Apple Slowly Ramping Up iPhone Developer Program

[MacRumors]

A series of "non-acceptance" emails sent out by Apple today to applicants interested in becoming registered iPhone Developers has generated some confusion and concern.

In the email, Apple thanks the application for their interest in the iPhone Developer Program, and states that the iPhone Developer Program is only available to a limited number of developers during the beta period. Apple plans on expanding the program during the beta period and will contact applicants again "at the appropriate time".

Despite theories that every applicant has received the same letter, we can confirm that some developers have already been accepted into the iPhone Developer Program.

The $99/year iPhone Developer Program should not be confused with the SDK itself, which is available for free download. iPhone Developer Program provides a developer with the beta release of the iPhone 2.0 Firmware as well as a developer certificate which provides the ability to install applications onto the iPhone itself. Without the certificate, developers are only allowed to install applications onto the iPhone Simulator that accompanies the free SDK.

It is believed that the iPhone Developer Program will be open to all comers after June when the program is out of beta. At that time the iPhone 2.0 firmware will be publicly available.

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[Darkroom]

are they being selective? or have they just run out of enrollment space?

[daveschroeder]

Apple is being selective. The initial press release always indicated that during the beta process, only "selected developers and enterprise customers" would be included. The email "rejections" clearly state that the program is only available to select developers, and will be expanded over time. Once June arrives, ALL developers and enterprise customers will be able to:

1. Purchase $99/year or $299/year individual or company/enterprise developer program memberships and certificates, including the right to submit applications to Apple for approval and/or deploy in-house/enterprise apps internally outside of the Apple vetting/approval process; and

2. Deploy iPhone OS 2.0.

Also, the articles going around saying Apple is "stalling for time", implying that everyone is getting "rejection" letters, are false. Select developers and enterprise customers are already included in these programs, and more will be added during the beta period.

When June arrives and iPhone OS 2.0 is final and the App Store is rolled out, everyone will be able to participate in all developer programs. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure this is a reliable program and process from end-to-end, and this beta phase will help in the rollout.

Also, to be clear, NO ONE has to wait to begin developing and testing their iPhone apps today. Anyone can download the iPhone SDK beta for free, and there is nothing stopping you from developing iPhone apps now. The only thing you can't do is deploy and test on an actual iPhone with the beta 2.0 firmware (and yes, there are a couple cases that require this). Developers and enterprise customers accepted into the early programs do have access to prerelease firmware.

Also, waiting two months to actually deploy to phones is absolutely inconsequential to anyone considering the iPhone development model. Apple has already laid out clear initial roadmap, plan, and structure of the program, and has provided a full SDK and handset simulator. Nearly any developer can begin developing their apps TODAY, and need not wait for anything. Sure, all kinds of arguments can be made about people not being sure an app will be "accepted", but anyone who is that concerned can simply wait until the App Store is up and running, or contact Apple through the developer channels — whether they are accepted or not — with their concerns.

In sum, when Apple announced its plans, it always said that "select" developers and enterprise customers would be included initially during the beta phase.

[justflie]

This makes sense at the beginning of the SDK rollout. After all, how many bug reports can they possibly check/address all at once? This is probably keeping the workload manageable during the most buggy phase of the SDK (lol, at least hopefully it's most buggy at the beginning).

[admanimal]

I wonder if a disproportionate number of accepted developers were game developers, since they are the ones who need to be able to run on the device the most (openGL doesn't work in the simulator, nor can you really test accelerometer stuff).

[MichaelLatta]

I have no problem with them being selective. I would like to think that there is some number of small/unknown developers being allowed into the system to keep things "fair", but that is probably not all that important. I hope things open up more well before June since there are plenty of things that can not really be tested decided without using the hardware. Everything from screen layout (how big are those fingers again?), to gestures, to other things. Having an app ready at launch makes a huge difference. I am really most worried about any delays in Apple's blessing applications for the store. If only "select" developers get there apps into the store for several months that will make a big difference. Here is hoping our worries prove to be just nerves.

[Snips]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

[url=http://www.macrumors.com]
It is believed that the iPhone Developer Program will be open to all comers after June when the program is out of beta. At that time the iPhone 2.0 firmware will be publicly available.

That's 'all comers' who come from the US. The $99 (and $299) programs are not yet available to rest of the world, and will be rolled out in coming months, which I'd expect to be quite possible beyond June.

[JamesMcCain]

man this sucks, I wanted to get approved...

[umbrapanda]

this isn't very fair to the game developers out there.. the first ones out with the clone/sudoku casual apps are going to be making the money, *and* it's open to US developers only. i'm really hyped about making games for this device, but can develop/polish only about 40% of my gameplay, until June. great.

i think this is an instance where the jailbreak to 2.0 could be super useful, if only to be able to actually test and be competitive for actual app release.

