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’s App Store data shows iOS 7 adoption is now at 78%

Apple has updated its App Store support page for developers this week to reflect new data regarding iOS 7 adoption. According to the company's usage data, the new operating system is running on 78% of iOS devices accessing the App Store.

That's a nice little jump up from earlier this month, when Apple noted that iOS 7 adoption had hit 74%. The move can be attributed to the success of the iPhone and iPad over the holiday season and [possibly] the just-released iOS 7 jailbreak...

Day 6 of Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts: ‘New Year’s Eve Mix’ by Avicii

We are now on day 6 of the big 12 Days of Gifts event, meaning the company has removed the Hugo movie and has posted a new free item for download. Today’s gift is the song 'New Year's Eve Mix' by popular Swedish producer Avicii.

It's been a huge year for Avicii, who has been topping charts around the globe with his latest album True. And New Year's Eve Mix is a 9-minute track that features a mashup of some of his hit songs from that album such as 'Hey Brother.'

Mobile Substrate updated with support for iOS 7 and ARM64

Great news for jailbroken folks on newer iPhones and iPads this morning. Saurik just announced that a new version of Mobile Substrate is out with support for iOS 7 and ARM64. The update will allow developers to update their jailbreak tweaks to work with the newer hardware and software.

This is a huge deal because up until now, those of us on devices like the iPhone 5s or the Retina iPad mini have been extremely limited as to what we could do after jailbreaking—I don't currently have a single tweak installed. But now that this new Substrate is out, that should begin to change...

Leaked documents show the NSA can gain nearly complete access to your iPhone

In June of this year, Edward Snowden shocked the world by leaking a number of slides and documents and revealing that the NSA has backdoor access to the databases of 9 major tech companies, including Apple and Facebook. But as it turns out, its access may not be limited to software.

Since Snowden's initial outing, there has been a number of subsequent reports and leaks. And the latest to garner gasps from the security community is that the NSA has the ability to intercept the delivery of a new computer or mobile device—including iPhones—and build in a remote backdoor...

NYT Magazine design director joining Apple’s marketing team

Speaking with media outlet Mediabistro, longtime New York Times Magazine design director Arem Duplessis revealed that he is leaving the publication to take a position at Apple. He'll be joining the company's internal marketing team, though his specific role is unknown.

This is a significant hire for Apple, as Duplessis is a highly-regarded designer who is responsible for some of the most beautiful covers of the NYT Magazine in the last decade. And his department has won the ADC's 'Design Team of The Year' award the past 3 years in a row...

Apple and Samsung again discussing patent dispute settlement

Apple and Samsung are said to again be conferring over a possible settlement to their years-long patent dispute. According to a new report, the two companies are in "working level discussions" regarding a potential deal.

There are still major obstacles though, and the two firms have a lot of work to do in terms of narrowing their differences over royalty fees and patent access. Apple, for example, wants Samsung to pay up to $30 per device...

Purported prototype of original iPhone sells for $1500 on eBay

An alleged iPhone prototype sold on eBay this morning for a staggering $1500. The handset appears to be in excellent condition, and the screenshots provided by the owner show the device running what looks like Apple's internal diagnostic software.

The seller specifically calls it an 'original iPhone engineering prototype,' with signal strength measurements etched on the rear casing. And he says he's selling it because his wife told him he had "too much stuff" and he needed to reduce his collection...

Apple device activations grew by 2.3 times on Christmas Day

And just like that, the holidays are over. It seems like we spend a lot of time preparing—decorating, shopping, etc.—for something that goes by in the blink of an eye. But that's ok, for a lot of folks that blink of an eye brought presents like new iOS hardware.

In fact, if you received a new iPhone or iPad this Christmas, you're in good company. According to data published by mobile analytics firm Flurry, Apple device activations grew 2.3 times on Christmas Day (versus an average day in December) this year...

Tweetbot for Mac updated with major bug fixes

Popular Twitter client Tweetbot posted an update for its Mac application this weekend, bringing the app to version 1.4.1. The update looks fairly minor on the surface, but it includes a handful of serious bug fixes.

Long-time Tweetbot for Mac users will be happy to hear that the new version finally fixes that pesky issue where you can see "x unread items" but can't scroll up to see them, and various other interface annoyances...

Day 5 of Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts: the movie Hugo

We are now on day 5 of the big 12 Days of Gifts event, meaning Apple has removed the Toca House game and has posted a new free item for download. Today’s gift is the award-winning historical adventure drama Hugo.

Based on Brian Selznick's novel 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret,' and directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, Hugo tells the story of a 12-year-old boy living in the walls of the Paris Gare Montparnasse railway station...

Give your old device the look and feel of iOS 7 with Whited00r 7

Although Apple is one of the best handset-makers around when it comes to supporting older devices, it does have a cutoff point. And for iOS 7, that cutoff point was the iPhone 4, meaning you can not install the new firmware on devices older than that.

But never fear! If you happen to be running an older device, you can still get the look and feel of iOS 7 thanks to Whited00r 7. The modded firmware includes an iOS 7-style UI with card multitasking, Control Center, push notifications, and much more...

Day 4 of Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts: Toca House game for kids

We are now on day 4 of Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts event, meaning Apple has removed the Lonely Planet iBook and has posted a new free item for download. Today’s gift is a popular educational game for children called Toca House.

Parents love Toca House because it allows their children (intended for ages 2-6) to virtually participate in everyday household chores like doing the dishes, ironing, and planting flowers in the garden through various mini-games...