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.

Despite criticism, Apple is beating competitors in supply chain efforts

Cody Lee ∙ April 9, 2012

The New York Times published an interesting article yesterday regarding Apple's efforts to improve working conditions in its supply chain. But unlike the report it ran earlier this year, which largely criticized the company, this piece praised Cook's team.

After doing a little research, The Times found that Apple is far more transparent with its overseas factory audits and is doing more to correct violations than any of its competitors. In fact, a majority of the companies won't even comment on the matter...

Confirmed: AT&T now unlocking out of contract iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ April 8, 2012

On Friday, a rumor surfaced that AT&T was going to start unlocking out of contract iPhones for its subscribers. This is a big departure from the typical trials and tribulations you have to go through to unlock the handset, so we had to test it out.

I'm an AT&T customer, with an iPhone 4 that's been out of contract for quite some time, so I decided to give the carrier a call. And sure enough — at least judging from my experience — the company appears to be unlocking old iPhones...

Photos from inside Apple’s headquarters

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2012

Apple's dedication to secrecy is the stuff of legends. We've heard a number of stories regarding the elaborate measures the company takes to ensure that unannounced products and other projects never make it outside its walls.

So as you can imagine, photographs inside Apple's headquarters are fairly rare. But the folks over at Apple Gazette have put together an extensive gallery of pictures taken inside the building, so we thought we'd share a few of them...

Rockstar’s Max Payne to land on iOS April 12th

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2012

Attention iOS gamers, Rockstar — the makers of hit titles like Grand Theft Auto – has just announced that it will be bringing its popular third person shooter Max Payne to iOS this month.

The Payne franchise has had quite a run in the PC/console gaming realm, selling more than 7.5 million copies. And Rockstar is hoping that its popularity will transfer over into the iOS platform...

AT&T to start unlocking off-contract iPhones this Sunday

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2012

Unlocking your iPhone can be a fairly tricky task. Unless you pay in upwards of $600 for a factory-unlocked handset, you could be required to jailbreak or even purchase a third-party SIM mod to use your iPhone on multiple carriers.

But according to Engadget, that could change this Sunday for AT&T customers. The site is reporting that it has received an anonymous tip that the US carrier will start unlocking off-contract iPhones starting April 8th...

Apple could receive $7.4 million in tax breaks to build new Texas campus

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 16, 2016

AppleInsider passes on a report from an Austin news outlet that Apple could receive tax rebates worth $7.4 million over the next 10 years if it goes ahead with plans to build a new campus in Northwest Austin.

Combine this with the nearly $30 million in tax breaks and incentives it is already set to receive, and Apple has a lot of reasons to want to start building its new offices as soon as possible...

Security hole in Facebook app could lead to identity theft

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 19, 2017

Folks who use Facebook's iOS app might want to make sure to stay away from using public computers and charging stations for a while. Apparently a serious security glitch has been discovered in the software that could give hackers access to your account.

Security researcher Gareth Wright published a blog post yesterday that has raised some serious questions about how iOS developers are handling saved values — logins, etc. It seems that some apps are saving this data in plain, unencrypted text files...

Jobs’ biographer says the CEO’s disdain for Android was real

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2012

Yesterday, Google's Larry Page sparked some controversy with some comments he made regarding Steve Jobs. In an interview with Businessweek, the CEO suggested that Jobs' disdain for Android was more for show than anything else.

But Walter Isaacson, author of the Apple founder's popular biography, tells a different story. Isaacson gave a lecture at the Royal Institution in the UK last night, and had no problem clearing the air about Jobs' feelings on Google's mobile OS...

Apple reportedly reaches settlement over search for iPhone 4S prototype

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2012

In the months leading up to the iPhone 4S launch, Apple lost a prototype of the handset. It seemed like it was going to be the iPhone 4/Gizmodo debacle all over again, but no pictures or other evidence ever surfaced.

Apple took some heat over the way it handled its search for the device, allegedly raiding the home of Sergio Calderon with a team of police officers. In fact, Sergio threatened to file a lawsuit against the company unless a settlement was reached.

Well here we are, more than 6 months later, and no lawsuit has been filed...

Rumor: Apple to start “iPanel” HDTV production in May

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2012

Barron's, a financial arm of The Wall Street Journal's web network, passes on an interesting report today from Jefferies & Co.'s Peter Misek. The analyst has upped his stock price target for Apple to $800 per share on the back of new information regarding a TV set.

In an investor's note, sent out this morning, Misek said that his recent trip to China has given him "increased confidence" that Apple will be launching a TV this year. He claims, among other things, that he saw television components en route to Apple suppliers...

Apple investigating Wi-Fi issues with new iPad

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2012

Experiencing Wi-Fi problems with your new iPad? Apparently you're not alone. According to a recent report from 9to5Mac, hundreds of new iPad owners have taken to Apple's online support forums complaining of the issue.

In fact, the site has gotten its hands on an internal Apple memo (above) that instructs retail employees to "capture" affected devices — meaning send them in to Apple for inspection — and replace them under warranty...

Does Apple have an obligation to create more American jobs?

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2012

At this point, it's fairly common knowledge that Apple outsources its manufacturing work overseas. Labor is much cheaper in countries like China, where there are no minimum wage laws, so it's a huge draw for companies looking to lower their costs.

But not everyone's ok with this. CNN's Clyde Prestowitz recently wrote an article entitled "Apple has an obligation to help solve America's problems." The piece is essentially about the company's lack of job creation in the US, and what it should do about it...