I know there is no official SDK for Windows, which is very annoying. Is there any way to develop applications on a Windows computer, other than somehow running a Mac OS in VMware? I know you can do it with Xcode, but that is also only for Mac OS X. Google searches have revealed absolutely nothing.
If I cannot use the SDK or Xcode, is there any way I can just check syntax or something and just make my code in Notepad and save it with the proper extension? I have no idea whether or not I would be able to do that, probably because I have never even tried the SDK and probably never will without buying a Mac.
I looked into this before buying a Mac Mini. The answer is, essentially, no. You pretty much have to buy a Leopard Mac to do iPhone SDK development for apps that run on non-jailbroken iPhones.
Not that it's 100% impossible, but it's 99.99% unreasonable. Like changing light bulbs with your feet.
Not only do you have to be in Xcode, but you have to get certificates into the Keychain manager to be able to have Xcode and the iPhone communicate. And you have to set all kinds of setting in Xcode just right.
You could easily build an app using PhoneGap or Appcelerators Titanium Mobile.
Both of these essentially act as a WebKit wrapper, so you can build your application with HTML/CSS/JavaScript. It's a pretty portable solution, too, but you are somewhat limited in what you can make - i.e, no intensive rendering or anything. It really all depends on what you're looking to do.
You could do what saurik of Cydia does, and write your code on a PC then build it on the iPhone itself (it is a Mac, technically!) after you jailbreak it. However, you don't get Interface Builder, so you're basically creating UIs in code by hand. It'd also be pretty tough to actually submit your app without a Mac.
No, you must have an Intel Mac of some sort. I went to Best Buy and got a 24" iMac with 4G RAM for $1499 using their 18 month no interest promotion. I pay a minimum payment of something like $16 a month. As long as I pay the entire thing off within 18 months - no interest. That was the only way I was getting into iPhone development.
There is another solution if you want to develop in C/C++. http://www.DragonFireSDK.com will allow you to build iPhone applications in Visual Studio on Windows. It's worth a look-see for sure.
Technically you can write code in a .NET language and use the Mono Framework (http://www.mono-project.com/) to run it on the iPhone. I haven't ever seen someone do this from scratch, but the folks that write the Unity Game Development platform (http://unity3d.com/) use it to make their games iPhone-compatible. The game itself is written in .NET, and then they provide an iPhone shell with the Mono frameworks that allows everything to run on the iPhone. I don't know whether they've contributed all of their modifications to Mono back to the open-source repository, but if you're serious about writing iPhone apps outside the Mac environment, it might be possible.
That said, I think you could dump weeks into getting that to work, and it might be best to invest in a Mac instead :-)
This really comes down to how much you value your time. As the other posters have mentioned, there are a couple of ways you can build iPhone apps without a Mac. However, you are jumping through serious hoops, and it'll be much more difficult and take longer than it would with the proper development chain.
You can buy a second-hand Mac Mini for a couple of hundred bucks on eBay. If you're serious about doing iPhone development you'll make this back in saved time very quickly.
No one has brought up the hackintosh. If you have supported hardware it might be the best option.
There are two ways:
If you are patient (requires Ubuntu corral pc and Android SDK and some heavy terminal work to get it all set up). See Using the 3.0 SDK without paying for the priviledge.
If you are immoral (requires Mac OS X Leopard and virtualization, both only obtainable through great expense or pirating) - remove space from the following link.
htt p://iphonewo rld. codinghut.com /2009/07/using-the-3-0-sdk-without-paying-for-the-priviledge/
I use the Ubuntu method myself.
http://maniacdev.com/2010/01/iphone-development-windows-options-available/
check this website they have shown many solutions .
Phonegap
Titanium etc.
Related
This question already has answers here:
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How can I develop for iPhone using a Windows development machine?
I've read a lot of questions and answers about developing iOS apps on Windows:
iPhone development on Windows
How can I develop for iPhone using a Windows development machine?
