I have become very familiar with Android development with Buzztouch and need to now get the iOS side down before releasing my first app. One major question I had was is there a similar process in iOS development where I can build the equivalent of an apk, and just email it, or have them download it. It appears I can build and .ipa and send through the app store, my only question with that would be do I need a developer license at that time? Thanks for any info.

Hi Zackamo, In order to send your app out for testing, via any method, it has to have a Development or Ad Hoc Certificate as part of the package. So, you need to sign up with the Apple Development program, pay your $99/yr, and generate the correct certificates. Here's a good description of how to get your certificates installed : http://btugwiki.com/index.php/Code_Signing_Basics Thanks! Mark

Thats what I was thinking. Can I still run on an emulator, and possibly connected device without becoming a developer yet?

http://wp.me/p1ZRa7-3P Yes, you can test on the emulator for free. Plus other options.

Yep, Simulator is a good place. I'd advise against jailbreaking your phone. Testflight sounds pretty good, but reguires a certificate as well. Once you get signed up with Apple, make sure you follow that code signing basics tutorial...it'll get you started! Mark

Yah the only thing I am hesitant about right now in regards to getting signed up with Apple is doing Personal vs Company. When developing for others I don't really want my name on the Apps, however moving forward obviously I will probably need to form a company. So that currently leaves me stuck in the middle. I know you can change from personal to a company, however I have heard it can be a pain to have apple make it happen. Outside of that I have no problem just pulling the trigger for the certificate and making it a bit easier to test.

Mark, I certainly respect your advise against jailbreaking your iphone, as I haven't rooted my android. My brother recently returned from China and said almost everyone had an iPhone. I asked if those were actual Apple products and he said it's impossible to tell but probably not. Brings up the questions: What % of iPhones are jailbroken? What % of USA iPhones are jailbroken? Can knocked off iPhones sign into itunes? A good discussion of consequences of jailbreaking might be informative. Not advocating for or against, just interested. Fred

Hi Fred, Yeah, it's a fine line I guess. In general I'm opposed to that sort of thing, and I certainly don't want to run afoul of Apple in any way, especially if I'm trying to make some money by selling apps through their store! I completely agree that Apple is way more restrictive than they probably should be...but those are the rules they've set forth, and it's a decision whether to live by them or not. I would be interested in the results of that discussion as well. You should get it going! Mark

Zackamo, I wouldn't worry about your name going on the apps that you create for other companies. As per Apple's rules, you aren't supposed to submit an app to the store on the behalf of another company. Therefore, your developer account would be used just for developing, and then the other company would need to sign up for a dev account to submit your app. This is a rule that is not always 100% enforced, but you would save yourself trouble in the long run if you tell your clients that they'd be responsible for the $99/year to submit the app. Hope that helps in some way.

Thanks for the info Stobe.. I let the company know the position we are currently in, and said it might be in their best interests to get a company dev account. Waiting for response.. Will definitely say its much easier out of the gate to dev for android and release test stuff. Also when it comes to push to market, still cheaper and easier. Then again I am an android guy, so I am probably biased.

Excerpt from a web post: We’ve heard some staggering statistics for the jailbreak community recently. Saurik, the mastermind behind Cydia, estimates that there are anywhere between 10 to 15 million jailbroken iDevices in the world. The number of unlocked iPhone users is also perplexing. We did a story last month about China Mobile that suggested there were close to 4 million unlocked iPhones running on their network. How many unlocked iPhones do you think are in the U.S.? T-Mobile representatives believe there are over one million active iPhones currently on their network. That’s a huge number considering those customers don’t get access to T-Mobile’s 3 and 4G speeds.