On: Daring Fireball: The Kids Are All Right

[hackermom]

No; he's met with a $100 barrier if he wants to supply his software to others via Apple's App Store. Creating and developing for OS X and for iPhone OS on iPod/iTouch/iPad is entirely free. The XCode suite and the SDKs cost nothing to download.

[aaronbrethorst → hackermom]

No, he's met with a $100 barrier if he wants to load that app onto his iPhone/iPod touch/iPad, or submit it to the AppStore.

[hackermom → aaronbrethorst]

This does not hinder someone from developing software, which is what "op" was under the impression of.

[aaronbrethorst → hackermom]

I was merely addressing an inaccuracy in your post. And sure it does: there are tons of scenarios where the Simulator doesn't work like the real hardware or doesn't work at all: location-based apps, many audio and graphics scenarios, Youtube video playback, etc.

[vegashacker → hackermom]

But you can't install on any devices (even your own) without the $100 fee.

[eelco → vegashacker]

The (yearly) $100 fee might not be negligible compared to the price of the device (it's still 50% of the price of the cheapest iPod Touch), but if your child already has (access to) a Mac and iPod Touch or iPhone, I don't think it will be that much of a problem.