But most of the ways to accomplish this is because the people with this problem (make ios apps on windows) want to make apps for themselves. Also, some of them suggest web apps.
I'm working for a company who needs to make a little App (later other companies will need more) and the person who is in charge of all about IT told us that we need some facts so we can demonstrate that we really need a Mac for developing apps for iOS legally.
First, I don't know if all that says on this page would be enough https://developer.apple.com/support/ios/ios-dev-center.html
To develop with the iOS SDK and Xcode, you must have an Intel-based Mac
running Mac OS X Snow Leopard or later and you must be registered as
an Apple Developer.
Now I have some questions:
Is there a legal way for a company to make iOS apps on Windows?
If one of those ways is running OS X under a Virtual Machine... Is it possible to do it with OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive?
I know there are some SDK such as Marmalade, Corona, DragonFire... and they give us licenses but are they 100% reliable? Would apple give us support if we use one of these SDK?
Does Apple check if the app was created over a legal OS X copy? I mean, when the code is compiled, is there a sign so Apple can check that the app was made without cheating?
Creating games on OS X (VM) would be hard?
In the case we get the Mac (mini)... Would we need the Magic Touch or Magic Trackpad to test multi-touch? Or is only possible doing it by pressing one of the keys plus the left click?
Creating Web Apps would be a solution? I know that we can't use the Camera of the device using Javascript but is the rest ok?.
Testing
Some of our co-workers have iTouchs but we don't know if the company should buy a new one. Also, Would you suggest to get the oldest generation of iPod Touch for testing purposes or only the 3rd and 4th generation?
I hope you could understand me. Thanks in advance!
Update:
I got this answers:
You will work over Windows with the respectively SDK
Me: I know there isn't an official SDK for developing iOS apps on Windows from Apple.
The programming language that we will use is the same it would be install on a PC or MAC.
Me: Impossible?
Update
We got the Mac. ":D"
While there are things like FlashBuilder, these solutions don't provide the performance or flexibility of an actual native application. As for virtualizing OS X, this is not an option. The EULA for all versions of OS X specifically prohibit hardware virtualization (though I believe Lion allows for it but only when running directly on genuine Apple hardware. In other words, there is no way to run OS X on any computer other than a Mac without violating the EULA.
I dont have a Mac, but i setup a hackintosh (MacOSX running in pc) by following guide from this blog http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/. If your pc spec is compatible, the Mac OSX will running flawlessly, just like in normal Mac.
Since you ask this question, I assume you dont want to fork a money to buy Mac, so setup a hackintosh machine is the best option for you. You just need to spend some money for buying legal copy of Mac OSX. Yeah I also setup the hackintosh in order to develop iphone apps on a pc.
Although there are always hacks and work-arounds you'll need a Mac for any serious iOS development. You can pick up a Mac Mini for under $1000, I'd be surprised if you could setup a Windows machine that could build iOS Apps for fewer than $1000 worth of man-hours... plus you'd probably end up having to constantly tinker to keep it working.
AFAIK, Mac OS X doesn't reliably run in a VM on a Windows Machine, but that could have changed since I last checked.
Most of the cross-platform development tools fall back to HTML/Javascript-based technology that is run in an embedded browser and packaged with a custom tool, I'd tend to avoid those as the Apps that they produce will not feel native.
I don't believe that Apple checks to see where the code was built. Adobe's FlashBuilder can export to an iOS binary, those Apps are accepted by Apple.
Creating them shouldn't be hard... testing them may be a little slow, but you'll definitely want to test on real hardware early and often.
If you get the Mac Mini you may hold option and click to simulate a dual touch in the iPhone simulator, but for more significant multi-touch testing you'll need to target a real device.
Depending on your goals, a web app may be a good solution. You'll potentially lose some performance, and some control, but you may not need all that much to accomplish your task.
My personal experience with IT has always been like pulling teeth to get them to allow/support any Apple product. Don't let them talk you into some patch work alternate system for making apps. Straight up OSX is far and away the best way to go, especially since you guys are talking about doing more later. Do it right from the start.
