Can I develop mac/iphone/ipad applications without having to paying first? - iphone

I'm interested to know if I can have access to all the libraries, ide, etc for the iphone/ipad/macos without paying the 90 bucks(for learning purpose).
Do I have to pay to have access to everything in order to start developing? I'm not talking about the istore by the way. I know that there is a fee for that.
Thanks.

You can download the SDK and simulator for free. If you want to install it on a iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad for testing, or submit to the store, you have to pay the $99.
http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/develop.html#compare
The simulator is useful for some testing, but it has many limitations. If you're developing applications that use the camera or other hardware devices, certain types of multi-touch, etc you're going to want to try it on a real device sooner rather than later.

Developing for the Mac is, on the other hand, completely free.

You can start developing iPhone/iPad apps for free but you must pay in order to test your applications on real devices. Without paying you can just test your applications in the simulator.

You can use the iPhone Simulator for free, but to install on your device you'll need to join the developer program in order to create the certificates needed to install apps on a real device, even if it's just yours. This assumes that you don't have a jailbroken device.

Related

Creating iphone App for personal use without uploading to AppStore

I am planning to do an app for personal use only (I don't want to upload anywhere, ex: AppStore)
Is it possible to build one and transfer + install it to my jailbroken IpodTouch?
I just want to make sure it is possible so I don't waste my time creating an app that I can't use ('cause I am not paying $99 to upload it on the AppStore)
Here is a guide for making build & go and build & debug work with a jailbroken iPhone/iPod touch.
It is written for Xcode 3.2.1 and iPhone OS 3.1.2 so I don't know if it works with the newer versions.
http://www.alexwhittemore.com/?p=354
You might want to consider using an online tool like Recoil App Builder or Snappii. Snappii is more AppStore oriented, but their pricing is pretty reasonable. Recoil is free and allows you to install the app on your phone instantly without going through any AppStore hurdles.
Links to App Builders:
http://www.recoilapp.com/
https://www.snappii.com/pricing
Btw, regardless of how you make your app, I do NOT recommend jailbreaking your phone.
You have to pay the $99 to get it on your phone in the first place. Sorry.
You can if you get an app provisioning profile. or Jailbreak, if a jailbreak isn't available for your device iPhone5(s) iPad 4 and Air, mini and retina. You can just purchase a provisioning profile from some other place usually $8-$15 mine was $14 able to load them nicely without paying apple $100 just to get your feet wet.

iPhone: Software Development And Distribution

I have a few quick questions about the iPhone software development. I did some research about the topic, but there are a few specific things I would like to ask here, because I will have to estimate the cost of the required hardware and software, before I am allowed to buy anything. I never did any Mac development nor have I ever owned an iPhone, so needless to say this is quite hard for me.
I will buy an iMac mini with 2 GB RAM for iPhone development. I will have to use it at the same time as my regular PC, but the majority of the time I won't use the Mac at all. Do I have to buy an additional monitor, a mouse and a keyboard or is there a better solution?
I will have to port a C library to the iPhone platform and develop an iPhone application that uses the ported library. Do I need anything else than the iPhone SDK to do this?
If I use an external library (see above), can I test the application with the integrated emulator, or is it recommend to buy the device?
I will have to send data to a remote webservice. Aside from this I don't require any other features. Can I just buy the iPhone online from another country (the iPhones here are sim locked), or should I buy one with a contract?
When the application is ready, it will be installed on a few iPhones owned by our customer. Because of security reasons it is crucial that there is no third party involved in this process (i.e. the application should not be distributed on the app store). Is this possible?
If you don't use both computers at the same time it's perfectly possible to use the same monitor and keyboard / mouse for both computer
With the SDK you're set, also, you probably won't need to port the library since C is a subset of objective-C and your library will be available for use with the sdk right away.
The simulator can understand external library just fine
Countries like italy sell the iphone without a contract, you won't have any problem with those. Bear in mind that if all you need an iPhone with a camera then the 3g, 3gs and even the 2g will suit your needs, as all of those have cameras.
Yes, there's an option for distribution called "Ad hoc distribution". Using that you can install you app in your client phone without going thru the appstore

How do I compile for the device without a certificate?

