Apple discounts Mac Developer Program subscription to $99
Apple this week slashed hundreds -- and in some cases thousands -- of dollars from the cost of its Mac Developer Program annual subscription, which now carries a flat fee of $99 per year.
Previously, developers had to pay between $499 for the "Select" tier and $3,499 for the "Premier" categorization. The newly revamped Mac Developer Program is modeled after Apple's wildly successful iPhone Developer program, and offers technical resources, support and more.
Developers who subscribe receive pre-release versions of forthcoming software for Mac OS X, including the operating system itself.
"Receiving pre-release Mac OS X software is an exclusive benefit for all Mac Developer Program members," the official developer site reads, "and allows developers to begin incorporating the latest technologies into their development process, test for compatibility, and report bugs."
Subscribers also gain access to the Apple Developer Forums, where they can discuss development topics with Mac developers and Apple engineers. The program also offers exclusive development videos from Apple engineers and experts.
Xcode tools are still available as a free download, but access to pre-release software and Apple's technical support are available only with the $99 annual subscription.
With more than 140,000 applications available for download on the iPhone App Store, developers have embraced Apple's mobile platform with the iPhone OS. The coming release of the iPad, based on the iPhone OS, has generated even more interest in the mobile operating system.
With so many developers finding success on the iPhone, Apple is undoubtedly looking to court more developers to write for the Mac platform. At $99, the Mac Developer Program carries the same annual price as the iPhone Developer Program.
Previously, developers had to pay between $499 for the "Select" tier and $3,499 for the "Premier" categorization. The newly revamped Mac Developer Program is modeled after Apple's wildly successful iPhone Developer program, and offers technical resources, support and more.
Developers who subscribe receive pre-release versions of forthcoming software for Mac OS X, including the operating system itself.
"Receiving pre-release Mac OS X software is an exclusive benefit for all Mac Developer Program members," the official developer site reads, "and allows developers to begin incorporating the latest technologies into their development process, test for compatibility, and report bugs."
Subscribers also gain access to the Apple Developer Forums, where they can discuss development topics with Mac developers and Apple engineers. The program also offers exclusive development videos from Apple engineers and experts.
Xcode tools are still available as a free download, but access to pre-release software and Apple's technical support are available only with the $99 annual subscription.
With more than 140,000 applications available for download on the iPhone App Store, developers have embraced Apple's mobile platform with the iPhone OS. The coming release of the iPad, based on the iPhone OS, has generated even more interest in the mobile operating system.
With so many developers finding success on the iPhone, Apple is undoubtedly looking to court more developers to write for the Mac platform. At $99, the Mac Developer Program carries the same annual price as the iPhone Developer Program.
Comments
edit: I guess it was just yesterday
I have a premium account so I just dismissed it as not applying to me. This is cool if it only costs $99 now that is going to save us a bunch of money. They probably won't send the free t-shirt though which i like receiving. I think it said something about continuing to support the hardware discounts and software download. Can someone verify?
nice idea but the days of a lone coder in the garage are long gone. even on the iphone i see more professional apps that require a team of people and development tools other than what Apple gives you coming out every day
Did anyone ever code in a garage?
You'd be surprised what one person can accomplish if they are motivated.
Apple this week slashed hundreds -- and in some cases thousands -- of dollars from the cost of its Mac Developer Program annual subscription, which now carries a flat fee of $99 per year.
With so many developers finding success on the iPhone, Apple is undoubtedly looking to court more developers to write for the Mac platform. At $99, the Mac Developer Program carries the same annual price as the iPhone Developer Program.
It could be, or the price discount could really mean the Mac is going to be replaced with a bunch of iPad's of various forms instead and Apple felt guilt to charge developers so much for something that's going to be gradually shown the door.
To get back to a more positive note, perhaps with the lower discount Apple will now allow iPhone apps a place on OS X so people can use either on both.
(yes I know the iPhone has a touch screen UI and the Mac a pointer based UI, but still with a little tweaking some can be on either just fine, look at widgets)
nice idea but the days of a lone coder in the garage are long gone. even on the iphone i see more professional apps that require a team of people and development tools other than what Apple gives you coming out every day
Don't tell that to Steve Sprang creator of Brushes. Apple Special Event January 2010 at the 42:24 minute mark. http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/specialevent0110/
I would suggest that most of the apps a created on the iPhone are done by a single coder and the average team of people is 2.
nice idea but the days of a lone coder in the garage are long gone. even on the iphone i see more professional apps that require a team of people and development tools other than what Apple gives you coming out every day
Coders don't work in the garage, most of them work from their living rooms. They are a lot like authors. It is pretty much a solitary task.
It is easier then ever these days to develop as a lone coder. The iPhone is not hard to develop for. Apple's development tools are good. Most of the Apps on the AppStore are written by a lone coder. Just because you don't think they could be done by a single person, doesn't mean they are not.