Now with adobe flashbuilder you can make iphone apps through windows http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/packaging-air-apps-ios.html it would all be coded in actionscript just like flash however looks pretty much alike. Personally I have never used it, i own a mac, but my school does cheers
Also I know you can put apps from this builder right into the app store just like the OS X process
You cant put it directly on a thumbdrive because OS X boots differently, you would need to install a new boot loader on you computer, but it can be done, look up Hackintosh
Finally , you do not need the magic touch pad, it is not possible to do multitouch while running on the simulator via OS X, you must put the app on your phone to test multitouch
Is there a legal way for a company to make iOS apps on Windows?
My advice is to try as hard as possible to get an Mac.
But just to provide another alternative :
Try Phonegap. It's basically a HTML5 wrapper, mainly used by app that needs to be published in multiple type of devices. However it also able to access native resource like camera and storage, which you can see in their feature page.
If your concern is more into development machine, by using Phonegap you can develop an app in any OS. You don't need to buy multiple mac for all the developer.
PhoneGap also have a service called PhoneGap build which is actually a cloud service that able to build your code to multiple platforms, including Iphone. This is legal and you can publish it App store.
If one of those ways is running OS X under a Virtual Machine... Is
it possible to do it with OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive?
No, You can only run OSX virtual Machine in OSX also.
Creating games on OS X (VM) would be hard?
It depends on the developer. But since the game should be tested in emulator, your question is not that relevant.
In the case we get the Mac (mini)... Would we need the Magic Touch or Magic Trackpad to test multi-touch? Or is only possible doing it by pressing one of the keys plus the left click?
Xcode Emulator able to simulate that. Read this blog
Creating Web Apps would be a solution? I know that we can't use the
Camera of the device using Javascript but is the rest ok?
If you are using PhoneGap, it's basically web apps wrapped by native. It's still give you access to resource like Camera, Compass, Storage etc.
Would you suggest to get the oldest generation of iPod Touch for
testing purposes or only the 3rd and 4th generation?
The iOS 5 SDK has many new features that make app development easier. By the time your app is ready for release, most users will have moved on to iOS 5. It is my understanding that iOS 5 does not support 3rd-gen devices, so there's no point in obtaining those if you're going to use SDK 5.
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I've heard that you need to get a Mac if you want to develop iPhone apps. Is this true?
Is it possible to develop iPhone apps using Linux? If yes, what do I need and where do I download the necessary tools?
To provide a differing response, I'm running OS X and Xcode on a virtualised (VMware) machine on Linux. CPU is a Core2Quad (Q8800), and it is perfectly fast. I found a prebuilt VM online (I'll leave it to you to find)
Xcode/iPhone development works perfectly, as does debugging via USB to the phone itself.
It actually surprised me a lot - but I've had no issues at all.
The answer to this really depends on whether or not you want to develop apps that are then distributed through the iPhone store. If you don't, and don't mind developing for the "jailbroken" iPhone crowd - then it's possible to develop from Linux.
Check this chap's page for a comprehensive (if a little complex) guide on what to do :
http://www.saurik.com/id/4
It seems to be true so far. The only SDK available from Apple only targets the macOS environment. I've been upset about that, but I'm looking into buying a mac now, just to do iPhone development. I really dislike what they are doing, and I hope a good SDK come out for other environments, such as Linux and Windows.
Obstacles regarding the SDK:
The iPhone SDK and free software: not a match
Apple's recently released a software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone, but if you were hoping to port or develop original open source software with it, the news isn't good. Code signing and nondisclosure conditions make free software a no-go.
The SDK itself is a free download, with which you can write programs and run them on a software simulator. But in order to actually release software you've written, you must enroll in the iPhone Developer Program -- a step separate from downloading the SDK, and one that requires Apple's approval.
I think it's rather elitist for them to think only macOS users are good enough to write programs for their phone, and the fact you need to buy a $100 license if you want to publish your stuff, really makes it more difficult for the hobbyist programmer. Though, if that's what you need to do, I'm planning on jumping through their hoops; I'd really like to get some stuff developed on my iPhone.
