What kinda fucks me up - though I accept that I’m not a developer, so can’t profess to fully understanding all of this - is that to make apps for Apple devices you have to have a relatively new Mac that can support a version of Xcode that can in turn support the latest version of iOS.
So you have to pay them £100 a year to be a registered developer. AND you have to shell out £1500 (minimum) every few years for a new Mac in order to stay current. And then they tell you have to throw them a tithe every time your app makes any money at all, even if you’re not selling your app through the App Store, or using Apple’s own payment systems.
Only the £100 per year figure is true, just about everything else is false. You could get one of the best machines on the planet for £500 until the rampocalypse reached Apple, and it will last a decade or two. And you don’t need a Mac, just a computer.
That said, a 5% commission on non-apple store, non-apple payment processor purchases definitely is horseshit though. They explain it by saying they’re offsetting their cost to notarize other apps. A “responsibility” they gave themselves. I hope the EU one days decides to fight them on it
What tools allow you to compile for the iPhone without Xcode? And what services are providing free… whatever you want to call that, since you can’t use Xcode without a Mac, and you can’t program in anything but Xcode for iPhone.
Unless you’re talking about PWA “apps” which are not in any way a native app, and are essentially just a webpage running in a safari container?
What kinda fucks me up - though I accept that I’m not a developer, so can’t profess to fully understanding all of this - is that to make apps for Apple devices you have to have a relatively new Mac that can support a version of Xcode that can in turn support the latest version of iOS.
So you have to pay them £100 a year to be a registered developer. AND you have to shell out £1500 (minimum) every few years for a new Mac in order to stay current. And then they tell you have to throw them a tithe every time your app makes any money at all, even if you’re not selling your app through the App Store, or using Apple’s own payment systems.
That’s triple dipping, right?
Only the £100 per year figure is true, just about everything else is false. You could get one of the best machines on the planet for £500 until the rampocalypse reached Apple, and it will last a decade or two. And you don’t need a Mac, just a computer.
That said, a 5% commission on non-apple store, non-apple payment processor purchases definitely is horseshit though. They explain it by saying they’re offsetting their cost to notarize other apps. A “responsibility” they gave themselves. I hope the EU one days decides to fight them on it
You can publish iOS apps without Xcode?
Yes. If you don’t have access to xcode there’s tools (free) and services (free up to a limit) that will do it for you
No?
What tools allow you to compile for the iPhone without Xcode? And what services are providing free… whatever you want to call that, since you can’t use Xcode without a Mac, and you can’t program in anything but Xcode for iPhone.
Unless you’re talking about PWA “apps” which are not in any way a native app, and are essentially just a webpage running in a safari container?