Cheaper way to get started with iPhone?
camper...@rocketmail.com
of running a binary rather than running interpreted
bytecode (java).
However it seems to me that the hurdle for getting
started with an iPhone is monetarily large, consisting of:
- Phone itself (sans contract) = $300 on Ebay
- Mac computer minimum $600 for Mini (I have a monitor).
- Development system $100.
So, in short, $1000 min, as compared to a Java phone
like the Sciphone i68+ which is $100 and I already
have a PC.
Is there a cheaper way to get started with the iPhone?
Pascal J. Bourguignon
If you are so incompetent a programmer that you don't have $1000 to
invest in development tools, then perhaps you should better stay with
your PC and develop programs for Java phone users.
Apple customers expect higher quality software, and definitely don't
need you.
--
__Pascal Bourguignon__
Gregory Weston
<61c4f273-32cf-4183...@d38g2000prn.googlegroups.com>,
camper...@rocketmail.com wrote:
Well, you could start with more realistic numbers. The cheapest Intel
Mac you can find is easily adequate for iPhone development. Refurb.
Used. Whatever. It doesn't have to be today's low-end model. That should
shave a couple of hundred dollars off. Also, the development system is
free.
--
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side. My first thought was: That's a really weird business model. How many
inept people have urgent need of skinny little battery cells?
Jim
> Well, you could start with more realistic numbers. The cheapest Intel
> Mac you can find is easily adequate for iPhone development. Refurb.
> Used. Whatever. It doesn't have to be today's low-end model. That should
> shave a couple of hundred dollars off. Also, the development system is
> free.
Isn't it the case that you can't test on actual hardware without the
$100 fee?
Jim
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Stefan Arentz
Pascal, maybe it is time you leave this group. I think answers like
yours are rude, not necessary and totally not acceptable.
S.
Pascal J. Bourguignon
The OP doesn't know his luck. When I became Apple Developer in 1984,
the price of the Macintosh represented 50% of my yearly salary, and
the price of the needed Lisa development environment represented 175%
of my yearly salary.
--
__Pascal Bourguignon__
Gregory Weston
List price on an original Mac was $2500. A 512, if you're talking late
1984, was $3300. Developers got a 50% discount on hardware at the time,
but even without the discount if your annual salary in 1984 was $6600 or
less you were hurting in ways beyond the expense of a new computer.
As it happens, I agree in spirit with part of your message. Given how
quickly even a marginally successfully iPhone app can recover the
expenses I'm a little leery of someone who today has neither a (modern)
Mac nor an iPhone who wants to start writing software for the iPhone and
wants to do it on the cheap. I have a doubt that such a person will have
the patience to actually learn how to write software that behaves well -
internally or from a UI standpoint. Maybe he'll get frustrated with
Cocoa and give up, or maybe he'll release crap and it'll somehow get
approved.
I also agree with Stefan. The whole of your message was gratuitously
rude and antagonistic. I have a doubt about the OP. Not a certainty.
Because the third "maybe" that goes up above is the possibility that
he's the exception and despite the red flags is actually willing to put
the time and effort into doing things right...but happens to be a little
cash-poor at the moment.
camper...@rocketmail.com
wrote:
> If you are so incompetent a programmer that you don't have $1000 to
> invest in development tools, then perhaps you should better stay with
> your PC and develop programs for Java phone users.
> Apple customers expect higher quality software, and definitely don't
> need you.
Pascal, you've just announced to the world that you are a coarse,
low-quality person, lacking wisdom and maturity. We thank you for that.
camper...@rocketmail.com
> Pascal, maybe it is time you leave this group. I think answers like
> yours are rude, not necessary and totally not acceptable.
>
> S.
I agree, the group doesn't need barking dogs and he's harming Apple's
prospects. In addition, who would want to employ a person like him?
Gilles Kohl
wrote:
>I'm interested in the iPhone because I like the idea
>of running a binary rather than running interpreted
>bytecode (java).
If that is the only reason, I'm not sure it is a compelling/decisive
one - you should be aware of alternatives - e.g. native C++
development for Windows Mobile (*).
(The Compact Framework (*) is not an option as that also is bytecode).
>However it seems to me that the hurdle for getting
>started with an iPhone is monetarily large, consisting of:
>
>- Phone itself (sans contract) = $300 on Ebay
>- Mac computer minimum $600 for Mini (I have a monitor).
>- Development system $100.
>
>So, in short, $1000 min, as compared to a Java phone
>like the Sciphone i68+ which is $100 and I already
>have a PC.
>
>Is there a cheaper way to get started with the iPhone?
Depends on what you call getting started. A Mac, you'll need - it also
could be used or refurbished though.
A lot of the learning curve comprising ObjectiveC, XCode, Interface
Builder, Cocoa Touch and to some extent Mac OS X - if you're new to
the Mac - can be climbed with this expense alone:
- the development system (XCode, Interface Builder, iPhone Emulator)
is a free download. The $100 is the entry ticket to a) being able to
target actual hardware and b) being able to publish on the AppStore.
(In all fairness though, be aware that this is a yearly fee, not a
one-time payment)
- nothing replaces testing on actual hardware, but the emulator
included in the SDK is good enough for first steps in ObjC and Cocoa
Touch IMHO.
- instead of an iPhone, an iPod Touch could be a less expensive, real
hardware alternative suitable for many applications. (Except those
using the phone or camera, or requiring GPS location accuracy)
- a free iPhone programming course is available from Stanford
University (videos via iTunes U), check out:
http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs193p/cgi-bin/index.php
Regards,
Gilles.
(*) replace with whatever marketing calls it this week.
David Phillip Oster
To get started, if you poke around on the web you'll see directions for
installing and using the iPhone 2.2 SDK on recent PowerPC Macs. I'm
doing development myself on a G5. (It isn't supported, but it works.)
Note that although Apple pushes Objective-C, you can also link C and C++
into your application. (or anything that gcc will link, that compiles to
ARM and whatever development system your using. Xcode supports PowerPC
and Intel out of the box.)
This will let you write a simple app and run it in the simulator. (The
SDK and simulator require only a free ADC membership, and are a free
download.)
If you borrow a Mac, the cost so far is zero dollars. If you decide you
don't like it, you aren't out any cash.
To test on actual hardware, you'll need to pay the ADC $100, and also
buy an iPod Touch or an iPhone.
Similarly, you can download Eclipse and the Android SDK, and start
Android development in Java at a cost of zero dollars. It however does
require an Intel box, because Android is an emulator, not a simulator.
So how do you decide?
Borrow a phone for a day or two, or even an hour or two and try it out.
Browse the Apple Store or the Android Marketplace and try a few apps.
Read up on relative market size.
Then, go where you'll be happy.