In fact most applications only have a hand full of developers. Software development doesn't scale very well. That is why it is rare to find more then three developers on a project. Plus with the iPhone Apple takes care of the marketing and money handling side of things.
Did anyone ever code in a garage?
Hewlett-Packard was started in a Palo Alto garage.
Google was started in a Menlo Park garage.
Hewlett-Packard was started in a garage.
So did Apple, but they were actually building things and not writing code.
Does anyone know if you also get to download Snow Leopard Server with this new membership? $500 software for only $100 sounds a little too good to be true.
Apple's site says it does come with the server seeds. It also comes with some of the videos. Of course these are "seeds". You can't use them in production. They are only for software development and testing. As usual, they time expire and need their keys updated periodically.
By the way, you have never needed to pay anything to develop for a Mac. The dev tools are free after signing an NDA. All the $99 gives you is software seeds for a few products, pre-release access to new operating systems, a forum that lets you talk about NDA things, the ability to open a few support incidents, and some of the WWDC videos. Still a good deal, but you don't need it to write software.
It could be, or the price discount could really mean the Mac is going to be replaced with a bunch of iPad's of various forms instead and Apple felt guilt to charge developers so much for something that's going to be gradually shown the door.
To get back to a more positive note, perhaps with the lower discount Apple will now allow iPhone apps a place on OS X so people can use either on both.
(yes I know the iPhone has a touch screen UI and the Mac a pointer based UI, but still with a little tweaking some can be on either just fine, look at widgets)
How did I know that you would somehow twist this into Apple phasing OSX out in favor of iPhone OS? Clearly that isn't the case. Quit trying to turn a toothpick into a pretzel, the facts just don't back your opinion up.
It could be, or the price discount could really mean the Mac is going to be replaced with a bunch of iPad's of various forms instead and Apple felt guilt to charge developers so much for something that's going to be gradually shown the door.
To get back to a more positive note, perhaps with the lower discount Apple will now allow iPhone apps a place on OS X so people can use either on both.
(yes I know the iPhone has a touch screen UI and the Mac a pointer based UI, but still with a little tweaking some can be on either just fine, look at widgets)
Apple's normal practice is to drop the price of software and services over time as their market share increases. This really isn't out of character for them. Certainly it is pretty likely that the iPad is Apples first step toward replacing OS X and Windows for ordinary users. I'm sure within two years schools will be doing one-to-one iPad programs instead of laptops. There is no way they are planning to eliminate the Mac for power users any time soon though.
Does anyone know if you also get to download Snow Leopard Server with this new membership? $500 software for only $100 sounds a little too good to be true.
I was wondering how long it would take before someone starting asking on how to game the system.
This is not production software they are letting you have. They do expire after a certain time. That's why they are "developer" seeds. You were planning on actually developing something instead of hoping to get production software at rock-bottom prices right?
Apple's site says it does come with the server seeds. It also comes with some of the videos. Of course these are "seeds". You can't use them in production. They are only for software development and testing. As usual, they time expire and need their keys updated periodically.
By the way, you have never needed to pay anything to develop for a Mac. The dev tools are free after signing an NDA. All the $99 gives you is software seeds for a few products, pre-release access to new operating systems, a forum that lets you talk about NDA things, the ability to open a few support incidents, and some of the WWDC videos. Still a good deal, but you don't need it to write software.
I want to know if the membership includes the actual production software, the same stuff get if you go to the store and buy it. Some memberships did include this, does it still?
Also I did know the dev tools are free, that is what I am using now.
Software development doesn't scale very well. That is why it is rare to find more then three developers on a project. Plus with the iPhone Apple takes care of the marketing and money handling side of things.
No it scales. That is the beauty of OOP. But I think when your team reaches 3 developers you also need a product manager.
By the way, you have never needed to pay anything to develop for a Mac. The dev tools are free after signing an NDA. All the $99 gives you is software seeds for a few products, pre-release access to new operating systems, a forum that lets you talk about NDA things, the ability to open a few support incidents, and some of the WWDC videos. Still a good deal, but you don't need it to write software.
I thought this may need pointing out again.
How did I know that you would somehow twist this into Apple phasing OSX out in favor of iPhone OS? Clearly that isn't the case. Quit trying to turn a toothpick into a pretzel, the facts just don't back your opinion up.
He's clearly not here to participate, learn or exchange information in anyway. Why hasn't he been banned yet?
nice idea but the days of a lone coder in the garage are long gone. even on the iphone i see more professional apps that require a team of people and development tools other than what Apple gives you coming out every day
I would say that it's moved in both directions. Super-slick, graphic intensive apps (e.g. AAA video games) can require hundreds of people and millions of dollars. On the other hand, the App Store provides a somewhat more level playing field with regards to marketing and distribution. A developer could make an app, submit it to Apple and have millions of downloads. There is no need for marketing, a website, servers, etc.