[Loge]

Originally Posted by Snips

That's 'all comers' who come from the US. The $99 (and $299) programs are not yet available to rest of the world, and will be rolled out in coming months, which I'd expect to be quite possible beyond June.

They say it will be expanded to other countries during the "beta period" which suggests before June. However, US only at present still sucks.

[theheadguy]

anyone else think june means mid-july?

[toaplan]

"Also, to be clear, NO ONE has to wait to begin developing and testing their iPhone apps today. Anyone can download the iPhone SDK beta for free, and there is nothing stopping you from developing iPhone apps now."

That is not true, testing touches and rotation with the simulator is simply inadequate for making applications that rely on the feel of that input, and there is no support for openGL in the simulator.

The only option is to make your own 'simulator' to handle those cases and using a macbook pro with the accelerometer input really isn't the same thing, and there is no guarantee that what you are testing is going to work once you get the remote debugging.

[Fabiano]

Just to mention, Im outside US and thats what I received from email:

"At this time, the iPhone Developer Program is only available in the US and will expand to other countries during the beta period."

So, there is a chance that for non-USA developers, may be apple will accept some enrollments before June... I cant wait...

[dagamer34]

SDK iPhone apps require the beta 2.0 firmware to run, which is only available to a select few people at the moment. That's why most people who signed up for the iPhone Developer Program were not accepted at this time.

[Fabiano]

I bet(hope) It will not take too long to appear a leaked version of 2.0 firmware somewhere over the internet...

[admanimal]

Originally Posted by dagamer34

SDK iPhone apps require the beta 2.0 firmware to run, which is only available to a select few people at the moment. That's why most people who signed up for the iPhone Developer Program were not accepted at this time.

Paying the $99 to get into the iPhone Developer Program includes access to the beta firmware.

[sigjuice]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

The $99/year iPhone Developer Program should not be confused with the SDK itself, which is available for free download

Could someone please point me to the place on Apple's website where it says $99/year? I've been looking hard and can't find it.

[dejo]

Originally Posted by sigjuice

Could someone please point me to the place on Apple's website where it says $99/year? I've been looking hard and can't find it.

Apple Announces iPhone 2.0 Software Beta

[Peace]

Originally Posted by dejo

Apple Announces iPhone 2.0 Software Beta

During the beta iPhone SDK program, a limited number of developers will be accepted into Apple’s new iPhone Developer Program and offered the ability to get code onto iPhones for testing. The Standard Program costs $99 (US) per year and gives members an iPhone SDK and development tools; access to pre-release iPhone software; technical support; the ability to get code onto iPhones for testing; and distribution of applications via the new App Store. The Enterprise Program costs $299 (US) per year.

[Snips]

Originally Posted by Fabiano

Just to mention, Im outside US and thats what I received from email:

"At this time, the iPhone Developer Program is only available in the US and will expand to other countries during the beta period."

So, there is a chance that for non-USA developers, may be apple will accept some enrollments before June... I cant wait...

Cool!

I didn't register as I didn't want to go against the clearly stated requirements. I was just waiting for 'the coming months' to pass. If it's going to be rolled out during the Beta, that's excellent news. Still, I wish they'd shared that before, or would confirm publicly.

[cmaier]

Difficult to test software that relies on the accelerometers or multitouch on the simulator....

[reno]

i got a rejection email and it feels like i've been stood up for my high school prom (which i actually wasn't, but my date kinda sucked anyway). i am really curious as to what parameters Apple bases their acceptance or rejection on. i am also a ADC member (I signed up last year) and thought this might give me a slight edge. On the downside, I have not yet published any apps as my day job is producing websites and web apps (and I'm quite loaded with work). I am just now getting into iPhone app development and figuring out how to code for this wonderful device.

If anyone out there has been accepted, please share a little of your background and/or why you think you may have been accepted.

Thanks and happy coding!

[Snips]

Originally Posted by dagamer34

SDK iPhone apps require the beta 2.0 firmware to run, which is only available to a select few people at the moment. That's why most people who signed up for the iPhone Developer Program were not accepted at this time.

As well as the 2.0 firmware, I anticipate you'll also require a developer certificate to test on a real device - which is what the $99 really buys you.

[cmaier]

Originally Posted by Snips

As well as the 2.0 firmware, I anticipate you'll also require a developer certificate to test on a real device - which is what the $99 really buys you.

Yes, you need a certificate - the functionality for that is already in the sdk.

[rendezvouscp]

I wish that the selection was based on experience *and* needs. I don't have the experience writing applications, but the applications I do intend to write rely on features that aren't in the simulator. It would've been nice to be accepted on that basis.

Here's hoping that Apple accepts new developers fortnightly.