Can i develop and test iphone native applications on windows pc and testing in any iphone simulator? If no then, What is minimum hardware and software requirements for Iphone native apps development. I want to make development environment setup in minimum possible price.
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998answers:
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+3
A:
You basically need an Intel-based Mac. You can find used Mac mini's for cheap (and use an existing monitor and USB keyboard/mouse).
gerry3
2009-11-22 06:16:06
Yeah. I use the cheapest Mac Mini with the RAM and hard drive it came with. No problem.
Nosredna
2009-11-22 06:18:22
ok and what about testing on iphone. do i need to purchase iphone or any simulator can do all testing?
metal-gear-solid
2009-11-22 06:19:43
or can i purchase and install Mac OSX and on my current Windows XP Intel machine or it is necassary to purchase Mac Mini?
metal-gear-solid
2009-11-22 06:21:32
You need a device. A touch or an iphone.
Nosredna
2009-11-22 06:22:08
You will want to test on a device. iPod Touches are cheapest. If your users will be using your app on 3G a lot though or GPS, then you will probably want to get yourself an iPhone. This has the added benefit of joining the community you will be developing for.
gerry3
2009-11-22 06:23:01
Some people have installed Mac OS X on PCs ("Hackintosh") and some people have done some iPhone development on PCs (probably Linux, not sure about Windows). The general consensus of both (especially the latter) is that it is NOT worth the effort.
gerry3
2009-11-22 06:24:54
to install Mac OS X on PC is legal ?
metal-gear-solid
2009-11-22 06:28:27
It probably breaks the license agreement.
gerry3
2009-11-22 06:29:16
It isn't approved to install MacOS on non-Apple hardware. However, I would hate to chase after a development issue or bug, and wonder if it is my underlying hardware that is the problem or something I am doing. The piece of mind from running an approved system is worth the $1000 for a Mac-based system (+/-$ based on configuration).
mahboudz
2009-11-22 06:32:07
which macbook(laptop) is enough for development?
metal-gear-solid
2009-11-22 06:33:17
Any Intel-based Mac
gerry3
2009-11-22 06:45:06
So there is not good simulator to test Iphone applications. purcahse iphone will be the best
metal-gear-solid
2009-11-22 06:47:58
Well yes and no. The simulator provided is good, but runs faster than an iphone and doesn't perfectly behave like an iphone (though it's pretty close). It's just not enough to develop on a simulation...
RCIX
2009-11-22 07:10:23
Remember the simulator is on the screen. The iPhone is a multitouch, accelerometer, gps device. The simulator is good to get started with, but a lot of apps quickly move to the "must-test-on-device" stage. And the simulator and the device run on different processors. They don't even have all the same bugs when you're coding. Device testing is mandatory.
Nosredna
2009-11-22 17:47:49
+2
A:
- Intel-based Mac (can be a Mac Mini; I prefer a MacBook Pro that I can take with me and develop in a variety of locations, office, a playground while kids play, when I travel...)
- Xcode (free download)
Optional software I use all the time:
- Adobe Photoshop (or similar bitmap and/or vector based image editing software)
- Logic Pro (or similar sound editing software with a library of sfx)
The optional stuff is not something I needed as much for other software development. It seems that on the iPhone, the audio/visual experience is as much a selling point as the functionality of the app.
As for whether a simulator is good enough, I have to say NO! The iPhone Simulator is adequate for simple apps, but it operates at a faster processing speed than iPhones and iPhone Touches, making your app run faster than it would in the real world. It also behaves differently in a number of ways, which makes it important to have a 'real' alternative. In fact, during a day of development, I may use the iPhone Simulator for 80% of the test builds, and an iPhone OS device for the other 20% in order to make sure I am on the right track. I have two iPhones with 3.0 and 2.0 software, plus two iPod Touches. The 2.0 iPhone is the 3G, which is the slowest, then the iPod Touches are a bit faster, and the iPhone 3Gs is the fastest of the bunch. I test with all to make sure the user experience doesn't get too sluggish on the slowest.
mahboudz
2009-11-22 06:29:15
One problem in MAC if i buy MAC for iphone development then i cannot do Windows mobile development.
metal-gear-solid
2009-11-22 08:55:29
Stop doing Windows mobile development. Simple.(Did you know you can run Windows on a Mac? It is Mac not MAC)Seriously, if you are a professional developer, then you shouldn't be solving problems based on what the least common denominator is. If this is just a hobby, then I can see how you might want to skimp. As mentioned above, if you have to minimize expenditure, you could run MacOS on a Windows or Linux machine, but you'll find a lot of us who haven't tried it and wouldn't be able to answer your questions if you have issues.
mahboudz
2009-11-22 10:47:39
+1
A:
If you're serious about iPhone development, buy a refurbished Mac Mini and a refurbished iPhone to test it on. If you just want to play around first, search Stack Overflow for the thousand other questions that answer how to do iPhone development on windows.
bpapa
2009-11-22 15:21:10
A:
If you're serious about iPhone development, buy a refurbished Mac Mini and a refurbished iPhone to test it on.I prefer to use mac-Mini or an intel based mac.You can do almost all testing on Simulator except these few which requires original hardware(Gps,Opening another iPhone app from your native app).In terms of memory simulator doesn't have it's own memory it depends on your hardware memory so if you want to develop a good bug free app go purchase an iPhone.
Rahul Vyas
2009-11-30 10:42:36