I may just be looking in all the wrong places, but is there no way to compile a Cocoa Touch application for ARM without paying for a developer account and certificate?
EDIT: To clarify: I am trying to build for a jailbroken device. I simply want to test code on-device without paying for anything.
You're not going to like this answer, but I and everyone else on SO will tell you that developing for a jailbroken device is 10 times worse than developing legitimately with a developer account. It's not really that expensive, and if you don't have a mac, a low end Mac Mini isn't all that costly either. If you would just want to get some mobile handset practice in, might I suggest developing with Google's Android. The SDK is free and you can get a nifty plugin for Eclipse that has a device emulator as well as a GUI builder. The only downside is that the device support is minimal at the moment. But hey, you can be on the bleeding edge of a technological revolution.
Unless you have jailbroken your iPhone/iPod Touch an Apple iPhone Developer account is required.

iPhone and iPod Emulator

I intend to write some piece of code for an iPod and an iPhone. so, i'm looking for emulators for those devices.
basically an emulator which will help me test the application I'm writing.
Thanks.
To develop iPhone apps you need to download the iPhone SDK. This includes the tools and libraries to code you applications as well as a simulator to test your code. This tools are available only for intel macs.
You can get the sdk for free here: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/
To test you code in a real iPhone, you will need to join the iPhone Developer Program (http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/), which is not for free.
Are you talking about writing an application or writing code for your website to display properly on an iPhone?
The former requires a developer subscription with Apple to access their SDK and emulator.
For the latter, there seem to be several emulators out there to test your web site, check out:
http://iphonetester.com/
http://www.testiphone.com/
A Google search for 'iPhone emulator' should find a lot for you.
The iPhone SDK comes with an iPhone simulator that you can use with Xcode during development.
You can download the SDK from http://developer.apple.com/iphone - you need to be a registered iPhone developer, however, although this is free, after which you can use the simulator.
Note that if you want to send your applications to a physical device you need to enrol in the iPhone developer program which starts at $99.
You probably want to actually get an iPhone for that. You'll have to register the $99 but then you'll get the ability to upload apps to your iPhone/pod.
You could also jailbreak your phone/pod and do whatever you want.
There are also apps available that let you transfer stuff to and from your phone in the appstore (at least one free, if I recall correctly)
If you want to do something more with the files than just transfer them to the phone/pod, it's likely that you'll have to jailbreak your phone/pod anyway.
I keep wanting to find a better abbreviation for typing iPod/iPhone. How about iP(od/hone)? Hmm, not better!

What can I do with an iPhone and no service?

I'm interested in developing software for the iPhone camera, but I don't currently own an iPhone and don't really want to pay for service. If I were just doing general app development, I'd probably just pick up an iPod Touch, but the Touch doesn't have a camera.
I know I can walk into the AT&T store, buy an iPhone and immediately cancel service. But what can I do with the resulting iPhone? Can I:
... develop apps for it using the native SDK?
... download apps from the app store (over wifi)?
... use it for everything that I can do with an iPod Touch?
More generally, is this just a bad idea for some other reason?
You could jailbreak it and use it on a non-standard plan and pay less money.
You can still develop on a phone after it's jailbroken. You can also still develop on a phone after it has been unlocked. The difference is important:
Jailbreak: You can install applications not available in the app store.
Unlock: you can run the phone on other networks besides it's default carrier (AT&T when in the USA).
Note that you cannot at this time unlock an iPhone 3g running 2.2.1, which it almost definitely will be if you buy it new. You can jailbreak both iPhone and iPhone 3G.
Also be aware that if you buy a new phone, AT&T will charge you $200 to get OUT of your new contract. I think that goes down by 10 or 20$ each month, so that after a year, it's considerably less costly to get out of the plan.
What I suggest is buying a first generation iPhone on ebay or craigslist. First generation iPhones can all be unlocked, irrespective of whether the previous owner put 2.2.1 on them. Also they are much cheaper, have the camera and are totally fine for software development. I was able to find decent first generation iPhones in Seattle just 2 months ago for about $250 - $350 dollars depending on details. Unlocking/Jailbreaking takes a matter of minutes with QuickPwn, and the phone works great as a development platform.
I believe your iPhone must be activated to be used as a target device in xcode. While it would be activated after purchase you would have problems if you cancelled your account and then needed to restore it at somepoint.
If you do wish to support the camera its possible to develop on an iPod Touch - the mechanism for taking a photo is identical to selecting a picture from the library, you specify the source (camera/library) and the rest is handled by the OS with your code receiving the final picture.
If your app is going to be very camera-centric you should invest in an iPhone, but if it's for minor functionality you can probably get by with a touch.
I believe your iPhone must be
activated to be used as a target
device in xcode. While it would be
activated after purchase you would
have problems if you cancelled your
account and then needed to restore it
at somepoint.
No it does not. You can jailbreak to start and it will work fine.