews down to 30 seconds

Cody Lee ∙ July 11, 2014

A few years ago, Apple extended song previews in iTunes from 30 seconds to 90 seconds, for tracks longer than two and a half minutes. The move pleased users, as it enabled them to listen to a large chunk of the song before purchasing it.

It appears, however, that Apple has recently changed its policy regarding music samples, reverting some track preview times back to 30 seconds. The change has been reported by several users, on both mobile and desktop versions of iTunes...

New report says mass production of iWatch may not begin until November

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo issued a new note to investors this morning, stating that Apple may have to push mass production of the iWatch back more than a month. The highly revered analyst originally predicted that production for the device would ramp up in September, but due to the complexity of the project, he now believes it could begin as late as November...

MLB updates At Bat and At the Ballpark as iBeacon rollout continues

Cody Lee ∙ July 10, 2014

Earlier this year, Major League Baseball pledged to have twenty ballparks outfitted with iBeacons by Opening Day as part of its initial rollout phase. And it did. Stadiums in Boston, San Diego, L.A. and many more cities now feature the tech.

Today, TechCrunch is reporting that the MLB is now entering the second phase of the initiative. And apparently it's planning to debut a special project at the 2014 All-Star Game, which is slated for July 15 at Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota...

New photo shows alleged iPhone 6 front LCD frame

Cody Lee ∙ July 10, 2014

Continuing on with the barrage of iPhone 6 part leaks we've seen over the past few weeks, Apple.club.tw today shares a new photo of what is believed to be the front LCD frame of the handset. It looks to be complete with metal shielding, and Home button bracket.

In a complete iPhone, this component would sit in between the front panel and the rear shell, both of which we've seen in other leaks. It also contains the all-important LCD panel, and helps sandwich in the battery, logic board, and various other internal pieces...