There used to be a project dedicated to solve this defect: iphone-dev
The goal of the iphone-dev project is to create a free, portable, high quality toolchain to enable development for the Apple iPhone and other embedded devices based on the ARM/Darwin platform.
Regarding the alternative tool chain, Saurik's site is useful but for latest firmware development he indicates building on the iPhone itself and stays clear of indicating that you may need to copy necessary iPhone firmware files to your Linux environment. It's not impossible, but just requires additional work, especially for signing the code (there are open alternative solutions out there as well).
Also, take a look at other guides (for the same tool chain) that approach it more methodically.
I'd suggest to still do the final build and code signing and packaging in XCode (which may mean borrowing someone's Mac) in case you run into problems when submitting the application to Apple. Using the alternative tool chain opens up (at least on the Mac) the possibility of using other IDEs other than XCode for developing the application and again resorting to XCode for the deployment and testing with the simulator.
Of course if you do get the code signing / certificate generation working from the command line outside of XCode then you can install a certificate on your actual iPhone and test there (installing the app via iTunes w/your certificate).
The only way I know of doing development in Linux for the iPhone would be to install Vmware and work on getting OS X running in a virtual machine. With that said there are some "legal" concerns in doing that. It is reported that OS X Server can be virtualized but as far as the development story on that I don't know.
If you are truly serious, that's the what I'd investigate.
Good luck.
You can use Tersus (open source), and it lets you export the app as an Xcode project.
You might be able to write code on a Linux box that will eventually find itself on an iPhone or iPad, but ultimately you would need a Mac to test or deploy the code to the iPhone or to submit it to the App store. So ultimately you need a Mac, so you might as well do the work on the Mac too, with all the tools that Apple provide. There are alternatives to Xcode & Objective-C, such as Monotouch - but these utilize the Apple tools too.
You can with some work run OS X in a VM on Linux. However I should point out that this will break the OSX license agreement, even if you buy the copy of OSX - as it is only licensed to run on Apple hardware.
Sorry to give you this news - the ecosystem around the iPhone/iPad is very tightly controlled.
EDIT: One major exception to this is writing a web app for the iPhone. There are some excellent web apps for the iPhone which are almost as good as user experience as a native app. However I did interpret your question to be about native app development. Web apps, although the user can create an icon for launching them - are still 'second class' citizens.
I've had success building iOS apps on linux using the iOS clang toolchain by cjacker. Basically it consists of the upstream clang and llvm tools from your linux distro, a linux port of apple's linker and some extra tools to help simplify the build process (such as converting xcode projects to Makefile format).
It does take a few steps to install, but you're a software developer so you'd be used to that. I posted an up to date howto for Debian 7 (Wheezy) online:
https://rogerkeays.com/how-to-build-an-ios-toolchain-for-linux-debian-7
Otherwise you want to go with the generic instructions which are a little older:
http://code.google.com/p/ios-toolchain-based-on-clang-for-linux/wiki/HowTo_en
Good luck.
There's a framework called Rhodes.
The concept is based on Ruby on Rails and you develop your mobile app in Ruby and HTML, and you can write your code in a Linux environment. You can then create an account at Rhohub, where you add the code (through GitHub), and it allows you to compile it for iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian, all off the same code. You don't have to code in Objective-C for iPhone, nor Java for Android, etc. It does the conversions for you. All you need to do is stick to the Rules for creating an iPhone application (or the Phone's you want to develop for) so it can be accepted at iTunes (or the equivalent market).
This will allow you to add the app to iTunes as well.
I have not found any emulators, however, which means that to test your app you need to put it on an iPhone, which is a mission.
I am using this option as I want to create apps for all phones and I use Ruby on Rails already. If you just want to make an app for an iPhone, then invest in a Mac.
Hope this helps.
You're right non-jailbroken phones are limited to Apple's App store and Apple "has the right" to enforce whatever rule, it's totally nonfree territory.
