I am working on a client/server application and considering the iPhone platform for my next client. My only issue is that my server currently only runs on Windows. Will Apple even consider approving my app without having a Mac server available?
Thanks!
Apple doesn't care what software your server is running on. As long as the iPhone client app meets their guidelines you should be fine.
I'm not sure what sort of app you're writing, but consider some of the apps in the store already: IM applications that interface with IRC, AIM, Facebook, Twitter etc. These servers almost certainly aren't Macs.
Related
Is there any enterprise distribution program for blackberry applications?
Is there any method similar to Apple's enterprise distribution of iphone applications?
While going through their documentation, they are talking about using a deployment server and distributing apps with it.
Note: for early OS versions of blackberry - OS 7 or previous versions are my target
As Peter said in his answer, you can use BES to distribute applications in an Enterprise environment.
In iOS, the Enterprise program is basically the only Apple-approved way to deploy software, other than via the iTunes App Store (ignoring how you deploy to your test team).
BlackBerry Java (e.g. OS 5,6,7) devices don't have the same restriction on apps that Apple has implemented. Normal jailed iPhones cannot install software from any arbitrary web server, but BlackBerry devices can.
So, another option is just to post your app (.jad and .cod files) to a (corporate) webserver, and let users download the apps themselves. This is called Over-The-Air (OTA) deployment.
I'm not endorsing this over BES deployment, just adding to your options.
Sorry, don't know anything about iPhone Enterprise distribution.
For BlackBerry, there are two 'variations' depending on whether you are talking BB10+ or BB7- phones. However in principle they are the similar, the BlackBerry Administrator makes an application available to the corporate BlackBerry devices associated with the corporate BES, and these can be pushed to the phone, or can be made available to the phone (for BB10).
A possible restriction here is that the application will only made available to BlackBerry devices associated with that specific BES.
There is more available from the link you have already found.
I think to give a more specific answer we need to understand what you are trying to achieve, and if this is targeted to BB10+ or BB7- devices.
Edit:
Since you have indicated that you are targeting BB7 and earlier, then I would recommend one of these approaches:
a) If you wish to force users to have your software, then the best approach is create a software profile on the BES
b) If the software is optional, then place it on a corporately accessible web server and OTA download as described by Nate. This is significantly easier to maintain than the BES distribution.
I am creating an application for an huge enterprise , I came to know about apple Enterprise programme for the in house distribution.
Using that I can control the iPhone through server. My server will connect with Apple server and then I can control the iPhone.
But can any one suggest me how the server will connect with the APNS and how my device will perform all the things ?
Be specific to the question : What code is needed on server as well as on iPhone so accomplish such kind of task like Mobile Device Management?
any tutorial or help will be great full..
Thanks in advance
There is no code. You need to purchase a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution from one of the 3rd parties listed on Apple's MDM for iOS 4 site. Or wait until Mac OS X Lion Server ships later this year.
One of the MDM providers Airwatch is providing an SDK you include with your in-house app that ties back to Airwatch MDM server. You will need to speak to them for more details.
I've been developing an iPhone web app on a Windows XP box using
MobiOne Test Center and Safari for testing and debugging and
occasionally using a real iPhone for testing. The problem is that
MobiOne, Safari (desktop), and the iPhone all produce different
errors. Obviously I am most concerned with the errors that occur on
the iPhone, since that is the target device. (An example of the type
of error encountered is that an image that ordinarily appears as
expected occasionally cannot be displayed, so the little question-mark
icon appears instead.)
I have the opportunity to obtain a Mac for development, but I need to
know whether using a Mac will make a difference.
Have any of you moved to the Mac for developing or just testing a web-only iPhone app?
Is doing so worthwhile? Why?
Does the iPhone simulator in the SDK simulate an iPhone better than Safari on the Windows desktop?
Is there a reason I would need a paid subscription to the Apple iOS Developer Program?
Thanks!
In short: no, I don't think a Mac is necessary for developing iPhone web apps, especially seeing as you have access to a device to test on, and you seem to be fine in your progress of development.
If you're not aware, there's a debug console available on Mobile Safari on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Safari > Developer (at the bottom) > Debug Console and turn that on.
When developing an iPhone web app, you do not need to pay for the iOS Developer Program. That program is for developing native apps to deploy either to your company or the App Store only.
Web apps, on the other hand, are nothing more than web sites that are designed (i.e. include certain meta tags, have mobile-friendly interface designs) to be run similarly to native apps on a device, and harness certain Web technologies such as geolocation that are available to devices. Users view them in Mobile Safari like any other web site, but for the best experience are asked to tap on the + sign and add your web app to their home screens to be accessed as such.
The iPhone Simulator certainly does a better job than desktop Safari on either Windows or Mac OS X since its user interface shares that of the iPhone device, but I don't think you'll need it for testing and debugging if you have a device to test on.
The iOS SDK has a tool called Dashcode but I don't think it's much of a difference from the web dev IDEs that the rest of us use every day. As far as I can tell, Dashcode doesn't give your web app any additional features that can't already be implemented using the standards we're familiar with.
I would not buy a Mac or a paid subscription to the Apple iOS developer program unless I was writing native iPhone applications.
You should be fine with your current configuration. Just make sure you do the bulk of your testing on the actual iPhone, that is what your customers will be using.
Does the iPhone simulator in the SDK simulate an iPhone better than Safari on the Windows desktop?
Yes - there are some significant differences between MobileSafari and Safari for Mac/Windows - but you've got an iPhone to test on. The iPhone Simulator offers no additional debugging tools for iPhone web apps, so you're not going to be better off having it available than just testing on the device.
Testing on an actual device is better than testing on any of the Simulators, since that is what you mobile customers will actually be using.
If you are strictly building web apps, your money might be better spent on more test devices (devices with and without a Retina display, iPad, maybe an old used iPod Touch running some prior version of iOS for regression testing, etc.) If you are choosy about your colors, the color can vary quite a bit across devices, so it may help to find one warm display and one cold one (from old/different manufacturing lots, etc.).
So you don't NEED a Mac (unless you have other reasons for acquiring one).
Buy an iMac. You will enjoy the experience better.
It is my understanding that your application needs to be compiled on a mac before it can be sold in the app store.
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
HI,
I am new to development for the I phones and got the iphone from USA which is locked to at&t, i have successfully able to develop the apps on it, while it is not unlocked, now i want to unlock it so that i can use it with my local network and also wants to continue the development on it, so is it possible to continue the development on the jailblroken phones for the app store, and what problems may i encounter.
As long as the application is developed using accepted Apple practices (using the official iPhone SDK, and not open-toolchain or something like that) and does not use any private APIs, you should not have any trouble submitting an application just because you tested it on a jailbroken (or carrier unlocked) phone.
To be 100% accurate, jailbreaking and carrier unlocking are against the developer agreement, but I can't really imagine the circumstances that would lead to you being caught.
I have a first generation american iPhone that is jailbroken and works with my local network.
I had no problem deploying a self made app to my phone.
At the time writing I have iPhone OS 2.1.
I haven't yet gone through the process of submitting the application to AppStore.