iPhone app without AppStore

Question

We have an industrial app that currently runs on a very expensive ruggedized PDA. Since most of the engineers we sell to have iPhones we are considering moving to the much nicer newer platform.

A couple of questions: Is it possible to sell iPhone apps with out the app store? Apple taking a 40% cut of a 99c iFart app is one thing but this is a $3000 engineering calculation app. We have also heard of the hassles some people have had getting apps approved.

Can we sell an iPod touch (I understand selling an iPhone without a contract is trickier) with pre-packaged software.

ps. Sorry for the anonymous posting, the company is a little nervous about our relationship with the PDA maker.

Answer 1

I wish. Short answer, no.

There is some kind of a hack, whereby you isntall your app in a ad hoc manner, but you can only have 100 devices. Painful road if you ask me.

Answer 2

You have to jailbreak the iPhone to put an app on it not from the app store.

Answer 3

Native app, no. However, you can create it as a Web App that's specialized for the iPhone, in which case you circumvent the app store altogether.

Answer 4

Enterprise developer program allows in house distribution, avoiding the appstore. It's $299 vs $99 and doesn't include AppStore distribution.

For companies with 500 or more employees who are creating proprietary in-house applications for iPhone and iPod touch.

Answer 5

There are basically three different official iPhone application distribution methods that I am aware of:

- App store

With this method anyone with an iPhone can have access to the application. You can distribute an unlimited number of applications like this. Apple gets a 30% cut. Of course Apple must approve your applicaion.

- Ad hoc

You can distribute applications using ad hoc without going through the app store, but you are limited to a maximum of 100 devices. With this method you can distribute you application from a web site, email, etc.

- Enterprise

The method is for internal distribution in companies with more than 500 employees. Apple does not provide any more public detail that I could find on this method.

It doesn't sound like any of these methods meet your criteria unless you have fewer than 100 customers and don't plan to exceed that number. It sounds like from the question your customers are not internal to your company.

I would advise contacting Apple. They might be able to work out some kind of custom distribution deal.

Answer 6

It's a pity - the iPhone/iPod touch could make a really nice platform for automation/interface stuff.
I was working on an embedded industrial platform recently - a 16bit micro, 64K memory, a serial port and a 120x128 2 grey level screen for $1000/unit and $10,000 for the appalling OS/devkit.

Answer 7

I can't see how apple could possibly care if you purchase iPod touches, jailbroke them, installed your app and sold them to customers.

For a $3k app, the $220 for an iPod Touch is less than 10% of the sales price.

Answer 8

Spotify has a free app you can download, but to use it you have to have a Premium account. So you don't have to sell your app for $3000 to go thru the app store.