Is it possible to develop for iPhone/iPod Touch with Windows or Linux and without one of the devices?

Question

I know this topic is a bit of mouthful. Here's what I'm looking to do:

I would like to develop an application for iPhone's and iPod Touch devices and place it on Cydia.

I do not have a MAC OS but I do have Windows and Linux OSs at my disposable.

Lastly I do not personally own an iPhone or iPod Touch but I have many friends that would let me test my code on theirs. But for convenience sake, is there any emulator in existence upon which I can test my code?

Basically, I just want to know if this possible. Any details on how it is possible would be appreciated. I googled around and got mixed answers but I know the people here can help me.

I know this is a lot. Thanks a ton everyone.

Answer 1

You can develop iOS apps in other environments besides the native SDK (such as Flash) now that Apple has retracted that ban; however, as far as the emulator, I wouldn't suggest relying strictly upon an emulator to release a product.

---

@jer: Please don't edit my post to reword it when he clearly asked for an emulator, so I suggested against an emulator. I do know there is a difference, but I was answering his question directly.

Answer 2

There are a few ways you can develop for iPhone without using a Mac but Apple is going to(or already) rejecting apps developed using that way. So you NEED a Mac machine to develop for iPhone or iPad. As for the emulator part, once you get a Mac, install XCode and iOS SDK, you get the emulator too. You can use it develop apps for iPhone and test them using the simulator. Though you can't test a few things using the simulator it'll be sufficient for basic apps. If you want to test it on a real device you have to register yourself as an Apple developer and you can test only on a single device.

Answer 3

To deliver consistent user experience in your application it's wise to get a real device and use it for some time. This way you know what UI design and business logic conventions are used in this world.

Answer 4

Are your friends iDevices jail broken? Because, if not, and if they won't let you jail break them, you won't be able to upload your apps on to their devices to test without the official Apple dev kit which is only available on Mac OS X. If I were you I'd buy a basic iPod touch especially if I were planning to sell apps rather than just give them away.