However while developing, one won't have to deal with Apple at all. You can use e.g. rsync to upload the code to the device and test it.
To a certain extent, yes, it is possible. You can type Objective-C code and set up your projects. You can even test the C and C++ parts of your code with gcc.
What you cannot do:
Use Interface Builder to set up your interface, as it's Mac-only. (Not required, but recommended.)
Compile code that uses Apple's Cocoa classes - they don't exist on Linux.
Test code in the Simulator - there isn't one for Linux.
Compile code for real devices or for the App Store - all this requires tools that Apple only provides for OS X.
You need to get mac for it. There are several tool chains available (like win-chain) that actually lets you write and build i Phone applications on windows. There are several associated tutorials to build the Objective C code on Windows. But there is a problem, the apps hence developed will work on Jail broken i Phones only.
We’ve seen few hacks to get over that and make it to App Store, but as Apple keeps on updating SDKs, tool chains need regular updates. It’s a hassle to make it up all the time.If you want to get ready app you can also take help from arcapps its launches apps at a reasonable price.
iphone app development
I did an attempt to port cocos2d-iphone to GNUstep so that you can Develop game based on cocos2d. However for publishing you need a mac. cocos2d-GNUstep.
I would recommend getting a mac because the ios simulator is amazing for testing in the early stages of an app. But I do know of a small company we work with that develops using Unity so they don't need a load of macs. That way they only need one mac for the office and that's just to compile the final build. It also means it works on android but it really depends on what your building because it's a games engine. You may want to look into web apps using frameworks like Sencha Touch Mobile
Unity: http://unity3d.com/
Sencha Touch: http://www.sencha.com/products/touch/
If you value your time, buy a Mac! I don't know enough about Linux development options to offer a viable solution, but it seems the proposed methods involve some pretty roundabout work. If you plan on seriously writing and selling iPhone apps, I think you could easily recoup the cost of a Mac Mini or Macbook. :-)
You will never get your app approved by Apple if it is not developed using Xcode. Never. And if you do hack the SDK to develop on Linux and Apple finds out, don't be surprised when you are served. I am a member of the ADC and the iPhone developer program. Trust, Apple is VERY serious about this.
Don't take the risk, Buy a Macbook or Mac mini (yes a mini can run Xcode - though slowly - boost the RAM if you go with the mini). Also, while I've seen OS X hacked to run on VMware I've never seen anyone running Xcode on VM. So good luck. And I'd check the EULA before you go through the trouble.
PS: After reading the above, yes I agree If you do hack the SDK and develop on Linux at least do the final packaging on a Mac. And submit it via a Mac. Apple doesn't run through the code line by line so i doubt they'd catch that. But man, that's a lot of if's and work. Be fun to do though. :)
Dear all.
Today, I start to learn iOS. I don't know what tool I need to install to develop IPhone applications.
At this time, I have a HP laptop which is running with Windows 7.
If you know about this, please tell me.
Thanks all.
Binh Nguyen
#Nguyen, If you want to use your HP laptop for developing for iPhone then its possible. I have seen people do it. But it will back fire at you and cost you more, coz macs GUI is very heavy for non mac devices and it causes them to crash all the time. My friend installed mac on VM ware and it caused him around 159$ to repair his pc (he was working on final cut pro). so if you want to just learn the objective c language then its ok, but it wont be good for actual software development and deployment. And plus Xcode is very heavy software (3GB approx), its the worlds best editor but you will face a lot of problems if you dont use mac and probably wont want to work on it again. So take my advice if you just want to learn objective c, you can probably do that by using some unix compiler too for compiling the code and s.
Hope this might help you decide. Bye
Edit: here is some of the links that will get you started with objective c and objective c on windows
http://www.ehow.com/how_5148893_start-learning-objectivec-windows.html
http://www.roseindia.net/iphone/objectivec/objective-c-windows.shtml
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/535198/best-way-to-learn-objective-c
http://techgossipz.blogspot.com/2011/01/learn-objective-c-on-windows.html
Enjoy.
You will need an Macintosh computer in order to develop native iPhone applications. You will need to download XCode which will include everything you need. If you want to actually run the applications on a physical device you will need to register with Apple as a developer.
These people are WRONG. You don't need a mac to develop iphone apps. There are many options for Iphone Development on PC.
Airplay SDK is a great FREE tool for developing fast, high quality, portable code. It deploys to PC, mac, iphone, droid, and many others.
DragonFire SDK costs money, and I would not use it before Airplay, but go ahead and check it out if you want.
There are others I'm forgetting but you can do a quick search on google or stackoverflow for them.
In order for you to test your software so that it actually works you need to run it on a physical device: an iPhone/iPad/iPod. In order to download to a physical device you need to have the $99 software license from Apple. If you don't have that you can also not sell your software in the app store. So the path of least resistance is to get a cheap mac book/mac mini and an iPod -- as a bare minimum, all other roads are full of pitfalls.
I keep reading things about Airplay SDK and Dragonfire SDK. Are these legitimate options for iphone development without a Mac? Anyone have any better solutions?
You're not going to get away from the need of OSX regardless of framework due to signing etc.
Before I bought my epic 2007 MacBook at €300 I used VmWare to run OSX and as such access Xcode.
No promise on legality of the procedure, but it's pretty much that, Hackintosh or buying a Mac.
In terms of Legal iOS development it's OS X or nothing. Plain and simple.
Life is too short.
A Mac Mini is an affordable option and it will hold it's resale value on eBay well.
DragonFire SDK is an easy way to get started if you own a PC and don't want to get a mac. I had it up and running in a few minutes. Was learning off the tutorials in a few hours. Seems if you want a more comfortable/non workaround then you will need to get a Mac. The price tag for a Mac is what pushed me to DragonFire for now. A little cheaper option is looking at the refurbished macs. Save a few hundred and still get the warranty.
What are the options for developing iPhone apps?
Currently I've tried to install gnu kit for Linux without success! Too many steps, and at the and I was unable to compile a single app.
The Apple SDK seems to be much more easy, but I don't have a Mac.
So am I missing something?
You need a Mac, no question. You also need an iPhone or iPod Touch to develop on as although the simulator is pretty good, it is not perfect - I have example code that works fine in the simulator but fails on the hardware. The hardware also has to be modified to add development keys to it so there is a certain risk to using a real iPhone - many people testify that it's safe enough but myself I chickened and purchase an iPod Touch for development. Keys also have to be installed on your Mac and integrated into Xcode - and that's tricky enough to get right even with the standard Apple setup. Xcode is free and really quite a decent IDE.
Your minimum requirements are therefore
An Intel Mac running the latest Mac OS. Cheapest option there is a Mac Mini - $599 although you could probably pick up one on Ebay that would work just fine for $400 or less.
An iPod Touch (or an iPhone if you need the camera/phone features for your app) - $229
A developer licence from apple so you can get they necessary keys - $99
To emphasize, you absolutely have to test the code on real hardware and the amount of pain you will go though trying to use anything else but a Mac and Xcode will easily eat the cost of buying a Mac.
Yes, the Mac. It's probably not worth the effort without the tools. Especially without the emulator. Apple designed the iPhone, it runs a version of OSX, and they have made the tools. It's not even like all you need is the complier because you don't have the tools to debug, load and manage the applications.
Check out http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596155193/ from your local libarary, it says you don't need a Mac, just a jailbroken iPhone/iPodTouch and Linux. I don't know that you can use the SDK to do it, I'm waiting for the 2g jailbreak to even start, but I sure hope I don't need a Mac.
Besides the official MAC you have a project at google code that attempts to make a toolchain for Linux and Windows. iphone-dev This link shows you how to build it.
There's another FAQ site that answers many of the base iPhone development questions like this, which I've found useful. So you might want to check out iPhoneDevelopmentFAQ.com